Recent Publications

Russia's Attempts to Undermine Democracy in the West: Effects and Causes
August 8, 2019 — Robert E. Hamilton, August 2019, Orbis, the Foreign Policy Research InstituteBy exploiting pre-existing divisions in Western societies and attempting to sway elections toward candidates palatable to the Kremlin, the Russian Federation has had some success in eroding social cohesion and confidence in the institutions of democracy. But pulling the... MORE

International Relations Theories and Russia: Russia’s Tragic Great Power Politics
March 8, 2019 — Robert E. Hamilton, 2019, Foreign Policy Research InstituteMany Western scholars studying Russia and policymakers dealing with Russia have long found it an exhausting and bewildering endeavor. Winston Churchill famously described it in 1939 as “a riddle wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” More recently, Bobo Lo noted that Russia’s enduring... MORE

What Next for Russia’s Front-Line States?
February 22, 2019 — Mr. Keir Giles, 2019Russia’s annexation of Crimea and intervention in Eastern Ukraine in 2014, alarmed not only Western-leaning states in Central Europe and the Baltic but also Moscow’s traditional allies. These events signaled that Moscow is now willing and capable of using direct military force against perceived strategic threats in its... MORE

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Maneuvering the Saudi-Iranian Rivalry in the Middle East: How the United States Can Preserve and Protect Its Long-Term Interests in the Region
November 15, 2018 — Author: Mr Gregory AftandilianThis monograph examines the conflicts in the Middle East region between Saudi Arabia and Iran and the so-called proxy wars that are being fought between them, and discusses ways that the United States needs to maneuver carefully in this struggle to preserve its long-term interests in the area. Although Washington has... MORE

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Creating Great Expectations: Strategic Communications and American Airpower
November 5, 2018 — Author: Dr Conrad C CraneAmericans have always been uniquely attracted to airpower, a fact that has been successfully exploited by generations of U.S. Air Force leaders in information campaigns. But as a result, the nation has often entered conflicts with exorbitant expectations about what airpower could actually accomplish, creating unique... MORE

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Silent Partners: Organized Crime, Irregular Groups, and Nation-States
October 23, 2018 — Author: Dr Shima D KeeneThe U.S. Army increasingly faces adversaries that are difficult to define. The threat landscape is further complicated by the silent partnership between criminal organizations, irregular groups, and nation-states. This collaboration, whatever its exact nature, is problematic, because it confounds understanding of the... MORE

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Strategic Insights: Better Late Than Never
October 23, 2018 — Author: Dr M Chris MasonSeventeen years ago this November, in a conference room in the Pentagon, I explained that, in whatever form it took, the new Government of Afghanistan would require some sort of provincial or territorial forces under Afghan Army command to augment the regular national army, which the interagency working group was tasked with... MORE

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Assessing the Collective Security Treaty Organization: Capabilities and Vulnerabilities
October 18, 2018 — Author: Dr Richard WeitzRussia has strengthened its military position in Central Asia and the South Caucasus through a combination of bilateral and multilateral initiatives. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has become the most important multilateral defense structure in the former Soviet Union and is an essential instrument in... MORE

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Russia’s Syria Problem
October 8, 2018 — Dr. Robert E. Hamilton, Oct 2018The Russians are discovering that success on the battlefield doesn’t automatically translate to achievement of political goals. Several recent publications and organizations have proclaimed victory for Russia and the Assad regime in the Syrian civil war. President Obama’s prediction back in the autumn of 2015 that... MORE

Parameters VOL. 48 NO. 2 SUMMER 2018
October 4, 2018 — Editor: Dr Antulio J Echevarria IIFEATURES: Special Commentary. “The Military as Social Experiment: Challenging a Trope” by Jacqueline E. Whitt and Elizabeth A. Perazzo. Teaching Strategy. “Stuff Happens: Understanding Causation in Policy and Strategy” by Andrew A. Hill and Stephen J. Gerras. “Comparative Strategy in Professional Military... MORE

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Maintaining Information Dominance in Complex Environments
October 3, 2018 — Author: Dr John A S. Ardis, Dr Shima D KeeneThere are many risks to the U.S. Army’s command and control (C2) operations and to its intelligence and information warfare (IW) capabilities. The challenges include: significant uncertainty; sudden unexpected events; high noise and clutter levels in intelligence pictures; basic and complex deceptions... MORE

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The Relevance of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for the United States in the 21st Century
September 27, 2018 — Author: Dr Joel R HillisonThe “America First” approach to foreign policy seems to call into question the value of institutions like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU). However, in a more competitive and uncertain strategic environment, NATO and the EU remain vital to promoting U.S. interests.Read Now MORE