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.