Recent Publications

Strategic Art: The New Discipline for 21st Century Leaders
October 10, 1995 — Author: LTG Richard A Chilcoat This essay develops a simple, yet comprehensive definition of strategic art. Strategic art entails the orchestration of all the instruments of national power to yield specific, well-defined end states. Desired end states and strategic outcomes derive from the national interests and are variously defined in terms of... MORE

Yugoslavia’s Wars: The Problem from Hell
October 1, 1995 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank The continuing warfare in the former Yugoslavia looms as one of the most intractable problems in contemporary world politics. For four years the international community has struggled merely to contain this fire and prevent it from inflaming a general European crisis. Only now does there seem a real chance of extinguishing... MORE

A Theory of Fundamentalism: An Inquiry into the Origin and Development of the Movement
September 28, 1995 — Author: Dr Stephen C Pelletiere Islamic fundamentalism is growing at such a rapid rate that many believe it threatens to take over the Middle East. To prevent this, enormous resources have been summoned, not only from within the region, but in the West as well. Yet, for all the efforts to contain, if not turn back the fundamentalists, the movement... MORE

Mexico and the Future
September 25, 1995 — Author: Dr Donald E Schulz The recent traumatic developments in Mexico caught both the Mexican and U.S. governments, as well as most academic observers, by surprise. Until the Zapatista National Liberation Army burst onto the scene in January 1994, Mexico s future seemed assured. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) had just been... MORE

U.S. Department of Defense Strategic Planning: The Missing Nexus
September 1, 1995 — Authors: Prof Douglas C Lovelace Jr, Dr Thomas-Durell Young The authors define a formal strategic plan: one that contains specific strategic objectives, offers a clear and executable strategy for achieving objectives, illuminates force capability requirements, and is harmonized with the Future Years Defense Program. They discuss the reasons why a... MORE

U.S. Policy in the Balkans: A Hobson’s Choice
August 28, 1995 — Authors: Dr Stephen J Blank, Dr William T Johnsen, Dr Earl H Tilford Jr At this writing, the strategic balance may have shifted in the ongoing war in the former Yugoslavia, and the region could be on the verge of a settlement. But, the "window of opportunity" may be fleeting, and the failures and frustrations of the past four years temper any... MORE

Russian Defense Legislation and Russian Democracy
August 17, 1995 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank As recent events demonstrate, Russia's political system has yet to stabilize. This is particularly the case with civil-military relations for, as the course of the Chechnya invasion reveals, control by the government over the military is erratic and the military is all too often politicized. In this vein, legislation on... MORE

The Principles of War in the 21st Century: Strategic Considerations
August 1, 1995 — Authors: Dr William T Johnsen, Dr Douglas V Johnson II, LTC James Kievit, Prof Douglas C Lovelace Jr, Dr Steven Metz For nearly two centuries, the principles of war have guided practitioners of the military art. During the last 55 years the principles of war have been a key element of U.S. Army doctrine, and recently they have been incorporated... MORE

Strategy and the Revolution in Military Affairs: From Theory to Policy
June 25, 1995 — Authors: LTC James Kievit, Dr Steven Metz A small band of "RMA" analysts has emerged in the military and Department of Defense, in the academic strategic studies community, and in defense-related think-tanks and consulting firms. To these analysts, the Gulf War provided a vision of a potential revolution in military affairs (RMA) in which... MORE

The Revolution in Military Affairs: Prospects and Cautions
June 23, 1995 — Author: Dr Earl H Tilford Jr The current Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) is taking place against the background of a larger historical watershed involving the end of the Cold War and the advent of what Alvin and Heidi Toffler have termed "the Information Age." In this essay, Dr. Earl Tilford argues that RMAs are driven by more than... MORE

The Fog of Peace: The Military Dimensions of the Concert of Europe
June 9, 1995 — Author: Dr Daniel Moran Last April the Army War College held its Sixth Annual Strategy Conference. The theme of this year's Conference, "Strategy During the Lean Years: Learning From the Past and the Present," brought together scholars, serving and retired officers, and civilian defense officials from the United States, Canada, and the United... MORE

The Technological Fix: Weapons and the Cost of War
June 6, 1995 — Author: Dr Alex Roland In April 1995, the Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute held its annual Strategy Conference. This year's theme was 'Strategy During the Lean Years: Learning From the Past and the Present.' Professor Alex Roland, Professor of History at Duke University and a Visiting Professor at the Dibner Institute for the History... MORE