Center For Strategic And International Studies Research Articles

Taiwan’s Critical Position in Indo-Pacific: India’s Response to China’s Reactions

“China Factor,” has always been a crucial element that shapes India’s attitude towards Taiwan. According to number of China experts, the journey of India- Taiwan relations have happened under the shadow of China only. Taiwan never featured prominently within India’s Act East Policy as always been overshadowed by much bigger Sino-Indian ties. In the last few years, the concept of Indo-Pacific region has received immense political, economic and strategic attention. Undoubtedly, India is among the politically and strategically major players in the region along with China, Japan, Australia, South Korea, the United States and countries of Southeast Asia. Taiwan constitutes a vital component of Indo-Pacific due to its crucial geographical position in the region. To a significant extent, it is also due to the island nation’s critical position in relation to Sino-US relations. Taiwan’s strategic location links the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea and the Sea of Japan. Most importantly, they are used as critical sea routes for exporting and importing of goods worth $ 5.5 trillion annually, according to Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). These routes are extremely important for the import of energy resources to three East Asian countries – China, Japan and South Korea. Since the Indo-Pacific has turned into the center of global dynamism and trade agreements, undisruptive sea lines of communication are crucial for region’s growth and prosperity. However, China’s assertive policies and actions make Taiwan restless and worried. India looks at the Indo-Pacific as an open, libertarian and democratic zone. In the face of assertive China, assessing India’s reaction is crucial as it advocates rules -based, open, balanced liberal order and stable trading environment in the Indo-Pacific region. Being the largest democracy and among the fastest growing economies of the world, it is important for India to acknowledge Taiwan’s democratic position and economic capability. In fact, power dynamics in the Indo-Pacific have recently altered, and it’s the appropriate time for New Delhi to engage more politically and economically with Taiwan.

Weak State as a Security Threat: Study Case of El Salvador (2014-2019)

Weak State as a Security Threat: Study Case of El Salvador (2014-2019)

The Usia dan Jenis Kelamin Berpengaruh terhadap Kejadian Covid-19 di Rumah Sakit Al-Islam Bandung

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) originating from China. This is to determine the age and sex that is easily affected by the COVID-19 virus. This study is an observational analytical study with a cross-sectional design. Samples are taken using secondary data i.e. from the patient's medical record. Sampling in this study was taken using a total sampling technique using 1,758 medical record data of patients confirmed positive for COVID-19 who were treated at Al-Islam Hospital Bandung for the 2021 period. Data analysis using chi square test. The results showed that most of the COVID-19 patients at Al-Islam Hospital in Bandung City for the 2021 period were aged 46−65 years, namely 918 people (52.2%) and a small part in the age group of 18−25 years as many as 48 people (2.7%). These results are in accordance with research conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Commentaries 2020 that the largest proportion of COVID-19 patients in Indonesia is in the age range of 50−59 years, which is 20.9 percent of the total positive cases of COVID-19. Hasil research on characteristics based on sex in COVID-19 patients at Al-Islam Hospital Bandung City for the 2021 period was male, namely 903 people (51.4%) and a small percentage of female sex as many as 855 people (48.6%). These results are in accordance with research conducted by Fanny Maler with the results of research found that more men contract COVID-19 while women are fewer. There is a relationship between age and gender with the incidence of COVID-19 at Al-Islam Hospital Bandung.

Classification and Prediction of Significant Cyber Incidents (SCI) Using Data Mining and Machine Learning (DM-ML)

The rapid growth in technology and several IoT devices make cyberspace unsecure and eventually lead to Significant Cyber Incidents (SCI). Cyber Security is a technique that protects systems over the internet from SCI. Data Mining and Machine Learning (DM-ML) play an important role in Cyber Security in the prediction, prevention, and detection of SCI. This study sheds light on the importance of Cyber Security as well as the impact of COVID-19 on cyber security. The dataset (SCI as per the report of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)) is divided into two subsets (pre-pandemic SCI and post-pandemic SCI). Data Mining (DM) techniques are used for feature extraction and well know ML classifiers such as Naïve Bayes (NB), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Logistic Regression (LR) and Random Forest (RF) for classification. A centralized classifier approach is used to maintain a single centralized dataset by taking inputs from six continents of the world. The results of the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic datasets are compared and finally conclude this paper with better accuracy and the prediction of which type of SCI can occur in which part of the world. It is concluded that SVM and RF are much better classifiers than others and Asia is predicted to be the most affected continent by SCI.

Jeffrey Mankoff: Russia’s War in Ukraine. Identity, History and Conflict. Washington, D.C.: Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), April 2022,

Article Jeffrey Mankoff: Russia’s War in Ukraine. Identity, History and Conflict. Washington, D.C.: Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), April 2022, was published on December 1, 2022 in the journal SIRIUS – Zeitschrift für Strategische Analysen (volume 6, issue 4).

Nicole Grajewski: The Evolution of Russian and Iranian Cooperation in Syria, Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), November 2021

Article Nicole Grajewski: The Evolution of Russian and Iranian Cooperation in Syria, Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), November 2021 was published on April 1, 2022 in the journal SIRIUS – Zeitschrift für Strategische Analysen (volume 6, issue 1).

Gregory B. Poling/Tabitha Grace Mallory/Harrison Prétat: Pulling Back the Curtain on China’s Maritime Militia. Report. Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), November 2021

Article Gregory B. Poling/Tabitha Grace Mallory/Harrison Prétat: Pulling Back the Curtain on China’s Maritime Militia. Report. Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), November 2021 was published on April 1, 2022 in the journal SIRIUS – Zeitschrift für Strategische Analysen (volume 6, issue 1).

Mariya Y. Omelicheva: Repression Trap: The Mechanism of Escalating State Violence in Russia. Washington, D.C.: Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Juli 2021

Article Mariya Y. Omelicheva: Repression Trap: The Mechanism of Escalating State Violence in Russia. Washington, D.C.: Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Juli 2021 was published on December 1, 2021 in the journal SIRIUS – Zeitschrift für Strategische Analysen (volume 5, issue 4).

A Review into the Clinical Characteristics of 2019-nCoV and Its Potential Impact on African Economy

Introduction: The new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) or (SARS-CoV-2) was first observed in China in early December and by the end of January 2020, it had spread across 171 countries which was gradually affecting the global economy. The surge of COVID 19 in African countries has the potential to take more lives, disintegrate economies, pressured the health systems, and trigger lasting geological and social change if it's not properly managed. This review summarizes the clinical characteristics of the new COVID 19 and the potential impact on African economyMethod: The methodology adopted was purely on content analysis of secondary data and observed information from health survey and economic reports from Africa through a comprehensive search using electronic and non-electronic databases. A literature search from the databases of Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC), World Health Organization (WHO) database and Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) were conducted. Results: Our review of the subject matter indicated that many areas of African economy and Public Health system appear to be directly vulnerable to the impacts of the novel COVID-19 such as some key financial sectors, manufacturing and transportation, energy and mining, trade and tourism, Pharmaceutical and health system as a result of inadequate drug trials, unsuccessful vaccine trials, travel ban, mobility restrictions and limitation in surveillance/testing.Conclusion: Thesurge of this virus has disrupted the medical and public health,economic and infrastructure of most countries in African. Hence, African countries should come together and develop holistic approach to tackle the surge. Individual countries needs to improve their health care system, strengthening their laboratory and institutional capacity so that they can carry out clinical trials of new drugs in emergency period. Action framework should be designed with assistance from private sectors in order to secure food supply system, provide stimulus packages and support vulnerable populations during health crisis.

Fishing Militia, the Securitization of Fishery and the South China Sea Dispute

With fishery incidents emerging as a major threat to peace and stability in the South Sea, a better understanding of the underlying causes of these incidents becomes important. Mainstream media, and a substantial body of academic literature, attribute these fishing incidents, and the growing presence of Chinese fishermen in the South Sea, to China's strategic and political motives, claiming that these fishermen are actually fishing militia. Through revisiting the prevailing fishing militia narrative, this article argues that much wider economic and social factors are at work domestically in China, and that the international and regional scenes are more complex than the picture painted by purely viewing developments with China's fishing militia in isolation. This article also makes the case that fishing disputes in file South Sea have been heavily securitized with profound implications for the ongoing territorial and jurisdictional disputes in those waters. Keywords: South Sea, fishery disputes, fishing militia, securitization. In April 2016, Foreign Policy published a report entitled Fishing disputes could spark a South Sea crisis. This report pointed out that large and growing fishing fleets in almost all the countries ringing the South Sea are at the front lines over the fight to control tiny rocks with names like Mischief Reef, Fiery Cross, and Scarborough Shoal. (1) Indeed, amid rising tensions in the South Sea, there has been a growing number of maritime incidents involving regional fishermen, (2) and with Chinese fishermen in particular. Some of the maritime incidents have even triggered diplomatic and security tensions between and its neighbours in the South Sea. For instance, the Philippine Navy's apprehension of eight Chinese fishing vessels at the disputed Scarborough Shoal on 8 April 2012 resulted in a two month-long standoff between Philippine and Chinese vessels. (3) Moreover, a fishing incident off the Natuna Islands on 19 March 2016 led to a serious diplomatic spat between and Indonesia. (4) In the meantime, has also begun to take tougher action against fishermen from other countries. According to The Power project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C., of the forty-five major incidents identified in the South Sea between 2010 and 2016, at least one Coast Guard (CCG) (or other Chinese maritime law enforcement) vessel was involved in 71 per cent of incidents, mostly ones involving fishing vessels. (5) Mainstream media and a substantial body of academic literature attribute these fishing incidents, and the growing presence of Chinese fishermen in the South Sea, to China's strategic and political motives, arguing that these fishermen are actually fishing militia. (6) They argue that has been relying heavily on its fishing militia to exercise control over disputed waters. It is claimed that Chinese fishermen have become the main combatants in the country's undeclared and mostly bloodless pseudo-military campaign of expansion into the South Sea. (7) Not only academic scholars, but security analysts, political and military officials have also made similar arguments. For instance, a senior US State Department official claimed that China is using its fishing fleets with armed escorts to bolster maritime claims in disputed territory, and does point to an expanding presence of Chinese--sort of military and paramilitary forces--and used in a way that is provocative and potentially destabilising. (8) Against this backdrop, this article seeks to elaborate on previous studies on how best to explain the growing presence of Chinese fishermen in disputed waters, particularly in the South Sea. While the fishing militia narrative certainly enriches understanding of the fishing disputes in the South Sea, it suffers from a number of shortcomings. …

Mumtaz Ahmad

Wise, kind, humorous, humble, profoundly honorable and dignified– these are just some of the words that describe our beloved MumtazAhmad, whose passing we mourn. A great scholar, mentor, friend,and family man, he will be missed by the countless people whoselives he influenced. I feel honored to count myself among them.With degrees in economics, Islamic studies, and developmentadministration, and a Ph.D. in political science from the Universityof Chicago, Ahmad published eight books. His most recent is Observingthe Observer: The State of Islamic Studies in American Universities(Herndon, VA: International Institute of Islamic Thought,2012). Bringing together a stellar array of scholars, this book is particularlyprescient in stressing the importance of the responsiblestudy of Islam in a country whose policies so deeply impact Muslims.He also published dozens of articles and chapters, and deliveredhundreds of lectures throughout his native Pakistan and NorthAmerica, as well as Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South andSoutheast Asia.He served as president of the Association of Muslim Social Scientistsas well as the South Asian Muslims Studies Association. Inaddition, he served on numerous editorial boards, was editor of Studiesin Contemporary Islam, and associate editor of the AmericanJournal of Islamic Social Sciences and the East-West Review. Hiswork was supported by grants from the Fulbright Foundation, theFord Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trust, the Center for Strategicand International Studies, the United States Institute of Peace, theNational Bureau of Asian Research, and the Brookings Institution,among others ...

Perception and Awareness of Young Internet Users towards Cybercrime: Evidence from Malaysia

Abstract: Cybercrime is a criminal (unethical and unlawful) activities using internet facilities such as virus infections, identity theft and hacking. There is high risk of becoming a victim especially for young internet user. The purpose of this study is to protect them by providing empirical evidence to the policy makers in combating cybercrime. The study examines the relationship between perception and gender, age and knowledge as well as the relationship between awareness and gender, age and knowledge towards cybercrime. A field survey is conducted among 342 students in the faculty of accountancy of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) with a structured questionnaire that covers demographic information and seven most known cybercrimes. Percentile analysis, correlation matrix, multivariate regressions are done to test the hypotheses. In addition, Post Hoc test is conducted to locate where the significant differences lies. The study finds: (1) Female students are more aware and have affirmative insights than male, (2) students in the age group of 18-23 years have lower perception and awareness than those aged 24 years and above and (3) those with higher academic qualifications are more aware at cybercrime and perceived the issue of risk differently. The study provides empirical evidence to the top management of the higher level institutions on the needs to improve their policies and procedures to protect young generation reducing the high risk of becoming a victim.Keywords: Cybercrime, Internet Crime, Cyber Security, UiTM, Higher Academic Institutions, Internet Users, MalaysiaIntroductionThe rapid changes in computer connectivity and innovation in digital technology provide numerous benefits to human life but it is not out of side affect such as cybercrime. Cybercrime is a new wave of crimes using internet facilities, which needs to be addressed urgently and earnestly by policy planners to protect the young generation as there is a high risk of becoming a victim of this crime (Asokhia, 2010; Mensch and Wilkie, 2011). Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reported that every year there is a financial loss of 445 billion dollar in world economy due to cybercrime (The Daily Amar Desh, 2014). Cyber Security Malaysia reported that the total number of cybercrimes was 1038 in 2007 and it increased to 2123 in 2008 (The Star, 200). Cybercrime statistics along with an increasing number of research studies indicate that young people do not always behave ethically in online activities and hence, there is a chance of every internet user becoming a victim (McQuade, 2009). Chen et al. (2008) state that human factors are involved in security awareness process. Human beings are usually the first line of defence to secure information assets, no matter how advanced and rigid the security technology solutions may be. All the security breaches such as virus infections, identity theft and hacking are the direct cause of carelessness and lack of knowledge and action on the part of users (Chen et al., 2008). A high level awareness about information security and cybercrime issues amongst users at home, in government and educational institutions, especially young people, would decrease the occurrence of cybercrime (Sembok, 2003). The effectiveness of combating cybercrime among users' especially young users will work if they are familiar and adroit while using online. Therefore, human factors such as gender, age, knowledge and skills (experience) may assist in augmenting the levels of awareness among young people. Students' perceptions of risk and awareness on security of the internet and information should be profoundly addressed (Wang et al., 2008). Past studies have examined students' attitude towards computer skills and ethics among educators (Shariff and Deni, 2005; Aris et al., 2004; Sembok, 2003). The majority of earlier studies are focused on approaches of law and enforcement agency tools in combating cybercrime. …

Asia's Nuclear Conundrum

Asia's Nuclear Conundrum

Responsible global health engagement: a road map to equity for academic partnerships.

Responsible global health engagement: a road map to equity for academic partnerships.

Educating Globally Competent Citizens: An AASCU Red Balloon Project

In 2006, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and The New York Times initiated a joint project entitled “Seven Revolutions: Educating Globally Competent Citizens.” The primary goal of this project was to design a specific program to promote the study of issues with global importance in hopes of creating students who are more knowledgeable and engaged global citizens. This program, centered on the Seven Revolutions framework developed by CSIS, focused on seven important categories relevant to global citizenship as well as significant future trends: Population, Resources, Technology, Information, Economic Integration, Security/Conflict, and Governance.

Complex Patchworks: U.S. Alliances as Part of Asia's Regional Architecture

and Government and the Director of Asian Studies at Georgetown University. He is also Senior Adviser and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C., and a Research Associate of the National Asia Research Program. Dr. Cha previously served as a Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council from 2004 to 2007. He can be reached at .

Surviving the Future: The Seven Revolutions Initiative as a Strategic Model for Curricular and Institutional Innovation

To maintain viability in the 21st century, state comprehensive institutions of higher education must act with strategic purpose now to be able to accomplish future curricular, operational and financial objectives—for the students they serve, for the communities where they operate, and for the states that appropriate their budgets. Survival is at stake for such institutions as they compete for enrollment in a forbidding economic context, while seeking funds from legislatures struggling to cope with revenue shortfalls. The state comprehensive university must innovate to adapt to emerging and unforeseen realities. One model for adaptive design is The Seven Revolutions Initiative (7 Revs), an American Democracy Project collaborative project of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the New York Times, and an initial cohort of scholars from eight AASCU institutions to adapt content for the university classroom. Close examination of this collaborative project reveals a strategic roadmap that is valuable to state comprehensive universities on both the curricular and institutional levels

Beyond Joint – Professional Military Education for the 21st Century: The United Kingdom's Post‐Defence Training Review Advanced Command and Staff Course

In 1997 prior to the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MOD) Strategic Defence Review (SDR) the Single Service Staff Colleges were merged to form a new Joint Services Command and Staff College (JS...

Space policy challenges facing the Barack Obama administration

President Barack Obama faces space policy challenges in security, commercial and civil areas in an era in which the use of space assets for these ends is irreversible. The very future of space is linked to addressing the challenges within the first term of the Obama administration. This paper draws on, but does not attempt to summarize, discussions at the National Space Forum 2008 organized by the Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense Studies at the United States Air Force Academy and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC. The goal of the forum was to examine the key decisions that will need to be made in regard to space policy by facilitating debate among the security, commercial and civil space sectors, and the broader national policy community. The paper focuses on choices which, for budgetary or other reasons, cannot be delayed. A brief discussion of the issues surrounding each choice is presented, followed by the implications of pursuing different choices. One key assumption underlies everything: resources available for activities in space will not grow significantly in real terms over the course of the Obama administration.

Teaching & Learning Guide for: Sociology of Terrorism and Counterterrorism: A Social Science Understanding of Terrorist Threat

Over the last decade, increased attention has been paid to terrorism, particularly to the new wave of terrorist groups, fundamentalist movements, and extremist organisations such as Al-Qaeda. September 11 marked the beginning of a turbulent phase in which states face a new kind of threat made up of a complex network of insidious revolutionary and nationalist forces. Such transformations have given rise to an unprecedented number of publications. However, both political violence and terrorism remain sources of endless disputes and controversies because of their political implications. At the same time, in the scientific community, terrorism studies lack conceptual and methodological uniformity. In his article, Domenico Tosini synthesises and discusses some major findings from this research. Courses using such a review will be confronted with the four major topics that any analysis of terrorism, to be comprehensive, should take into account: the definition of terrorism; its history and classification; its explanations; and an assessment of the consequences of counterterrorism policies.