Global militarisation

The current priority of the dominant security actors is maintaining international security through the vigorous use of military force combined with the development of both nuclear and conventional weapons systems. Post-Cold War nuclear developments involve the modernisation and proliferation of nuclear systems, with an increasing risk of limited nuclear-weapons use in warfare – breaking a threshold that has held for sixty years and seriously undermining multilateral attempts at disarmament. These dangerous trends will be exacerbated by developments in national missile defence, chemical and biological weapons and a race towards the weaponisation of space.

Military Aviation and the Environment: Why the Military should care

Ian Shields | Exclusively written for sustainablesecurity.org | September 2010

Issues:Climate change, Competition over resources, Global militarisation

Ian Shields writes exclusively for sustainablesecurity.org:

"The impact of the civil airline industry on the environment is well documented, but what is less well considered is the impact of the military sector. This article will identify three key areas where military aviation has a major impact on the environment, and suggest mitigation policies for each: hydro-carbon use, ground contamination and noise."

About the author: Ian Shields is a retired, senior Air Force Officer and now a respected commentator on Defence and security matters, particularly with relation to Air and Space Power. He holds an MA from KCL, and MPhil from Cambridge and is presently undertaking a PhD in International Studies, also at Cambridge. He can be contacted via his web-site, www.ian-shields.co.uk

Image source: chanelcoco872

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Posted on 29/09/10

So what’s wrong with the MDGs?

Dan Smith | http://dansmithsblog.com/ | September 2010

Issues:Climate change, Competition over resources, Global militarisation

This week’s UN summit will call for a big renewed effort to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. But there are reasons for starting to think a bit further ahead. A new report from International Alert asks us to get ‘beyond the MDGs”.

At a launch meeting a couple of weeks back in London, the moderator - the BBC's Bridget Kendall - asked the report's lead author, Phil Vernon, "You clearly seem to have a problem with the MDGs - what's that about?

Article source: Dan Smith's blog 

Image source: Meanest Indian

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Posted on 22/09/10

A Spoon Full of Sugar Makes the Medicine Go Down? An analysis of the Obama administration’s ‘new’ National Space Policy

Jo-Anne Gilbert, Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. | Exclusively written for sustainablesecurity.org | September 2010

Issue:Global militarisation

On 28 June 2010, US President Barack Obama released a new, and much anticipated National Space Policy (NSP) document.  In contrast to the bellicose and unilateral tone of George W. Bush’s 2006 policy, the 2010 document is replete with references to ‘international cooperation’ and ‘responsibility.’

When taken with Obama’s campaign promise to pursue a “world-wide ban” on space weapons, and overtures to the Conference on Disarmament that the US is prepared to negotiate international arms control agreements regarding space, those opposed to the weaponisation of space might have some cause for optimism that the US has stepped back from setting a dangerous precedent.

But while the change in White House policy is welcome, especially in relation to a greater emphasis on debris mitigation, to assume that space weapons are no longer on the US agenda because of the NSP may be a mistake, and claims that the Bush policy has been reversed are overstated.  The NSP remains paradoxical and ambiguous in places, and the policy outcomes remain tied to other conditional political factors such as Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) and nuclear policies, technology developments, and the US political landscape.

Image Source: NASA Goddard Photo and Video

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Posted on 8/09/10

Youth Breaking Cycles of Marginalisation, Resource Competition and Violence in Yemen

Issues:Competition over resources, Global militarisation, Marginalisation

Last month in Yemen, 40 young men and women, all under the age of 30, came together to form the country's first cross-tribal youth council to address violence and marginalisation. Disputes over land claims and competition for resources and government services often lead to violence and cycles of revenge killings that can extend over a decade, hindering the work of government and international development agencies, and isolating citizens from the state.

Image source: NDI.

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Posted on 31/08/10

New Report Warns Against Attacking Iran

Paul Rogers | Oxford Research Group | July 2010

Issue:Global militarisation

The potential for an Israeli military strike on Iran over its nuclear programme has grown sharply, but its consequences would be devastating and would lead to a long war, warns a new report from the Oxford Research Group.

 

Image source: Rennett Stowe

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Posted on 15/07/10