National Security Policymaking Research Articles

Recent U.S. Government and foreign national government and commercial literature on semiconductors

Semiconductors play a major role in U.S. and international economic activity and in national security policymaking. They are tiny electronic devices based primarily on silicon or germanium, facilitating multiple industrial activities including systems foundational to U.S. technological competitiveness and national security. This industry is a key U.S. exporter with this product’s design and manufacturing being a global enterprise with design, fabrication, assembly, testing, and packing distributed globally. Semiconductors are essential building blocks for emerging technologies including artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, 5 G communications, and quantum computing. This article aspires to inform librarians and others about governmental and commercial literature produced on this subject. It aspires to enhance understanding of this topic and its intersections with economics, consumer goods, technology politics, and international security. (Platzer, Sutter, & Sargeant, 2020; Summary, 1–3).

Conceptual Issues of National Security Policy-Making Under Uncertainty

The article examines the nature of the uncertainty impact on the formation and implementation of national security policy. The multiplication of uncertainties and complication of the system of social relations prompt a transformation of conceptual approaches to the identification of the national security basic features and the organization of key processes in this area. It has been proven that the development of the concepts of uncertainty and resilience prompts a reconceptualization of the national security. This process is currently taking place. The implementation of new approaches to ensuring national security contributed to the initiation of a paradigm shift in national security policy. Management of uncertainty allows for reducing its influence on national security policy-making. The development of science and increasing the level of public trust in scientific information, which is taken as a basis for shaping political decisions, are of great importance for this.

State or soldier? Explaining China’s decisionmaking in India-China border crises

ABSTRACT Prevailing explanations for India-China border crises rely on rational actor models and assumes centralized decisionmaking. Instead, I argue that the several recent India-China border crises cannot be understood without separately interrogating the role of the PLA in China’s national security policymaking. I argue that the PLA uses its operational independence to continuously challenge Indian forces on the contested border. The Indian forces, when confronted, pushed back. The several recent border standoffs are a manifestation of the interactions between the two armed forces.

National Security Policymaking in the Shadow of International Law

Scholars have long debated whether and how international law impacts governmental behavior, even in the absence of coercive sanction. But this literature does not sufficiently address the possible impact of international law in the area of national security policymaking. Yet, policies that the executive branch purports to adopt as a wholly discretionary matter may still be heavily influenced by international legal norms, regardless of whether or not those norms are formally recognized as legally binding. And those policies can be surprisingly resilient, even in subsequent administrations. Moreover, because they are only seen as discretionary policies, they may be more easily adopted than formal legal interpretations. For all of these reasons, the impact of international law on national security policymaking is a crucial unexplored area in the debate about the efficacy of international law. This Article describes how the norms and values embedded in international human rights law can sometimes be adopted, if not as a matter of formal law at the international level, then as a matter of official policy and practice. In addition, it surveys the advantages and disadvantages of such an approach, using two different Obama administration counterterrorism policies and Trump administration successor policies as case studies. Ultimately, I argue that the emergence and persistence of such policies is evidence of international law’s constraining impact. International law, it turns out, casts a long shadow as its paradigms get translated into policy. I also analyze the attributes of these policies, including their “legalistic” character and the consequences of creating policies of this type. This analysis suggests that importing international law paradigms into national security policymaking can be a pragmatic and effective alternative to formal international lawmaking, though it also may side-step the process of creating robust new international law rules. Therefore, it is a practice that executive branch officials from the United States and other countries, human rights organizations, and administrative, constitutional, and international law scholars should at least consider, while weighing both the pros and cons. In addition, the stickiness of such policymaking, even across administrations, illustrates the importance of institutional path dependence, the role of lawyers, the constraint of interoperability with key U.S. allies in multilateral military actions, and the way norms get embedded in government organizations.

Роль стратегічного мислення у зовнішньополітичному плануванні та управлінні

The article addresses the essence of strategic thinking concept and its significance for national security policy-making in general and for foreign policy in particular. Academic literature analysis on strategy and business management, systemized and generalized, revealed two main views regarding strategic thinking concept: phenomenological, according to which strategic thinking is considered as a phenomenon or cognitive ability of the manager, which is characterized by specific attributes, and procedural, according to which strategic thinking is considered as a process. Based on the obtained data, the author’s definition of the multidimensional term «strategic thinking» was formulated and its essence was revealed, which provided an understanding of the strategic thinking process. At the same time, the concept is adapted to the context of security and foreign policy studies. Strategic thinking is determined to be the basis of the state strategic planning system, through which integrated national security policy is made. An attempt is made to outline the main characteristics of strategic thinking as a tool for conceptualizing the future and designing national security policy. An integrated scheme of strategic process (strategizing) is presented and its detailed description is provided. It is defined that strategic thinking is reflected in behavior and influences the national interest’s formulation, decision-making processes, goal setting and crisis response. That is, strategic thinking is the basis of the state strategic planning system, through which the state creates the main national security policy directions. At the same time, the sources of strategic thinking development are cultural and historical context and strategic knowledge. World politics history examples are given, demonstrating successful and erroneous use of strategic thinking in foreign policy making. The results of the study allowed making conclusions that emphasize the important role of strategic thinking in strategizing, national security policy-making and foreign policy. Perspective directions of further research, thus, can be connected with strategic thinking attributes specified list development as well as strategic thinking training process models development.

STRATEGIC CULTURE AS A NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY DETERMINANT: UKRAINE’S STRATEGIC CULTURE KEY CHARACTERISICS

The аrticle аddresses the essentiаl meаning of the strаtegic culture аs а phenomenon аnd its importаnce for nаtionаl security policy-mаking. Аcаdemic literаture аnаlysis hаs аllowed to offer аuthor’s definition of multidimensionаl “strаtegic culture” term аnd to give аn outline of key factors to influence the nаtionаl strаtegic culture development. Strategic culture thus is viewed as a nucleus of strategic thinking underlying the state strategic planning which enables integral national security policy-making.
 The аrticle provides with аn аttempt to elucidаte the key chаrаcteristics of Ukrаine’s strаtegic culture, considering phylogenetic development of the Ukrаiniаn mindset in view of the key territorial and geographic, historical, civilizational factors that influenced the evolution of the Ukrainian national identity and statehood. Apart from that, the article also highlights the chаllenges аnd hindrаnces for further development of Ukrаiniаn strаtegic culture.
 The emphasis is placed on the fact that the lack of monolithic strategic culture is one of the main reasons for unbalanced foreign policy of Ukraine, which in its turn poses a serious threat for state’s national security.
 Special attention is paid to the analysis of the political elite’s role, as a national strategic culture carrier, in the processes of strategic culture forming and developing. The key features of the Ukrainian elite and their influence on political and strategic culture of Ukraine are defined.
 Revolution of Dignity and Russian Federation’s armed aggression against Ukraine are identified as catalysts of the integral strategic culture of Ukraine formation inasmuch as these events enhanced the processes of reformatting the national identity and renewing the system of values.
 The outcomes of the research focuses attention on the need of developing by the Ukrainian political elite the strategy of Ukraine’s strategic culture development in order to form a balanced and consistent national security policy.

No power vacuum: national security neglect and the defence sector in Brazil

ABSTRACT This paper analyses the relationship between national security policymaking and the defence sector. The goal is to understand how a lack of attention to national security policymaking affects the defence sector and vice-versa using Brazil as a case study. Our main argument is that a lack of attention in national security policymaking by civilian elites can weaken political controls over the armed forces, inhibit effective defence reforms that challenge military prerogatives, and, over time, reinforce militarization in national security policymaking, especially in its three main pillars: defence, intelligence, and public safety. We call this process national security neglect. Our case study shows that as internal security challenges grew in complexity, civilian political elites pushed the military to dealing with public safety, border security, and national security policymaking. Civilians also delegated civilian posts to the armed forces in defence, public safety and intelligence, instead of engaging in broader reforms. This led to a vicious cycle of military dependency, deteriorated the already fragile political controls over the armed forces, inhibited defence reforms, and increased the military role in the state and society.

India’s National Security Coordination and Policymaking

The National Security Council (NSC) has become the most important institution on national security coordination, planning and policymaking in India, particularly since 2014. However, the government has been criticised for not institutionalising its national security architecture as many changes in the NSC system are seen as personality centric. Vinay Kaura assesses the key characteristics and functioning of the evolving NSC coupled with the role and influence of individuals and institutions. He contends that a decline in prime ministerial trust or interest, which seems unlikely until 2024, could moderate the NSC’s role in policymaking on national security. ◼

Mandatory Incident Reporting as a Means to Counter C/B Terrorism: Moving from Accident-based to Incident-based Systems

Abstract Terrorism involving the use of chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) weapons is as dangerous a threat in practice as it is controversial a topic in national security policymaking. While none seriously dispute the destructive potential of a successful CBRN attack, the rarity of such incidents raises important and contentious questions relating to the optimal levels of resource dedication required to deter, prepare for, and respond to these threats.

The Ford Administration, the National Security Agency, and the “Year of Intelligence”: Constructing a New Legal Framework for Intelligence

Abstract:In the mid-1970s, Congress and the judiciary moved to regulate the National Security Agency (NSA) at a moment when such regulation might have restricted the growth of electronic surveillance. The Ford administration played a crucial role in preventing that from happening. It did so by controlling the flow of intelligence information to Congress and by establishing a flexible new legal framework for intelligence based on broad executive orders, narrow legislation, and legal opinions written by executive branch lawyers. This framework fostered a perception of legality that headed off calls for comprehensive legislation governing intelligence. The Ford administration’s actions protected NSA from meaningful regulation, preserved the growth of electronic surveillance, and sustained executive branch preeminence in national security affairs. The episode proved formative for the Ford administration officials involved—including Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and Antonin Scalia—and solidified the central role of executive branch lawyers in national security policymaking.

Changing civil–military relations in Japan: 2009–2012

ABSTRACT After WWII, Japan established a unique system of civil–military relations and civilian control of its Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), characterised by bureaucratic rather than political control. For more than half a century, military influence on defence policymaking had been comparably low, depriving political leaders of a critical source of knowledge on national security. Yet, the latter half of the 2000s saw several institutional changes which resulted in the wide-reaching inclusion of military officials in national security policymaking. Why did a democratic Japan, shaped by WWII experiences, see the need for more military influence? The cause for this development ultimately lies within a changing security environment which lends credit to the broader argument that Japan has embraced a ‘realpolitik’ approach to national security.

A Theory on the Involvement of Religion in National Security Policy Formulation and Implementation: The Case of Israel before and after the Religionization of Its Security Environment

This article offers, for the first time, a theoretical model of religion’s influence on the formulation and execution of national security policies. To build this model, it analyses the influence of religion on Israel’s national security policymaking—before and after Israel’s security environment went through a process of religionization beginning in the 1970s. The article proposes that religion’s effect on national security policymaking is comprised of three tiers that follow one another in the decision making sequence and, yet, are independent from one another: (1) operational beliefs embedded in the state’s security thinking on the relations between religion and security; (2) opportunities and constraints on the state’s freedom of action, due to the role religion plays in global, regional and domestic politics as well as bilateral relations; and (3) governmental utilization of religion to realize national security goals. At its conclusion, the article demonstrates that the model is applicable to other countries as well, using the case of France’s policies in the 21st century.

The influence of international security architecture transformation on state national security policy-making under the conditions of a new world order shaping: future management concept

The influence of international security architecture transformation on state national security policy-making under the conditions of a new world order shaping: future management concept

What goes up, must come down? The asymmetric effects of economic growth and international threat on military spending

Do considerations that cause military spending increases symmetrically cause spending cuts? Models of military spending that estimate a single effect for major independent variables implicitly assume that this is the case. In reality, the mechanisms that cause military spending increases do not always imply symmetrical cuts, and vice versa. This article examines two considerations widely held to influence military spending: economic growth and international threats. In both cases, there are reasons to suspect asymmetric effects on military spending. While recessions always create pressure for cuts in military spending, which frequently constitutes a substantial share of national budgets, economic growth does not necessarily imply a symmetric need for spending increases. Similarly, while national security policymakers, including the military, are likely to call for spending increases when international threats worsen, they have self-interested reasons to minimize the budgetary implications of declining threats. A cross-national analysis of military spending since World War II shows that economic decline has a larger impact on military spending than economic growth. In regards to international threat, the findings are more complex. There is no evidence that international threat is related to changes in military spending in the short run, and little evidence of a long-run relationship. The threat variables appear to account for cross-sectional variation in military spending but not variation within each state over time. These results suggest military budgets require more time to recover from economic decline than benefit from economic growth as recessions can thus produce long deviations from the equilibrium relationship between the size of the economy and the military budget. This finding in military spending suggests consequences for our understanding of balance of power and power transitions.

Imagining an Indian National Security Strategy: the sum of its parts

ABSTRACTIndia’s power and interests continue to grow in the Indo-Pacific region and globally, yet its national security policymaking approaches have not kept pace. These may have been barely adequate for India’s twentieth-century experience as a regional power tending towards strategic restraint, but currently constrain India from being able to harness its considerable national capabilities to protect larger and more complex interests. This article identifies five key obstacles to a more coherent and effective approach to national security: lack of staffing depth in policy and intelligence; weak structures for ensuring inclusive consultation in policymaking; a disempowered military when it comes to strategic decisions; a lack of security expertise among civilian officials and politicians; and an absence of whole-of-government guidance in making and expressing policy. Many reforms are necessary, but two enabling early steps are identified and recommended: the creation of a Chief of Defence Staff position to elevate military coordination and authoritative input to policy, and the preparation of a National Security Strategy to define and guide overall policy.

The President’s Daily Brief: Managing the Relationship between Intelligence and the Policymaker

WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE INFORMATION the president and other national security policymakers need in today’s complex and ambiguous world, two considerations come to mind: first, ensuring that they have access to the information they need when they need it, and second, ensuring that they receive advice on what decision to make based on that information. The intelligence community provides the former, and policy advisers provide the latter.1 As the adage goes, never shall the twain meet, as facts are the purview of the intelligence community, while beliefs are the purview of politicians.2 However, these two communities—intelligence and policy—regularly come into intimate contact with each other through the President’s Daily Brief (PDB), a highly classified and agenda-informing document consisting of a set of short articles contained in a “briefing book” authored by intelligence analysts working in the intelligence community and under the auspices and direction of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

Britain and the world after Brexit

‘Brexit’—Britain’s forthcoming exit from the European Union—can be understood as a series of related material and ideational processes. These processes served to bring about the ‘Leave’ vote in the referendum of 23 June 2016 and will continue to shape subsequent outcomes: both the Brexit settlement that is eventually negotiated, and Britons’ satisfaction (or otherwise) with such a deal. Building on Tim Oliver’s recent article in International Politics (2016), this essay contends that the most suitable targets for future research into the causes of the Brexit vote include the economic and cultural distortions of globalisation and the factor flows associated with it, public and corporate policy failures over more than three decades, a strong public attachment to representative democracy, and distinctive conceptions of Britain’s role in the world. The article then progresses to consider the potential UK national security implications as the Brexit process unfolds. It suggests that—while such implications should not be overstated—plausible outcomes could include the fragmentation of the UK and its collective defence effort, diminished political and fiscal capacity for national security policymaking, and a less benign regional security environment, including the possibility of a federal ‘United States of Europe’ eventually dictating terms to Britain.

PLA Influence on China’s National Security Policymaking, edited by Phillip C. Saunders and Andrew Scobell. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2015. x+346 pp. US$95.00 (cloth), US$29.95 (paper); also available as an eBook.

<i>PLA Influence on China’s National Security Policymaking</i>, edited by Phillip C. Saunders and Andrew Scobell. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2015. x+346 pp. US$95.00 (cloth), US$29.95 (paper); also available as an eBook.

PLA Influence on China's National Security Policymaking

PLA Influence on China's National Security Policymaking

PLA influence on China's national security policymaking

PLA influence on China's national security policymaking