Michal Smetana, Marek Vranka, and Ondřej Rosendorf explore public support for arms control in the third nuclear age, arguing its complexity lowers awareness. People rely on simple heuristics, making opinions elastic and open to “elite cues” from experts and politicians shaping attitudes.
Do rivalries with major powers undermine global arms control? Tobias Risse reveals how power imbalances shape negotiations, discouraging non-major powers from supporting arms control when pitted against stronger rivals. His analysis uncovers a crucial role of power relations in arms control negotiations.
Our researcher Lucie Kadlecová and Viktor Paggio published an article titled Russia’s Weak Spots in Cyber Sovereignty: How the West Can Keep Russian Citizens’ Access to Online Information Free from the Kremlin Interference. It summarizes how Russia pushes its take on cyber sovereignty and which aspects these initiatives lack.
This article from Dr. Rob Geist Pinfold examines Israel’s intelligence failures and successes in its ongoing conflict with Hamas. It distinguishes between occasional (intelligence assessments) and causal factors (structural and political inputs). Critically, it illustrates that Israel’s intelligence agencies deferred to the prevailing, but incorrect, assumptions and short-sighted policy priorities set by the Prime Minister’s Office. The authors also explore the over-reliance on technical intelligence, the lack of structural reform and the militarised nature of Israel’s intelligence cycle.
How do Russians really feel about using nuclear weapons after the invasion of Ukraine? Despite constant threats from the Kremlin and rising global tensions, support for a nuclear strike against NATO has barely shifted. This study from Michal Smetana and Michal Onderčo uncovers why public opinion has stayed so stable.
Our newest study from Michal Onderčo finds that geographic proximity significantly influences public support for aiding friendly nations under attack. Using survey experiments in Japan and Czechia, they show that people are more likely to support military and non-military interventions when the conflict is perceived as nearby. While Japanese respondents strongly supported aid to Taiwan, Czech support declined for distant crises. The study highlights that perceived distance, not just actual geography, shapes public opinion, with important implications for international alliances and crisis response planning.
This study by Tereza Plíštilová and Zuzana Lizcová explores how German media responded to Israel’s strategic narratives during Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. While narratives linked to Holocaust remembrance were accepted, Israel’s democratic identity and security concerns faced skepticism. Media receptiveness improved when Israel engaged diplomatically, highlighting the role of historical ties and proactive diplomacy in shaping narrative adoption.
This new study by Dr. Rob Geist Pinfold challenges common misconceptions about Syria’s post-Assad landscape, highlighting the complex power dynamics at play. It reveals that the opposition is highly fragmented and that Assad’s fall was as much a political shift as a military defeat. Despite claims of their diminished influence, Russia and Iran remain deeply embedded in Syria. The study warns against oversimplifications in policymaking and advocates for cautious international engagement.
