Welcome to our book review site go-pdf.online!
You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
New players, new game?
The first decade of the 21st century has been a period of rapid eco¬nomic growth in many large emerging economies, especially China. While Western economies are weighed down by debt and austerity measures, many emerging economies are in much better fiscal shape. The growing economic and financial momentum of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, as well as indonesia, Turkey and South Korea (or `BRICS+), raises serious questions for Western decision makers. Of central strategic concern is whether (several of) the emerging economies are likely to coalesce into an economic or political bloc that might develop a counterbalance to Western influence in existing economic, financial and po...
Beyond the Welfare State
The modern welfare state is under stress. The Great Recession has had a severe impact on public finances in the Netherlands and in many other EU member states. While the pace of fiscal consolidation remains a very controversial topic, few would dispute the need to move public finances towards a more sustainable trajectory at some point in the future. Given that social spending constitutes the largest share of public expenditure in the Netherlands, it is inevitable that the questions about the affordability of existing welfare programs are being raised. The modern welfare state is also affected by various long-term structural changes in our society. Population aging is creating additional dem...
Assessing Cyber Security
Over the years, a plethora of reports has emerged that assess the causes, dynamics, and effects of cyber threats. This proliferation of reports is an important sign of the increasing prominence of cyber attacks for organizations, both public and private, and citizens all over the world. In addition, cyber attacks are drawing more and more attention in the media. Such efforts can help to better awareness and understanding of cyber threats and pave the way to improved prevention, mitigation, and resilience. This report aims to help in this task by assessing what we know about cyber security threats based on a review of 70 studies published by public authorities, companies, and research organizations from about 15 countries over the last few years. It answers the following questions: what do we know about the number, origin, and impact of cyber attacks? What are the current and emerging cyber security trends? And how well are we prepared to face these threats?
The Many Faces of Political Violence
The modern era’s Great Power Peace has come under severe strain in recent years. The seams of the western-based world political order have stretched to the point of breaking, with non-state actors rising in response to exploit the global climate of paralysis and uncertainty. Indeed, violence levels are at historically high levels that haven’t been seen since 2004. But what does the violence waged on Europe’s borders mean for European citizens and their leaders? HCSS has analyzed trends in political violence using various open-data sources and provides a forecast of civil war onset risk for the year 2017 using in-house forecasting models based on rich quantitative datasets and complex theoretical frameworks. This study is part of the 2016-2017 HCSS StratMon.
Better Together
None
Beyond the Cold War of Words
This report is commissioned by RNW, an international media organization based in The Netherlands that aims to promote free speech and fundamental freedoms in countries where these are severely restricted. RNW (co)creates content and online platforms where young people can form and express their opinions about sensitive issues. This study zooms in on a select number of countries belonging to the post-Soviet space that lie on the fault lines of overlapping spheres of influence between Europe and Russia. Specifically, the report assesses the risks of the current one-sided media services to Russian speaking minorities in Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova. In doing so, the study examines the extent to which RNW could make a meaningful contribution to a more balanced information service, focusing on online and social media. Furthermore, the report analyzes the opportunities for RNW to operate in these countries, and provides an inventory of the kinds of (legal) barriers that exist that could hinder this aim.
Volatility and friction in the age of disintermediation
Events unfolded once again at a swirling pace in 2016. Terrorists hit Europe’s capital in March. The British population voted for Brexit in June. Turkish armed forces failed to topple Erdoğan in July. A resurgent Russia flexed its military muscles again in the Middle East and actively interfered in American elections, in which the American population elected Trump, in November. We are worried but certainly not surprised by the volatility of contemporary international relations. In previous editions of our contribution to the Dutch government’s Strategic Monitor, we already observed a surge in assertive behavior, noted a dangerous uptick in crises, and warned for the contagiousness of po...
Sustainable (Re)Construction
The construction industry is one of the key economic sectors in Europe, but it was hit hard by the financial crisis. In the euro zone, employment in construction declined by a quarter since 2008. These difficult times raise important questions about the future path of the construction industry. The Briefing describes the various aspects of renovation and maintenance activities in the EU, and explores their potential to become the main growth driver for the European construction market.
The Geopolitical Impact of Climate Mitigation Policies
At the Paris Climate Conference held in December 2015, 195 countries adopted the Paris Agreement – the first universal, legally binding global climate deal. The signatory parties committed themselves to a global action plan that aims to keep global warming to well below 2°C and to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C. As part of our Geo-Economics research initiative, The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies has investigated the geopolitical consequences of climate mitigation and energy transition among a number of countries richly endowed in hydrocarbons who potentially stand to lose a significant part of their revenue stream as a result of demand changes for fossil fuels. If dem...
