China in Africa
China in Africa examines the complexity of China's engagement with the African continent and covers critical issues such as Chinese soft and hard power, energy and arms relations and China's bilateral relations with African countries.
China's Quasi-Superpower Diplomacy: Prospects and Pitfalls
Senior Fellow Willy Lam's occasional paper examines the ways in which Beijing is waging quasi-superpower diplomacy to bolster China's pre-eminence in the new world order.
The Rising Dragon: SCO Peace Mission 2007
This occasional report examines historic counterterrorist exercises organized by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which was held in China and Russia from August 9-17, 2007.
Is the PLA Navy Making Plans for a Three Carrier Battle Group?
On December 31, the Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Pao cited a report that no one in the western media has detected concerning a Jane's Defence Weekly article which reported that China has plans to develop three-carrier battle groups (CBVG) over the next decade. News about this development has been widely discussed in the Hong Kong and Taiwanese press. Citing Jane’s, Wen Wai Pao reported that as a part of its carrier battle group plans the People’s Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN) intends to establish an even stronger submarine fleet; having added 20 nuclear-powered submarines in the past five years, increasing the total number of submarines to 55. The report indicated that the PLAN currently has 70 destroyers and frigates, 50 dock-landing ships and 45 coastal warships (Wen Wei Pao, December 31, 2007).
Taiwanese news sources highlighted Gordon Jacobs, a Chinese military analyst based in the United States—whose report on the modernization of China's navy in the Jane's report was one of the sources for the report—as stating that if the Chinese government contracted for the construction of the carrier groups in 2006, then it is possible for the first battle carrier group to break water as early as 2011, be in service in 2014, and by 2016 be accompanied by a second service-ready aircraft carrier group (Lienhe Pao, December 31).
Jacobs cited Chen Yung-kang, an official in Taiwan's Ministry of Defense (MOD), who during a presentation at a defense conference held in Taiwan in 2006 argued that Taiwan needed submarines to strengthen its defense capability against China's quickly expanding naval power and its plan to develop two battle carrier groups by 2020 (AFP, November 26, 2006). Chen added that the Soviet-made Varyag Carrier was being upgraded and repaired at Dalian in Northeastern China, and being prepared for training use (Chinesenewsnet.com, December 30, 2006; China Times, December 31, 2006). The Chinese government is still tight lipped about its future plans for the former Soviet aircraft carrier which is now dry docked in Dalian and painted in standard PLAN grey. Taiwanese experts believe that the PLAN intends to activate the carrier as a part of its three carrier battle group plan.
In 2007 Chinese government sources admitted for the first time that Beijing is researching and capable of building an aircraft carrier, as stated by Huang Qiang, a spokesman for the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense of China (CSTIND). Furthermore, Zhang Yunchuan, the CSTIND chairman, said in March 2007 that China was indeed researching the building of aircraft carriers: "China stands for strategic active defense and, even when it owns aircraft carriers, it will definitely not intrude into or occupy any other nation or resort to force with the use of carrier vessels," Zhang said (People's Daily, April 25, 2007).
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North Caucasus Analysis
Militant Leadership Monitor
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The Battle for Yemen: Al-Qaeda and the Struggle for Stability
April 21, 2010 10:15 AM
The Battle for Yemen is a rare and comprehensive volume that tackles the facets of instability that currently plague Yemen. It offers a wealth of analysis and keen observations from the experts of The Jamestown Foundation, who have monitored the developments within Yemen since 2004. Combining indigenous sources with original analytical insights, this book represents a vital research tool for those seeking a detailed account of Yemen's struggle for stability, the various movements that shape the ...
Volatile Landscape: Iraq and its Insurgent Movements
March 8, 2010 11:29 AM
Violence in Iraq has declined since its civil war of 2005-2007 due to the implementation of the U.S. counterinsurgency strategy, Shi'a militia ceasefires, and the emergence of Iraq's Awakening Movement. But as the U.S. military draws down its forces, Iraq remains a fragile, un-reconciled state, riddled with sectarian tensions and new political rivalries that may negatively affect its future security and stability. Though less resourceful now, al-Qaeda in Iraq, Ba'athist elements, and Sufi insurg...
Pakistan's Troubled Frontier
April 6, 2009 01:39 PM
First demarcated in 1893 by British diplomat Sir Mortimer Durand, the northwest frontier was created when the “Durand Line” imposed an artificial border between the tribal Pashtun communities of modern Afghanistan and Pakistan. Today, the frontier has become a breeding ground for a growing Islamic militancy in Pakistan’s tribal areas that threatens the very stability of Pakistan – a vital U.S. ally in the global struggle against terrorism. Instability in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal ...
Friends of Jamestown Program
April 1, 2009 04:09 PM
The Jamestown Foundation is pleased to announce the creation of the Friends of Jamestown Program, an annual membership that offers complimentary copies of Jamestown books and reports, and signficant discounts on registration fees for major Jamestown events.
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Unmasking Terror Volume IV: A Global Review of Terrorist Activities
December 18, 2008 06:33 PM
Unmasking Terror Volume IV: A Global Review of Terrorist Activities brings together over 50 experts on terrorism.
Saudi Arabian Oil Facilities: The Achilles Heel of the Western Economy
July 12, 2010On February 24, 2006, the world’s largest oil refinery, the Abqaiq oil facility in Saudi Arabia, fell victim to a major attack by al-Qaeda. The strategic attack on Saudi Arabia’s largest oil refinery nearly succeeded in knocking...
Islamist Movements in the Horn of Africa
May 18, 2010On December 9, 2009, the Jamestown Foundation organized a special panel on "Islamist Movements in the Horn of Africa" as part of its annual conference, the latter appropriately titled "The Changing Strategic...
The Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb: Expansion in the Sahel and Challenges from Within Jihadist Circles
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Terrorism Trends in South and Southeast Asia
March 9, 2010While the Arab Middle East is political Islam’s ideological and historical core, South Asia and Southeast Asia, concentrated in the Indonesian archipelago, make up the modern demographic core of the Muslim world. Advocates of...
Britain & the North West Frontier: Strategy, Tactics and Lessons
December 17, 2009The tribal areas of Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) fully deserve President Barack Obama’s description as “the most dangerous place in the world”. This remote and inhospitable region is only nominally under...
The South China Sea Dispute: Increasing Stakes and Rising Tensions
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Who's Who in the Somali Insurgency: A Reference Guide
September 30, 2009The ongoing struggle for control of Somalia is one of the world’s most complicated. With the country already effectively split into three parts, it may be too late to speak of a Somali nation. While the popular conception of this...
China's Quasi-Superpower Diplomacy: Prospects and Pitfalls
September 2, 2009The year 2009 will go down in history as a watershed for the epochal expansion of China’s global influence. With its economy tipped to grow at 8 percent despite the world financial crisis, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is...
Beyond the Afghan Trauma: Russia's Return to Afghanistan
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Azerbaijan and the West: Strategic Partnership at Eurasia's Crossroads
August 3, 2009Jamestown presents a complete summary of the May 14, 2009 event entitled Azerbaijan and the West: Strategic Partnership at Eurasia's Crossroads featuring discussions by Senior Fellow Vladimir Socor, Dr. Brenda Shaffer and Daniel...