Russia's 'New' Tools for Confronting the West: Continuity and Innovation in Moscow's Exercise of Power
Author: Giles Keir
Publisher: Chatham House (Formerly Riia)
Published: 2016-03-21
Total Pages: 72
ISBN-13: 9781784131197
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War with Russia
Author: Richard Shirreff
Publisher: Quercus
Published: 2016-09-27
Total Pages: 436
ISBN-13: 1681441373
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe rapid rise in Russia's power over the course of the last ten years has been matched by a stunning lack of international diplomacy on the part of its president, Vladimir Putin. One consequence of this, when combined with Europe's rapidly shifting geopolitics, is that the West is on a possible path toward nuclear war. Former deputy commander of NATO General Sir Richard Shirreff speaks out about this very real peril in this call to arms, a novel that is a barely disguised version of the truth. In chilling prose, it warns allied powers and the world at large that we risk catastrophic nuclear conflict if we fail to contain Russia's increasingly hostile actions. In a detailed plotline that draws upon Shirreff's years of experience in tactical military strategy, Shirreff lays out the most probable course of action Russia will take to expand its influence, predicting that it will begin with an invasion of the Baltic states. And with GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump recently declaring that he might not come to the aid of these NATO member nations were he to become president, the threat of an all-consuming global conflict is clearer than ever. This critical, chilling fictional look at our current geopolitical landscape, written by a top NATO commander, is both timely and necessary-a must-read for any fan of realistic military thrillers as well as all concerned citizens.
Asymmetric Warfare
Author: Rod Thornton
Publisher: Polity
Published: 2007-02-12
Total Pages: 253
ISBN-13: 0745633641
DOWNLOAD EBOOKIn recent years, the nature of conflict has changed. Through asymmetric warfare radical groups and weak state actors are using unexpected means to deal stunning blows to more powerful opponents in the West. From terrorism to information warfare, the Wests air power, sea power and land power are open to attack from clever, but much weaker, enemies. In this clear and engaging introduction, Rod Thornton unpacks the meaning and significance of asymmetric warfare, in both civilian and military realms, and examines why it has become such an important subject for study. He seeks to provide answers to key questions, such as how weaker opponents apply asymmetric techniques against the Western world, and shows how the Wests military superiority can be seriously undermined by asymmetric threats. The book concludes by looking at the ways in which the US, the state most vulnerable to asymmetric attack, is attempting to cope with some new battlefield realities. This is an indispensable guide to one of the key topics in security studies today.
Russia’s New Ground Forces
Author: Igor Sutyagin
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2017-12-22
Total Pages: 120
ISBN-13: 1351018523
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis Whitehall Paper provides an in-depth analysis of Russia’s Ground Forces, including airborne and naval troops. It examines their role in Russian foreign policy, reforms to units’ equipment and operational roles, performance during combat operations against Ukraine, and current unit deployment locations and purposes in the Central, Southern and Western Military Districts. Russia perceives itself as operating from a position of weakness and surrounded by superior NATO forces. It is pursuing a programme of military reform, both in terms of equipment and structures. The Russian Ground Forces are being geared towards fighting in aggressive, short, sharp and complex operations into enemy territory, as well as being streamlined to increase readiness levels and deployability at short notice. However, operations against Ukraine have required force generation efforts from almost every Russian Ground Forces formation, including those in the Far East, which is evidence that the Kremlin’s ability to sustain even a moderate tempo of operations in the medium term is limited. Furthermore, chronic undermanning and morale issues remain, which will be exacerbated by the political decision to re-establish division-scale formations. In addition, Western sanctions and Russia’s difficult economic situation are severely hampering efforts to extend equipment reforms across the whole force. Russian Ground Forces should not be seen by the West as an unstoppable colossus. However, the West must not ignore the unmistakable Russian efforts to prepare for offensive, high-tempo operations against NATO, and the formidable political will that will use them if given the opportunity.
Russia and the Western Far Right
Author: Anton Shekhovtsov
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2017-09-08
Total Pages: 271
ISBN-13: 1317199952
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe growing influence of Russia on the Western far right has been much discussed in the media recently. This book is the first detailed inquiry into what has been a neglected but critically important trend: the growing links between Russian actors and Western far right activists, publicists, ideologues, and politicians. The author uses a range of sources including interviews, video footage, leaked communications, official statements and press coverage in order to discuss both historical and contemporary Russia in terms of its relationship with the Western far right. Initial contacts between Russian political actors and Western far right activists were established in the early 1990s, but these contacts were low profile. As Moscow has become more anti-Western, these contacts have become more intense and have operated at a higher level. The book shows that the Russian establishment was first interested in using the Western far right to legitimise Moscow’s politics and actions both domestically and internationally, but more recently Moscow has begun to support particular far right political forces to gain leverage on European politics and undermine the liberal-democratic consensus in the West. Contributing to ongoing scholarly debates about Russia’s role in the world, its strategies aimed at securing legitimation of Putin’s regime both internationally and domestically, modern information warfare and propaganda, far right politics and activism in the West, this book draws on theories and methods from history, political science, area studies, and media studies and will be of interest to students, scholars, activists and practitioners in these areas.
Russia's Hostile Measures
Author: Cohen
Publisher: RAND Corporation
Published: 2019-01-11
Total Pages: 212
ISBN-13: 1977400779
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis report examines current Russian hostile measures in Europe and forecasts how Russia might threaten Europe using these measures over the next few years. This report observes that Russia has the most strategic interest in influencing western Europe, but it has the most leverage over countries of eastern Europe, and offers a range of recommendations for the U.S. government and for the U.S. Army on countering hostile measures.
Netherlands Annual Review of Military Studies 2017
Author: Paul A.L. Ducheine
Publisher: Springer
Published: 2017-07-14
Total Pages: 337
ISBN-13: 9462651892
DOWNLOAD EBOOKWith a foreword by Major-General Nico Geerts, Commander Netherlands Defence Academy, Breda, The Netherlands International conflict resolution increasingly involves the use of non-military power and non-kinetic capabilities alongside military capabilities in the face of hybrid threats. In this book, counter-measures to those threats are addressed by academics with both practical and theoretical experience and knowledge, providing strategic and operational insights into non-kinetic conflict resolution and on the use of power to influence, affect, deter or coerce states and non-state actors. This volume in the NL ARMS series deals with the non-kinetic capabilities to address international crises and conflicts and as always views matters from a global perspective. Included are chapters on the promise, practice and challenges of non-kinetic instruments of power, the instrumentality of soft power, information as a power instrument and manoeuvring in the information environment, Russia's use of deception and misinformation in conflict, applying counter-marketing techniques to fight ISIL, using statistics to profile terrorists, and employing tools such as Actor and Audience Analysis. Such diverse subjects as lawfare, the Law of Armed Conflict rules for non-kinetic cyber attacks, navigation warfare, GPS-spoofing, maritime interception operations, and finally, as a prerequisite, innovative ways for intelligence collection in UN Peacekeeping in Mali come up for discussion.The book will provide both professionals such as (foreign) policy makers and those active in the military services, academics at a master level and those with an interest in military law and the law of armed conflict with useful and up-to-date insights into the wide range of subjects that are contained within it. Paul A.L. Ducheine and Frans P.B. Osinga are General Officers and full professors at the Faculty of Military Sciences of the Netherlands Defence Academy in Breda, The Netherlands. Specific to this volume in the Series: • Written by academics with both practical and theoretical experience• Addresses counter measures to hybrid crises• Offers both strategic and operational insights to non-kinetic conflict resolution
Routledge Handbook of Disinformation and National Security
Author: Rubén Arcos
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Published: 2023-11-20
Total Pages: 504
ISBN-13: 1000908208
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis interdisciplinary Handbook provides an in-depth analysis of the complex security phenomenon of disinformation and offers a toolkit to counter such tactics. Disinformation used to propagate false, inexact or out of context information is today a frequently used tool of political manipulation and information warfare, both online and offline. This Handbook evidences a historical thread of continuing practices and modus operandi in overt state propaganda and covert information operations. Further, it attempts to unveil current methods used by propaganda actors, the inherent vulnerabilities they exploit in the fabric of democratic societies and, last but not least, to highlight current practices in countering disinformation and building resilient audiences. The Handbook is divided into six thematic sections. The first part provides a set of theoretical approaches to hostile influencing, disinformation and covert information operations. The second part looks at disinformation and propaganda in historical perspective offering case study analysis of disinformation, and the third focuses on providing understanding of the contemporary challenges posed by disinformation and hostile influencing. The fourth part examines information and communication practices used for countering disinformation and building resilience. The fifth part analyses specific regional experiences in countering and deterring disinformation, as well as international policy responses from transnational institutions and security practitioners. Finally, the sixth part offers a practical toolkit for practitioners to counter disinformation and hostile influencing. This handbook will be of much interest to students of national security, propaganda studies, media and communications studies, intelligence studies and International Relations in general.
The 21st Century Cold War
Author: Jeffrey Kaplan
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2020-06-04
Total Pages: 206
ISBN-13: 1000740951
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe 21st Century Cold War is a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the pattern of Russian interference in the internal affairs of other nations, suggesting that what in the Cold War was a simple conflict of East vs. West has expanded into a conflict between Russia and two increasingly separate Wests. The book begins with an examination of the structure of the Cold War and post-Cold War world, and subsequently explores Russian interference by overt, grey, and covert means including, but not limited to, cyberespionage, "fake news", and the use of what in the Cold War would have been called front groups and agents of influence. The approach encompasses both historic and contemporary themes, with the question of whether the Cold War between East and West–capitalism and communism–is a thing of the past, or does it continue today in new ideological guises, as a central theme. Expert contributors explore what the motivations and implications for the pattern of Russian interference in the political processes of other states would be, and what new coalitions of actors are taking shape both for and against Russian activities. With a series of historical and contemporary case studies, focusing on the origins and contemporary dimensions of Russian information warfare, and exploring the issues involved from every perspective, The 21st Century Cold War will be of great interest to scholars of Security and Strategic Studies, International Relations, and Cold War History, as well as policy makers and security professionals. The chapters were originally published as a special issue of Terrorism and Political Violence.
