Recent Publications

What should be Believed about Progress in Iraq?
October 1, 2003 — Author: Prof John R Martin Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the October 2003 newsletter.Read Now MORE

National Security Challenges for the 21st Century
October 1, 2003 — Author: Dr Williamson Murray Officers who participated in the Advanced Strategic Art Program (ASAP) during their year at the U.S. Army War College wrote these chapters. The ASAP is a unique program that offers selected students a rigorous course of instruction in theater strategy. Solidly based in theory, doctrine, and history, the program provides... MORE

Rethinking Asymmetric Threats
September 1, 2003 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank For several years U.S. policymakers, officials, and writers on defense have employed the terms "asymmetric" or "asymmetry" to characterize everything from the nature of the threats we face to the nature of war and beyond. The author challenges the utility of using those terms to characterize the threats we face, one... MORE

Strategic Leadership Competencies
September 1, 2003 — Authors: Dr Stephen J Gerras, COL William Kidd, COL Robert Pricone, COL Richard Swengros, Dr Leonard Wong The strategic leadership literature in both the academic and military contexts is replete with long lists of the knowledge, skills, and abilities. Unfortunately, long comprehensive lists are problematic. Looking across the literature on... MORE

Keep the Reserves in the Fight
September 1, 2003 — Author: COL James R Pullen Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the September 2003 newsletter.Read Now MORE

Maintaining Effective Deterrence
August 1, 2003 — Author: Dr Colin S Gray While deterrence is as old as human conflict itself, it became particularly important with the advent of nuclear weapons when armed conflict between the superpowers had the potential to end civilization. Today there is a sense that terrorism has rendered deterrence obsolete and forced the United States to substitute... MORE

The Need for a United Nations’ Security Role in Iraq
August 1, 2003 — Author: Dr W Andrew Terrill Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the August 2003 newsletter.Read Now MORE

War in the Balkans, 1991-2002
August 1, 2003 — Author: Dr R Craig Nation The author writes a comprehensive history of the Balkan wars which were provoked by the collapse of the Yugoslav Federation in 1991. These wars, and the instability that they have provoked, became preoccupations for international security management through the 1990s. After an initial phase of distancing and hesitation,... MORE

Socio-Economic Roots of Radicalism?: Towards Explaining the Appeal of Islamic Radicals
July 1, 2003 — Author: Prof Alan Richards The author addresses the critical questions involved in understanding and coping with the roots of Islamic radicalism. He provides particular attention to the links between radicalism and a series of crises associated with modernization in the Islamic World. The result is a thoughtful and probing study including policy... MORE

Assessing the Impact of U.S.-Israeli Relations on the Arab World
July 1, 2003 — Author: Dr Lenore G Martin The author addresses the challenge that U.S. policymakers face in managing relations with numerous regional allies, including Israel and a host of moderate Arab states. These states often maintain differing concerns and are responding to diverse domestic and international pressures when they seek to influence the United... MORE

Nationalism, Sectarianism, and the Future of the U.S. Presence in Post-Saddam Iraq
July 1, 2003 — Author: Dr W Andrew Terrill The author addresses the critical questions involved in understanding the background of Iraqi national identity and the ways in which it may evolve in the future to either the favor or detriment of the United States. He pays particular attention to the issue of Iraqi sectarianism and the emerging role of the Shi'ite... MORE

Why They Fight: Combat Motivation in the Iraq War
July 1, 2003 — Authors: COL Thomas A Kolditz, LTC Raymond A Millen, COL Terrence M Potter, Dr Leonard Wong With the recent lightning swift combat successes of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, there may be a tendency to view with awe the lethality of U.S. technology and training. The researchers, however, argue that the true strength of America's military might lies not... MORE