The independent resource on global security

Backgrounders

Improving South American military expenditure data

Off-budget expenditure is used to fund a large proportion of the arms purchases not captured in the current military expenditure data on South American countries. This topical backgrounder begins to address this issue, using Venezuela as the initial country case for improvement.

China's calculus on hypersonic glide

Lora Saalman provides the context for how threat perceptions are manifested in China's hypersonic glide capabilities.

Balancing resource expectations in the Russian Far East

Jiayi Zhou discusses the penetration of Chinese labour migrants of Russia’s Far East Federal District (RFE), juxtaposing their commercial interests with local fears of land grabbing.

New domains of crossover and concern in cyberspace

Lora Saalman explores the appropriation of cyberspace as the newest domain for hybrid warfare, citing cases of alleged cyber intrusion and attack from Ukraine to the South China Sea.

After 72 years, nuclear weapons have been prohibited

7 July 2017 was a momentous day for disarmament and arms control. On that day, 122 states approved the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, often called ‘the ban treaty’, at the United Nations in New York.

China, Russia and the shifting landscape of arms sales

When it comes to the arms trade, China has not only learned from Russia, but succeeded in challenging it.

Peace solutions: Learning from what works and adapting to a changing world

This backgrounder looks at lessons and illustrative cases of 'what works' in preventing conflict and sustaining peace from sessions at the 2017 Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development.

Eurasian Economic Union policies and practice in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan’s experience as a member of Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) from mid-2015 to late 2016 has been largely frustrating, alhtough any analysis is complicated by the regional economic and political shocks during this time.

Trends in multilateral peace operations—new SIPRI data

On the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, SIPRI is releasing new data on multilateral peace operations active in 2016. This backgrounder explores the trends identified by the new data.

The EU: Pondering strategic engagement with China's Belt and Road Initiative

The EU has so far reacted hesitantly to China's Belt and Road Initiative amid concerns over transparency, feasability and sustainability. However, it risks being left behind as China takes a stronger lead in shaping the Eurasian landscape.