J Peter Pham joins BBC Newsday to Discuss Coup in Guinea 7/09

Anu Fredriksson, Executive Director for Arctic Frontiers, gives a local perspective on living in the Arctic. Anu is originally from Oulu in Northern Finland and has worked with Arctic issues for over a decade. She has previously served as Director at the Arctic Economic Council and as an Arctic Policy Advisory at the Finnish Embassy in Norway.

Voices From The North Ep 1 Anu Fredrikson

Mathieu Boulègue, Senior Research Fellow for the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House, takes a closer look at Russia’s deep ties to the Arctic and its posturing in the region. Mathieu specializes in Russian security and defence issues and leads Arctic work at Chatham House.

Voices From The North Ep 2 Mathieu Boulègue

Dr. Camilla Tenna Nørup Sørensen, Associate Professor at the Royal Danish Defence College, discusses the changing geopolitical dynamics of the Arctic.

“If China starts pushing for a more open, international alternative to the Arctic Council and governance led by Arctic states,” Dr. Sørensen argues, a vacuum could be opened for “China and other non-Arctic states to argue that other governance mechanisms are needed in the Arctic.”

As the Arctic gains greater global attention, the Nordic states have a strong interest in maintaining the norms and international governance that have contributed to the region’s low-tensions and spirit of cooperation.

Voices From The North Ep 3 Camilla Soerensen

Dr. David P. Auerswald, Professor of Security Studies at the U.S. National War College, takes a closer look at military activity in the Arctic and the associated risks of the region’s increased militarization. 

“From a security perspective,” Dr. Auerswald argues, “the Arctic is the shortest path between Russia and the US.” The European Arctic, “is a possible conflict zone should Russia decide to escalate the current Ukrainian conflict…in an effort to flank NATO militarily.”

His recently published report, “All security is local,” assesses the Arctic defense policies of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden in greater detail.

Voices From The North Ep 4 David Auerswald

Setting the Stage for Peace in Syria:
The Case for a Syrian National Stabilization Force

A presentation by:
Ambassador Frederic C. Hof
Senior Fellow, Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East
Atlantic Council

Bassma Kodmani
Executive Director
The Arab Reform Initiative

Jeffrey White
Defense Fellow
The Washington Institute

After four years of conflict, the prospect of a stable Syria continues to be bleak, with a diplomatic solution nowhere in sight and military steps lacking in international support. In their report titled, Setting the Stage for Peace in Syria: The Case for a Syrian National Stabilization Force, authors Hof, Kodmani, and White present a new way forward – one that takes President Obama’s train and equip program to the next level forging a Syrian ground force which could constitute the core of the future Syrian Army. The force would have the military mission of defeating any combination of enemies obstructing the stabilization of the country and the establishment of legitimate, inclusive governance in all of Syria. How can this force change the dynamics of the conflict on the ground and how can the international community help build it? What other elements need to be in place to make this force an effective part of a broader resolution of the conflict? Please join us for a discussion of these and other questions focusing on this new report. 

At the Hariri Center, Ambassador Frederic Hof specializes in the conflict in Syria. Bassma Kodmani is Cofounder and Executive Director of the Arab Reform Initiative, a consortium of policy analysis institutes that mobilize research capacity to advance democratic change in Arab countries.  Jeffrey White is a Defense Fellow at the Washington Institute specializing in the military and security affairs of the Levant. 

Setting the Stage for Peace in Syria: The Case for a Syrian National Stabilization Force

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Setting the Stage for Peace in Syria: The Case for a Syrian National Stabilization Force

Atlantic Council

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