By Matthew Adam Kocher, PhD

State capacity has become a central concept in the study of security. The author argues that common uses of the concept to explain violent conflict are tautologies. He outlines several ways to disaggregate the state analytically which have the potential to lead to more rigorous empirical research on violence.

By Mark V. Vlasic and Jenae N. Noell

Typically not counted among the battles to be waged in the fight for global security, Mark V. Vlasic and Jenae N. Noell argue that stemming corruption through stolen asset recovery programs has the ability to fortify the rule of law and reduce state impunity in the developing world.

By Samantha R. McRoskey

This article examines the ability of Olympic planners to foster lasting security and prosperity in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by considering the complex history and causes of violence in the city and comparing them to plans already in place for the 2016 Olympic Games.

By Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed, PhD

Increases in United States-led Western military expenditures ostensibly vindicate the fear of international terrorism as an escalating imminent threat to U.S. and Western national security. However, the most urgent dangers to security come not from terrorism per se, but from the converging impacts of global systemic crises, including climate change, hydrocarbon energy depletion, economic and financial breakdown, and plummeting food production.

By Christian Leuprecht, PhD

Why do minority populations often grow faster than majorities? States in dyadic conflict with a minority whose population growth exceeds that of the majority are prone to protective measures to bolster the majority’s grip on power. Under conditions of ethnic control, however, such measures appear to precipitate higher fertility rates among the minority.

By Mitchell McNaylor

Although private military companies (PMCs) operating in the service of the United States are widely believed to operate outside of any legal framework, such an understanding is based on a perceived, rather than real gap in jurisdiction.

By Tara Murphy

National defense is no longer ensured only through maintaining the sanctity of one’s borders, but is also highly dependent upon the ability to navigate safely through the global commons. These commons—sea, air, space, and cyberspace—enable militaries to protect national territory and interests, as well as facilitate the passage of goods, people, communication, and data upon which every member of the international community depends. Yet, a number of emerging trends are threatening this freedom of action.