CIPS uOttawa Profile picture
Sep 30, 2020 14 tweets 9 min read Read on X
Next we’re going to share Jack Holland’s (@DrJackHolland) thread here. #5EyesCIPS
This book explores the foreign policy of the world’s foremost military coalition during the Syrian Civil War. It analyses the foreign policy debates that took place across the old Anglosphere coalition (US,UK,Aus -2011-2019). #5EyesCIPS Image
The book defines an Old Anglosphere Coalition (US/UK/Australia).

Why?

Five Eyes is at the heart of the Anglosphere but NZ and Canada, with a 2-step colonial history (facing the UK and a powerful neighbour) are less interventionist
#5EyesCIPS ImageImage
Special relationship? Crucial! But, the Australians are just as keen to fight alongside the US.

This is far more than a security ‘insurance policy’ for Aus or UK. It is about culture, history, race, language, democracy, values ➡️ identity and emotion. #5EyesCIPS ImageImage
The book explores the linguistic dynamics of war and peace, theorising that a discursive war of position (foreign policy debates) took place across a single transnational political space (the Anglosphere). This contest helped to determine Syria’s fate #5EyesCIPS Image
The analysis is structured chronologically in 4 (overlapping, constructed, & heuristic) phases, as the war evolved from a battle for democracy and human rights (2011-), through chemical weapons concerns (2012-), and counter-terrorism (2014-), to proxy war (2015-). #5EyesCIPS Image
This table summarises the evolution of Anglosphere foreign policy discourses across the coalition, from 2011-2019. Debate was structured by more liberal & more conservative (realist) voices, divided between democracy promotion & remembering lessons of Iraq. #5EyesCIPS Image
In phase 1 – democracy promotion (2011-):

The discursive structure of the conflict was set in this period, as: Assad must go but this is Syria’s fight, not the Anglosphere’s. #5EyesCIPS Image
Phase 2 – chemical weapons (2012-):

Obama’s ‘red line’, then a sarin gas attack in Ghouta.

The chemical weapons taboo drove calls for intervention, which were only quelled accidentally by Kerry’s pontificating and Lavrov’s strategy. #5EyesCIPS Image
In phase 3 – Islamic State (2014-): A (new) War on Terror, against a ‘death cult’. HI & GWOT combined to shift the Anglosphere to an interventionist position, albeit against ISIL, not Assad, & in protection of Yazidis, rather than a broader Syrian/Iraqi population. #5EyesCIPS Image
Phase 4: Proxy War (2015-). Putin/Russia intervene, changing nature of conflict. Balance of debate shifted away from intervention, toward need for political transition (Assad must go but not straight away). Some even touted working with Russia against mutual (ISIL) foe #5EyesCIPS Image
Enter Donald Trump. A clear division between ISIL (destroy) and Assad (relative disinterest), in combination with Russian sympathies. Until Assad twice uses chemical weapons and Trump authorises airstrikes. #5EyesCIPS Image
Policy lessons for Anglo FP: 1)Ends-means gap (Assad must go, but no action)➡️need joined-up FP
2)Assad must go (locked out of talks, but likely to win)
1+2 helps conditions for perpetual conflict
3)Focus on ISIL & CW in isolation gives impression conflict is solved #5EyesCIPS Image
Academic insights:
1)Anglosphere increasingly a single transnational political space for FP debates
2)Policies of war and peace relied upon victory/defeat in discursive battle
3)Reality of SCW evolved for Anglosphere in line with 4 key framings #5EyesCIPS Image

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More from @uOttawaCIPS

Sep 30, 2020
Thank you to the presenters and our audience! That is all for today. We will be re-tweeting the "wrap up" posts of the threads again tomorrow ICYMI. #5EyesCIPS
You can check out our blog for the schedule of each author's article. A new blog post will be going up regularly for the next while, edited by @srdjanvucetic and @Dr_LeechNgo cips-cepi.ca/2020/09/27/twi… #5EyesCIPS
Highlights of these tweet threads will be available there and there is already an introduction available! cips-cepi.ca/2020/09/27/twi… #5EyesCIPS
Read 4 tweets
Sep 30, 2020
And we also have Greg Fyffe’s thread coming up here, as posted by CIPS. #5EyesCIPS
The Five Eyes alliance has served the current partners well by giving them an expanded intelligence base. This benefit is enhanced by the opportunity for professional discussions amongst intelligence partner agencies. #5EyesCIPS
All five nations maintain bilateral relationships with other allies. Is there a case for expanding the Five Eyes itself to include some of these allies? My answer is yes. #5EyesCIPS
Read 16 tweets
Sep 30, 2020
We have Wesley Wark’s thread here coming up next. #5EyesCIPS
The intelligence alliance now known as the FVEY was born in the early days of the Cold War and was the product of a perceived existential threat posed by the Soviet Union. #5EyesCIPS
Canada was instrumental in the development of the FVEY. Canadian officials, operating in secret, strived after WWII to create an independent capacity for intelligence & worked hard to gain a place alongside both the British & US intelligence systems. #5EyesCIPS
Read 16 tweets
Sep 30, 2020
To close our morning panel, we’re sharing Helen Baxendale’s thread here. She is presenter #7! #5EyesCIPS
After some wrangling, the FVEY states have arrived at a common position on the use of Huawei technology. But the Huawei snafu is likely just the first of many challenges to alliance solidarity as an expansionist China looks for ways to win allies to its cause. #5EyesCIPS
In January this year the UK Government broke ranks with its Five Eyes allies, confirming that Huawei would be involved in building part of its 5G network. The decision defied warnings from the United States. #5EyesCIPS gov.uk/government/new…
Read 16 tweets
Sep 30, 2020
Up next is Brendon O’Connor – we’ll be sharing his thread from this account. #5EyesCIPS
Post-WWII, the FVEY included Australia. This is puzzling because AUS was of marginal importance to the USA, especially on security issues. So, why include AUS in the sharing of intelligence? Was it because of Australia’s status as former British, white colony? #5EyesCIPS
My colleague Lloyd Cox & I argue that cultural affinity and race (whiteness) is central to the special relations between the US and Australia that has led to the sharing of national security intelligence. #5EyesCIPS
Read 12 tweets
Sep 30, 2020
Good morning! We will begin today’s Twitter Conference with the 1st panel at 9:30 EST. @abrahamsen_rita will be introducing the panel & it will run until around 12:30 EST. The 2nd panel, introduced by @caredunton, will begin at 13:30 EST & run until around 16:30 EST. #5EyesCIPS
Some panelists will be tweeting their own threads and others will be shared by this account. All posts will have #5EyesCIPS included. After the conference, each panelist’s paper will be on our blog. Check out @srdjanvucetic’s introduction here: cips-cepi.ca/2020/09/27/twi… #5EyesCIPS
Thank you and welcome to everyone logging on and joining us throughout the day! Make sure to come back to our timeline, the blog, or #5EyesCIPS at any point to view highlights. In between each presentation, @srdjanvucetic will be providing discussant comments.
Read 5 tweets

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