Recent Publications

Op-Ed: Can Sanctions Be More Effective Than Military Action In Iran?
December 7, 2012 — Dr. W. Andrew Terrill The United States and its allies are currently seeking to use international sanctions to prevent Iran from developing the technology leading to a nuclear weapons capability. It remains uncertain if the sanctions will be effective, and the U.S. leadership has correspondingly announced that all options—including military... MORE

Venezuela as an Exporter of 4th Generation Warfare Instability
December 1, 2012 — Author: Dr Max G Manwaring Almost no one seems to understand the Marxist-Leninist foundations of Hugo Chavez’s political thought. It becomes evident, however, in the general vision of his “Bolivarian Revolution.” The abbreviated concept is to destroy the old foreign-dominated (U.S. dominated) political and economic systems in the Americas, to take... MORE

Cover for Venezuela as an Exporter of 4th Generation Warfare Instability

The Impact of President Felipe Calderón’s War on Drugs on the Armed Forces: The Prospects for Mexico’s “Militarization” and Bilateral Relations
December 1, 2012 — Author: Dr George W Grayson View the Executive SummaryIn the absence of honest, professional civilian law-enforcement agencies, President Felipe Calderón assigned the military the lead role in his nation’s version of the “War on Drugs” that he launched in 2006. While the armed forces have spearheaded the capture and/or death of several dozen cartel... MORE

Cover for The Impact of President Felipe Calderón’s War on Drugs on the Armed Forces: The Prospects for Mexico’s “Militarization” and Bilateral Relations

India’s Changing Afghanistan Policy: Regional and Global Implications
December 1, 2012 — Author: Dr Harsh V Pant View the Executive SummarySince 2001, the situation in Afghanistan has afforded New Delhi an opportunity to underscore its role as a regional power. India has a growing stake in the development of peace and stability in Afghanistan; and the 2011 India-Afghan strategic partnership agreement underlines India’s commitment to... MORE

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A National Security Staff for the 21st Century
December 1, 2012 — Author: Dr Jack A LeCuyer View the Executive SummaryOur legacy 1947/1989 national security system is unsuited for the dynamic and complex global security environment that has developed since the end of the Cold War. Over time, the National Security Council has evolved from the very limited advisory group initially imagined by President Truman to... MORE

Cover for A National Security Staff for the 21st Century

Op-Ed: Getting to the Win
November 28, 2012 — Colonel Michael (Scott) S. Weaver The Armed Forces that U.S. national leaders will have available to meet future contingencies and conflicts, in 2023 or 2029 for instance, will follow from U.S. strategic designs now being formulated. In September, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff released the Capstone Concept for Joint Operations: Joint... MORE

The Moral Corrosion within Our Military Professions
November 27, 2012 — Dr. Don M. Snider We have now had several weeks of breathless punditry on the moral failure of David Petraeus. The press and online commentariat do love a scandal, and the more so when a deserving American hero tragically falls from grace.The commentary has evolved from who (just the two of them?), to who else (well, maybe another general…), to why... MORE

Beyond the Battlefield: Institutional Army Transformation Following Victory in Iraq
November 1, 2012 — Author: LTC G Scott Taylor The Army goes to great lengths to capture lessons learned and preserve these lessons for current practitioners and future generations. Though the Army is one of the most self-critical organizations found in American society, a well-deserved reputation has also been earned for failing to inculcate those lessons by... MORE

Cover for Beyond the Battlefield: Institutional Army Transformation Following Victory in Iraq

Learning by Doing: The PLA Trains at Home and Abroad
November 1, 2012 — Authors: Mr Roy Kamphausen, Dr David Lai, Mr Travis Tanner To better understand the PLA’s ability to employ its developing capabilities in a variety of potential scenarios, this year’s workshop examined how the PLA learns by doing, specifically through its exercises and noncombat operations at home and overseas, and through key logistical and... MORE

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The Energy and Security Nexus: A Strategic Dilemma
November 1, 2012 — Author: Dr Carolyn Pumphrey The relationship between energy and security has been receiving increasing attention over the last few years. Energy literally drives the global economy. Societies rely on it for everything from advanced medical equipment to heating, cooling, and irrigation. Whether it derives from advanced nuclear reactors in developed... MORE

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Jihadist Cells and “IED” Capabilities in Europe: Assessing the Present and Future Threat to the West
November 1, 2012 — Author: Dr Jeffrey M Bale The first of two interrelated security threats is multifaceted inasmuch as it stems from a complex combination of religious, political, historical, cultural, social, and economic motivational factors caused by the growing predilection for carrying out mass casualty terrorist attacks inside the territories of “infidel”... MORE

Cover for Jihadist Cells and "IED" Capabilities in Europe: Assessing the Present and Future Threat to the West

Op-Ed: The Romance of Great Powers in Northeast Asia
October 23, 2012 — Dr. David Lai The Strategic SettingNortheast Asia is a place where five of the world's most powerful nations meet: China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and the United States. Three of these countries have the world's largest economies (the U.S., China, and Japan), and three of them have the largest militaries (China, the U.S., and Russia). In... MORE