Posted By IISS at 01/12/2008 17:25:49
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates is to remain in his role under the incoming administration of Barack Obama. In announcing his national security team - nominating his rival Hillary Clinton as secretary of state - President-elect Obama paid tribute to the way in which Gates has restored accountability at the Pentagon during his two years at the helm.
Although he has served two Republic administrations, including the outgoing administration of George W. Bush, Gates is a registered independent and enjoys bipartisan support.
As the IISS' Strategic Comments reported earlier this year, Gates has won plaudits for turning the Pentagon's attention away from planning and weaponry for future conflicts, and bringing it firmly back to the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. After taking the reins from Donald Rumsfeld, he was not afraid to make top-level personnel changes, but he also reached out to the ordinary military.
As the President-elect put it, Gates 'won the confidence of military commanders, and the trust of our brave men and women in uniform, and their families. He earned the respect of members of Congress on both sides of the aisle for his pragmatism and competence.'
Secretary Gates will now be tasked with implementing Obama's policy of 'responsibly ending the war in Iraq through a successful transition to Iraqi control' and refocusing strategy and resources on Afghanistan.
'All Change at the Pentagon' is available free to all users
Posted By IISS at 25/11/2008 11:54:09
The next issue of Survival (December 2008–January 2008) opens with an article on the strategic implications of the financial crisis, written by Alex Nicoll here at IISS. The issue closes with my own essay on what an Obama presidency signifies in the context if America's half century of racial and ideological divisions. An obvious question is the extent to which financial meltdown and economic crisis will now crowd out war and peace as the problems that will determine the success or failure of the Obama presidency. Yesterday I sat down with Alex to discuss these matters; you can watch our conversation here.
The issue of Survival will be available soon.
Dana Allin, Editor of Survival
Posted By IISS at 21/11/2008 17:32:24
A new IISS Strategic Comment on Pakistan points out the country’s many difficulties. Its security situation, politics and economy all face big challenges. But this needs to be kept in perspective. The Comment points out that
"On present evidence, Pakistan is not in danger of becoming a militant Islamist state. Pushtun extremists are not representative of all Pushtun tribes, still less of other Pakistani communities. Nor, despite plausible concerns that some Pakistani authorities or associates are assisting the Afghan Taliban, is there evidence to suggest that fundamental Pakistani army structures have been weakened. Partly as a result of US mentoring, there are also sound arrangements for the security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. "
As Simon Cameron Moore writing on Reuter's Pakistan: Now or Never? blog notes - "perhaps people are getting used to Pakistan being on the brink?"
Read Pakistan on the brink
Posted By IISS at 20/11/2008 18:11:53
IISS maritime expert Jason Alderwick has been extensively quoted in the media during the current piracy crisis.
He told Reuters: "Maritime security operations in that area are really only a sticking plaster, they are addressing the symptoms not the causes,"
He explained to the Guardian how the process of paying ransoms for hijacked ships works- "There is usually a coordinator onshore who deals with the dynamics. Money is brought to a prearranged location, which could be in Somalia or Yemen. There is basically a transfer of money bags. The money goes down the line through a series of intermediaries, with the local government, the mayor or chiefs having a direct hand."The transaction has tended to take place away from the vessel and away from the crew, because if it's tracked or traced, then they are finished."
Last Year the IISS published Contemporary Piracy and Maritime Terrorism – The Threat to International Security by Martin Murphy. Do piracy and maritime terrorism, individually or together, present a threat to international security, and what relationship if any exists between them? This Adelphi paper is of value for all naval and coast guard officers, policymakers and analysts, and those in the risk management and risk insurance industry.
Read more about Adelphi paper 388.
Posted By IISS at 13/11/2008 11:06:40
John Hutton, the new UK Secretary of State for Defence, made a strong and cogent case for Britain’s continued presence in Afghanistan in a speech at the IISS. The argument needed to be re-stated, with Britain continuing to suffer casualties. There remains a need, however, for world leaders to define more clearly the goals that the international military and civilian presence in Afghanistan is intended to achieve, and to work more cohesively towards them. Hutton was surely right that the challenging tasks of state-building cannot be carried out in a fundamentally insecure environment. But are governments willing to commit the military resources that are needed?
Alexander Nicoll, Editor Strategic Comments
The speech is available to watch
A transcript of the speech is available
Posted By IISS at 13/11/2008 11:01:44
Henry Paulson’s Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) will not be purchasing troubled assets after all. In fact, even when the Treasury Secretary announced the $700bn rescue plan in September it was unclear how the government would price, manage and then sell impaired mortgage-backed securities. By the time an unhappy Congress had passed the bill, the financial crisis had moved on and it was clear that banks needed more capital to keep them solvent rather than the government buying their bad assets to keep them liquid. So Paulson used some of the money to inject capital into financial institutions. Lots of people now want the rest of the money to be spent on helping them. It is questionable whether Paulson’s new plan to use it to stimulate consumer lending will get off the ground. Provided the financial crisis continues to be kept at bay until January 20, this should surely be a matter for the Obama administration. The financial crisis was discussed in a recent IISS Strategic Comment and will be the subject of an article in the forthcoming December/January issue of Survival.
Alexander Nicoll, Editor Strategic Comments
