HCSS

column: A war lost. Why talking to the Taliban will not save Obama’s Afghanistan policy

Sophie Roborgh — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:21:00 +0100

After roughly eight years of US presence in Afghanistan, the Obama administration might be on the verge of a significant change in policy. Having in mind the upcoming Afghanistan policy evaluation in December, and the recent public disposal of General McChrystal for General Petraeus, rumor has it the Administration contemplates starting negotiations with the Taliban. Hopes are up that talks with the extremist movement might offer a way out of the bottomless pit for US tax money, as it now spends approximately 1 million dollar per soldier per year. With no progress on the Middle East peace process and Iran, Obama has made Afghanistan his number one foreign policy priority.

Decadence in the West

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:43:00 +0100

Rob de Wijk has written a three part series about decadence in the West.

article: Searching for Historical Evidence of Effects-based Operations in Military Thinking

Zoltán Jobbágy — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:27:00 +0100

The essence of effects-based operations can be grouped around three common, but interrelated elements such as effects focus, advanced technology, and systems thinking. These elements can also serve as a vehicle to go back in history in order to discover early presence of an effects-based thinking. This scrutiny is even more important as many advocates of effects-based operations attempt to reinterpret wars of earlier ages through an effects-based filter. Generalisation of this kind can distort the original meaning of effects-based operations; therefore it demands a thorough examination.

article: Digging for victory: how rising powers hold the key to the future

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:14:00 +0100

article: Strategische lenigheid: Anticiperen op een fundamenteel onzekere toekomst

Drs. F.F. Bekkers en S.H.A.M. de Spiegeleire MSc — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 07:45:00 +0100

The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies advises: ’Pas op de plaats voor Defensie’

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:30:00 +0100

Based on a recent study the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS) advises on the subject of the defense budget. To economize on defense means that the Dutch Armed Forces will no longer be able to credibly perform their constitutional functions (protection of interests, promoting and maintaining the international legal order).

article: EU Sanctions on Iran: The False Dichotomy

Islam Qasem — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 07:07:00 +0100

Forget the carrot, the EU reaches for the stick. Following the example of the US, the EU slapped Iran with tough sanctions, restricting financial investment and technology transfer. With restrictions imposed on the oil and gas industries, the sanctions will surely hurt, but will they work? Will Iran pay heed to Western pressurehalting uranium production?...

Strategy and Change: A Narrative For The Age of Multipolarity

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:20:00 +0100

The TNO and The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS) programme Strategy & Change analyses global trends in a dynamic world affecting the foundations of our security, welfare and well-being. The programme attempts to answer the critical question : what are the policies and strategies that must be developed to effectively anticipate on these emerging challenges? Strategy & Change provides both a better understanding and feeds the agenda for a sustainable future of our society.

article: What’s Truly Scary About Mrs. Palin

John Hulsman — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 14:10:00 +0100

Recently, I have had a recurring experience that has made me feel like the Bill Murray character in the great film, Groundhog Day, doomed to relive the same day over and over again. Nestled in some comfortable coffee house, a sensible, intelligent, and generally well-meaning series of Europeans, once pleasantries are exchanged, have said the same, blunt very un-European thing to me, ‘’Over Mrs. Palin, have the American people simply lost their minds?’’...

column: Are We Ready for The Coming Age of Scarcity?

Islam Qasem and Anca Paducel — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:38:00 +0100

The world is heading towards an age of scarcity. Thanks to economic and population growth, key resources needed to power our economies and to ensure our well-being and prosperity are increasingly under stress.

Strong in the 21st Century

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:04:00 +0100

Our fascination with the future is only surpassed by the difficulty we experience in preparing for it. ‘’Strategy’’ is supposed to straddle these two important elements. It is about anticipating the future and defining some desired future state.