Here’s our weekly round-up of articles, reports and events in the strategy, defence and security world.

The latest issue of Foreign Affairs sports a Linda Robinson piece on the future of special operations ^[1]. Back in July, Robinson delivered a testimony ^[2] to the House Committee on Armed Services’ Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities on the same issue. In the testimony, she discusses a number of developments in special operations including the integration between SOF and conventional forces on the battlefield.

Moving onto Northeast Asian security issues, Ryo Sahashi has a nice piece ^[3] over at East Asia Forum asking ‘Is Japan making the most of the US pivot?’.

There’s a new East-West Center paper ^[4] (PDF) by Julie Chernov Hwang that looks at terrorism trends in Indonesia including the decline of salafi-jihadism and pathways to radicalisation.

On the hardware side of strategy, Andrew Erickson and Gabe Collins explore ^[5], in the Wall Street Journal, the implications of a second Chinese ‘stealth’ fighter being tested.

For military history buffs, the New York Times continues to work through the Civil War in real time (offset by a century and a half) in its wonderful Disunion series. Here’s the latest instalment ^[6].

For those interested in reading about the tactical and more human side of warfare, journalist Chris Masters has released a new book, Uncommon Soldier ^[7], which explores the modern Australian soldier. And speaking of Chris Masters, he’ll be up in Darwin on Tuesday 13 November talking about ^[8] Uncommon Soldier at the Northern Territory Library, Parliament House at 5.15pm.

If you haven’t already, Canberra readers can register ^[9] for a talk by Sam Roggeveen, editor of the Lowy Institute’s Interpreter, on ‘10 lessons from 5 years of political blogging’ at 5.30pm, Thursday 8 November at ANU’s Hedley Bull Centre.

Also at the Hedley Bull Centre, strategic studies scholar and Strategist contributor Professor Robert Ayson will launch ^[10] his new book on the international relations heavyweight Hedley Bull, Hedley Bull and the Accommodation of Power ^[11] from 5.30pm, Friday 9 November. Refreshments will be provided after the event, along with a chance to purchase his book.