Recent Publications

Op-Ed: The Technology Avalanche and the Future of War
January 9, 2012 — Dr Phillip R. Cuccia, COL (Ret) The chief futurist for Cisco, Dave Evans, describes it as “The Technology Avalanche” — the exponential increase in technological breakthroughs that, like an avalanche, will disruptively and permanently change the landscape. Future “disruptive” technologies will certainly change the way we conduct war.An excellent... MORE

Nuclear Power’s Global Expansion: Weighing Its Costs and Risks
December 1, 2010 — Author: Mr Henry D Sokolski When security and arms control analysts list what has helped keep nuclear weapons technologies from spreading, energy economics is rarely, if ever, mentioned. Yet, large civilian nuclear energy programs can—and have—brought states quite a way towards developing nuclear weapons; and it has been market economics, more than... MORE

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Strangely Silent: The Missing Strategic Debate in the 2010 Mid-Term Elections
December 1, 2010 — Author: Dr Robert H Dorff Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the December 2010 newsletter.Read Now MORE

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Russia’s Prospects in Asia
December 1, 2010 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank These three chapters originated in an SSI conference in January 2010 and go to the heart of a question of vital significance for both Asia and Russia, namely what are Russia’s prospects in Asia. The three chapters outline the challenges Russia faces in Asia, the nature of the dynamic and complex Asian security... MORE

La Familia Drug Cartel: Implications for U.S.-Mexican Security
December 1, 2010 — Author: Dr George W Grayson La Familia Michoacana burst onto the national stage on September 6, 2006, when ruffians crashed into the seedy Sol y Sombra nightclub in Uruapan, Michoacán, and fired shots into the air. They screamed at the revelers to lie down, ripped open a plastic bag, and lobbed five human heads onto the beer-stained black and white... MORE

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A Risk-Based Approach to Strategic Balance
December 1, 2010 — Author: COL John A Mauk The United States requires a national security strategy and a force posture that reflect the nation’s economic and emotional capacity to implement the strategy. Recently published strategic concepts fail to accommodate these requirements. Current Secretary of Defense guidance to the Services is to develop a strategically... MORE

Deciding to Buy: Civil-Military Relations and Major Weapons Programs
November 1, 2010 — Author: Mr Quentin E Hodgson The development and procurement of major weapons programs in the United States is a complex and often drawn-out process complicated by political considerations and often sharp disagreements over requirements and the merits of systems. Secretaries of Defense since Robert McNamara have sought to impose discipline on the... MORE

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America’s Most Committed Muslim Ally
November 1, 2010 — 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 November 2010 newsletter.Read Now MORE

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Preventing Yemen from Becoming Fallujah
November 1, 2010 — Dr. W. Andrew Terrill In the rapidly mutating world of international terrorist organizations, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has become one of the most serious threats facing the United States. The recent AQAP attempt to use parcel bombs against U.S.-bound aircraft is only the most recent manifestation of this problem. The Christmas... MORE

Response to “America’s Flawed Afghanistan Strategy”
October 14, 2010 — MAJ Peter A. Dvorscak Update: Steve Metz responds.Dr. Metz discusses many aspects of the Global War on Terror in his August 2010 SSI Newsletter Op-Ed, but intertwines subjects, such as the Taliban and al Qaeda, without putting the subjects in the proper perspective.He wrote, “Both the Bush and Obama strategies assume al Qaeda needs state support or... MORE

Final Response to “America’s Flawed Afghanistan Strategy”
October 14, 2010 — Dr. Steven Metz MAJ Dvorscak's thoughtful letter makes a number of important and powerful points. In some cases, I suspect that I simply expressed my idea poorly or was limited by time constraints in the extent to which I could explain them. On others, though, we'll agree to disagree.MAJ Dvorscak is exactly right that al Qaeda and the Taliban have... MORE

Some of the Best Weapons for Counterinsurgents Do Not Shoot
October 1, 2010 — Author: Maj Gen Eric T Olson Even under the best circumstances, reconstruction in counterinsurgency is a difficult endeavor. The most critical tasks are numerous and complex. Many participating agencies must undertake missions that fall well out of their existing core competencies or operate in environments that are completely unfamiliar to them... MORE

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