The War Below the Threshold: How States Compete Without Fighting

In this episode of SSI in Focus, Megi Benia, Founding Director of the Strategic Security Initiative, is joined by Elina Rybakova, economist, Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and Bruegel, and Vice President for Foreign Policy and Director of the International Affairs Program at the Kyiv School of Economics, to examine the evolving economic relationship between China and Russia. The discussion explores the growing asymmetry of their partnership, Russia's increasing economic dependence on China, the role of trade and energy cooperation in sustaining Russia's war effort in Ukraine, and China's strategic and economic gains. It also considers the implications of this relationship for the broader geopolitical competition between the United States, China, and Russia.

In this episode of SSI in Focus, Megi Benia, Founding Director of the Strategic Security Initiative, is joined by Irina Tsukerman, New York-based national security and human rights attorney, geopolitical analyst, and President of Scarab Rising, to examine the evolving strategic partnership between Russia and Iran. The discussion explores the drivers of their cooperation beyond Western sanctions, growing military and intelligence integration, coordinated information and influence operations, and their expanding roles in the Middle East and Europe. It also considers the implications of this partnership for regional security and Western interests.

In this episode of SSI in Focus, Mariam Gamdlishvili, Executive Director of the Strategic Security Initiative (SSI), speaks with Jerry Osborne, Executive Director of Global Defence and Security at M&C Saatchi World Services, about how NATO’s Article 3 commitment and Total Defence approach can translate national resilience into meaningful societal participation and behavioural change. The conversation explores strategic communications, cognitive advantage, and how governments, businesses, and citizens can move from being spectators to active participants in collective resilience.

In this episode of SSI in Focus, Megi Benia, Founding Director of the Strategic Security Initiative, speaks with Brigadier General Eran Ortal, former commander of the Israel Defense Forces’ Dado Center for Interdisciplinary Military Studies, about how conflicts across the Middle East are reshaping modern warfare. They examine the strategic limitations of airpower and precision strikes, the growing role of drones and missiles, the changing balance between offence and defence, and why ground manoeuvre remains essential. Drawing on Israel’s military experience, the conversation explores why technological superiority alone cannot guarantee decisive outcomes, how military organizations must adapt, and what lessons NATO and other armed forces should consider when preparing for future conflicts.

What does it take to rebuild a military for the wars of the future? In this episode of SSI In Focus, Megi Benia speaks with defence analyst Leonid Nersisyan about Armenia’s military transformation, from diversifying defence partnerships and replacing Soviet-era equipment to reforming force structure, command and control, professionalization, and military education. They also discuss drones, emerging technologies, active reserves, and the lessons Armenia can draw from recent conflicts without simply copying other militaries. Finally, they examine how Armenia’s transformation could reshape the wider security balance in the South Caucasus.

What happens when states pursue strategic objectives without crossing the threshold into open war? In this episode of SSI In Focus, Megi Benia speaks with Dr. John A. Pennell about the evolving nature of competition below the threshold of armed conflict from plausible deniability and information operations to AI, deepfakes, and unmanned systems.

In Episode 2 of SSI In Focus, Megi Benia is joined by Ambassador Giorgi Badridze to discuss how small states can navigate an international system increasingly shaped by great-power competition.The conversation covers alliances and strategic autonomy, the Black Sea and South Caucasus, Georgia's strategic position, and whether the Middle Corridor can turn connectivity and geography into meaningful strategic value.#SSIInFocus #GreatPowerCompetition #SmallStates #Georgia #BlackSea #Geopolitics #InternationalSecurity

Twenty-five years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, the security environment has transformed dramatically. Yet one challenge remains central: how governments, institutions and societies communicate during moments of crisis and how that communication shapes public trust, resilience and security.In this episode of SSI IN FOCUS, we examine the evolution of strategic communications since 9/11, the lessons learned from two decades of counterterrorism and crisis response, and the growing role of information manipulation, disinformation and emerging technologies in today’s security landscape.Vivian S. Walker and Mariam Gamdlashvili discuss how strategic communications have evolved, why trust has become a critical component of national and international security, and what the post-9/11 experience can teach us about communicating in an increasingly contested information environment.SSI IN FOCUS is a Strategic Security Initiative (SSI) series exploring contemporary security and foreign policy challenges through conversations with leading experts and practitioners.🌐 www.ssi-policy.org