Volume 14, Issue 9 of Strategic Comments, the Institute's online journal has just been published.
The first article is free to all readers, with the remaining four accessible to IISS members or Strategic Comments subscribers. A pay-per-view facility is also available. The charge for each article is £5.
Pakistan on the brink
The massive suicide bomb that destroyed the Marriott hotel in Islamabad on 20 September drew international attention to three crises – security, political and economic – that are challenging Pakistan and its leadership. The rise of a local Taliban in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas bordering Afghanistan is a major concern. So are ongoing political uncertainty and an economic crisis that saw Pakistan ask the International Monetary Fund for a $7.6 billion loan in November.
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Serbia's surprise embrace of Europe
Predictions of a sharp surge in violence after Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in February 2008 were wrong. Serbian nationalist politicians suffered a surprise defeat in May elections, and the new pro-Western government has made clear Serbia's wish to join the EU – despite its differences with many European countries over Kosovo.
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The simmering food crisis
Food riots in the first half of 2008 have been pushed off the front pages in recent months by the global financial crisis and the US presidential elections, especially as commodity prices have eased after their previous sharp rises. However, the supply/demand balance remains volatile. The UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation has warned that current financial and economic problems could provoke an even more severe food crisis in 2009.
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Seeking peace in the South Caucasus
International talks on long-term arrangements for the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia got off to a bad start in October. The two territories' delegations walked out when it became clear that they were not to be treated as full partners in the negotiations. For as long as Russia recognises them as independent states and the West does not, there are going to be difficulties over their status. However, Abkhazian and South Ossetian involvement in talks is crucial to creating security and solving problems of refugee return in the region.
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Forward march on European defence
The debate on European security and defence has been dominated over the past ten years by institutional bickering about the proper relationship between the European Union's European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) and the NATO alliance. In the last year, however, there have been some positive moves towards greater cooperation between member states, as well as increasing Europe's performance in global expeditionary missions. France is at the forefront and the United States is talking more about EU-NATO coordination. The United Kingdom, though, remains hesitant.
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