Friday, December 27, 2013

Vol 2, Issue 1 of Georgetown Security Studies Review

The latest issue (fourth) of the student run peer–reviewed Georgetown Security Studies Review can be downloaded at this link.  http://georgetownsecuritystudiesreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/GSSR-Vol-2-No-1-Dec_27_2013.pdf

The link to the web page with more resources and articles and all the back issues of the review is at this link. http://georgetownsecuritystudiesreview.org/

Kudos to the students of our Security Studies Program.

V/R
Dave

Table of Contents 

Opinion: Unsustainable Peace in Mali 5 
Whit Miller argues that regional pressures will break the ceasefire signed between the 
Malian government and the Tuareg rebels. 
 
Reevaluating U.S. Defense Conversion Assistance to Russia 9 
Lisa Bergstrom analyzes post-Cold War U.S. defense conversion assistance to Russia. 
The article shows that, while defense conversion has economic, political, and social 
benefits, and may even promote the peaceful resolutions of conflicts, the Department 
of Defense approach to conversion assistance was flawed and unsustainable. The article 
concludes that, if the United States provides defense conversion assistance to other 
overly militarized states, Washington should adopt a less centrally-managed approach. 
 
Morality in Intelligence Practice 19 
Natasia Kalajdziovski analyzes morality in domestic counterterrorism intelligence 
activities through a historical analysis of the moral questions encountered by the 
British intelligence services throughout the Troubles in Northern Ireland. This case 
study highlights three important considerations: the complexity of the threatscape as it 
emerged, the length of the conflict and its many phases, and the level of public scrutiny 
for the security establishment as the conflict protracted. The article concludes that, 
with proper oversight and review mechanisms, domestic intelligence requires a 
“different morality” than what exists in civilian life. 
 
Evolving Civil-Military Relations 29 
Faiqa Mahmood analyzes the role of the Egyptian military in politics and considers how 
civil-military relations may be improved. This article traces the historical development 
of civil-military relations in Egypt and then compares the situation in Egypt with those 
of Turkey and Pakistan. The analysis demonstrates that, while the militaries of neither 
Turkey nor Pakistan can boast the levels of civilian control present in some Western 
governments, Egypt can still draw lessons from the evolutionary paths of both 
militaries. 
 
Winning Minds: The Role of Education in Securing Afghanistan 45 
Elizabeth Royall questions the effectiveness of education in the counterinsurgency 
effort in Afghanistan. Both the Coalition and the Taliban claimed a correlation 
between Afghan education and their strategic goals. This article addresses whether 
Afghan education content and provision affect security. It reviews the history of 
education in Afghanistan, examines the Taliban’s evolving view of education, and 
analyzes existing metrics of security and education.

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