Recent Publications

Somalia: Line in the Sand–Identification of MYM Vulnerabilities
September 1, 2010 — Authors: LTC Eloy E Cuevas, Ms Madeleine Wells The al-Shabaab Organization, also known as the Mujahidin Youth Movement (MYM), and its allies have been active opponents in undermining the United Nations (UN)-supported African Union (AU)peacekeeping forces, the fledging Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG), and all the UN efforts to support... MORE

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An Army Transformed: The U.S. Army’s Post-Vietnam Recovery and the Dynamics of Change in Military Organizations
September 1, 2010 — Author: LTC Suzanne C Nielsen During the 2 decades preceding the Persian Gulf War in 1991, the U.S. Army went through tremendous reform and rejuvenation. In explaining this important case of military change, this paper makes four central arguments. First, leaders within military organizations are essential; external developments most often have an... MORE

A New Chapter in Trans-American Engagement
September 1, 2010 — Authors: Ms Eva Silkwood Baker, Dr Max G Manwaring Key insights developed from the issues discussed at the 2010 Western Hemisphere Security Colloquium include:• The need to advance regional understanding of the contemporary security partnership situation in the Hemisphere: An educational and conceptual requirement;• The need to foster a broader... MORE

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Candidly, One Friend to Another
September 1, 2010 — Author: Dr Antulio J Echevarria II Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the September 2010 newsletter.Read Now MORE

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Preparing for One War and Getting Another?
September 1, 2010 — Author: Dr Antulio J Echevarria II This monograph examines the fundamental argument that America's adversaries are shifting more toward irregular methods due to the demonstrated prowess of the U.S. military at conventional warfare. This argument is based on what one might call a paradoxical logic, not unlike that described by Edward Luttwak in his... MORE

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America’s Flawed Afghanistan Strategy
August 1, 2010 — Author: Dr Steven Metz Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the August 2010 newsletter.Read Now MORE

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Defense Energy Resilience: Lessons from Ecology
August 1, 2010 — Authors: Mr David Kerner, Dr Scott Thomas Energy security is a fundamental requirement for national security, and global energy competition threatens to make Department of Defense (DoD) missions increasingly vulnerable to the whims of energy suppliers. DoD’s approach to energy security must accommodate a highly uncertain outlook for energy resource... MORE

Chinese Energy Security: The Myth of the PLAN’s Frontline Status
August 1, 2010 — Author: Dr Ryan Clarke This monograph examines the dynamics of China’s energy security dilemma and the role of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Following this, PLAN development is discussed and its future role in regional security is hypothesized. This report argues that it is domestic market inefficiencies and poor management practices... MORE

Preparing for a Mid-Term Assessment of Leadership and National Security Reform in the Obama Administration
August 1, 2010 — Authors: Mr Jared E Bennett, Dr Joseph R Cerami, Dr Robert H Dorff Key Insights:• The initiatives for the extensive national security reform that is required to meet current threats will have to come from outside of the executive branch bureaucracy. This is true even though former senior members of the Project on National Security Reform are... MORE

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David Galula: His Life and Intellectual Context
August 1, 2010 — Author: Ms Ann Marlowe This monograph is based on interviews with David Galula’s surviving family and friends as well as archival research. It places Galula’s two great books in the context of his exposure to Mao’s doctrine of revolutionary warfare in China, the French Army’s keen interest in counterinsurgency in the second half of the 1950s, and... MORE

Dilemmas of Brazilian Grand Strategy
August 1, 2010 — Author: Dr Hal Brands This monograph analyzes Brazilian grand strategy under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. During Lula’s nearly 8 years in office, he has pursued a multi-tiered grand strategy aimed at hastening the transition from unipolarity to a multipolar order in which international rules, norms, and institutions are more favorable to... MORE

Organizing to Compete in the Political Terrain
July 1, 2010 — Author: Dr Nadia Schadlow In this analysis, the author identifies some of the continuing obstacles to achieving civil-military integration in war. She argues that there are continuing disagreements about who should lead the shaping of the political landscape in war, and that while doctrine has advanced in this area, good doctrine does not guarantee... MORE