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

The Modern Mercenary: 
Private Armies and What They Mean for World Order

Remarks by:
Dr. Sean McFate
Senior Fellow, Africa Center 
Atlantic Council

A discussion with:
GEN Carter Ham, USA (Ret.)
Former Commander
US Africa Command

Mark Mazzetti
National Security Correspondent
The New York Times
Author
The Way of the Knife

Moderated by:
J. Peter Pham
Director, Africa Center
Atlantic Council

Contractors are indispensable to modern war, and yet, little is known about the industry’s structure, operations, and future. Typically led by ex-military men, contractor firms are by their very nature secretive; even the US government—the entity that usually pays them—knows relatively little.

In The Modern Mercenary, Africa Center Senior Fellow Sean McFate lays bare this opaque world, explaining the economic structure of the industry and showing in detail how firms operate on the ground. A former US Army paratrooper and private military contractor, McFate provides perspective into the nuts and bolts of the industry.

McFate’s book looks back to the European Middle Ages, when mercenaries were common and contract warfare the norm. He concludes that international relations in the twenty-first century may have more in common with the twelfth century than the twentieth. This “back to the future” situation, which he calls “neomedievalism,” is not necessarily a negative condition, but it will produce a global system that contains rather than solves problems.

In its review of the book, the Economist called The Modern Mercenary“fascinating and disturbing… The worrying trends [McFate] describes makes this book a powerful call to arms to those who do not want a world awash with mercenaries.” ADM James Stavridis, USN (Ret.), former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, added that “McFate helps us understand this complex world beyond the cartoon criticisms and film-inspired lore to see both the obvious dangers and the potential benefits provided by a shadowy industry.” 

Please join the Atlantic Council on Tuesday, March 3 for a discussion of this new security landscape, its historical origins, and what it means for the future of war. 

Sean McFate discusses the growing role of private security contractors in an interview with the New Atlanticist. Read here:‘Boom Time’ for Private Security Contractors.
http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/publications/books/boom-time-for-private-security-contractors

The Modern Mercenary: Private Armies and What They Mean for World Order

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The Modern Mercenary: Private Armies and What They Mean for World Order

Atlantic Council

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