Recent Publications

Op-Ed: Weekend at Osama’s
February 6, 2012 — Dr. Cori E. Dauber Even before Osama bin Laden was killed, the Obama administration began arguing that al-Qaeda was close to final defeat because so many of its senior leaders were now dead largely as a result of drone operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But that assessment depends on an awfully narrow definition of “al-Qaeda” — and of “dead.”... MORE

Once Again, the Challenge to the U.S. Army During a Defense Reduction: To Remain a Military Profession
February 1, 2012 — Author: Dr Don M Snider As with the post-Cold War downsizing during the Clinton administration in the late 1990s, one critical challenge for the U.S. Army centers on the qualitative, institutional character of the Army after the reductions—will the U.S. Army manifest the essential characteristics and behavior of a military profession with Soldiers... MORE

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Categorical Confusion? The Strategic Implications of Recognizing Challenges Either as Irregular or Traditional
February 1, 2012 — Author: Dr Colin S Gray Strategic theory should educate to enable effective strategic practice, but much of contemporary theory promotes confusion, not clarity, of suitable understanding. A little strategic theory goes a long way, at least it does if it is austere and focused on essentials. Unfortunately, contemporary strategic conceptualization in... MORE

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The Importance of Images to America’s Fight Against Violent Jihadism
January 24, 2012 — Dr. Cori E. Dauber Americans were surely equally dismayed about a video circulating at viral speed whether they found out about the story via email, discovered it on You Tube, on Twitter, on Facebook, or simply heard about it the old fashioned way; when a network news anchor reported it. The video appeared to show a group of U.S. Marine Corps... MORE

Preserving U.S. National Security Interests Through a Liberal World Construct
January 11, 2012 — LTC Kevin Fujimoto The emergence of peer competitors, not terrorism, presents the greatest long-term threat to our national security. Over the past decade, while the United States concentrated its geopolitical focus on fighting two land wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, China has quietly begun implementing a strategy to emerge as the dominant imperial... MORE

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

Colloquium Brief: Cyber Infrastructure Protection
December 19, 2011 — Dr. Tarek N. Saadawi,COL Louis H. Jordan, JrA partnership between: U.S. Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute; Center of Information Networking and Telecommunications, Grove School of Engineering; Colin Powell Center for Public Policy; and City University of New... MORE

Op-Ed: The West and the Durability and Problems of Monarchies in the Arab Spring
December 14, 2011 — Dr. W. Andrew TerrillThe regional response to the Arab Spring has alarmed a number of international observers because a variety of ugly governments are displaying their ugliest side. No civilized person condones the nature of Libyan leader Muhammar Qadhafi’s final hour, but equally no one doubts that he worked hard to earn such a fate. Likewise, in... MORE

Organizational Change in the Russian Airborne Forces: The Lessons of the Georgian Conflict
December 1, 2011 — Author: Dr Rod Thornton This monograph considers the recent history of organizational change in the Russian Airborne Forces (VDV). In particular, it looks at how the VDV has changed since the end of Russia’s conflict with Georgia in 2008. The VDV, a force much admired in Russian media and society has, in fact, escaped fairly lightly during the... MORE

The Strategic Logic of the Contemporary Security Dilemma
December 1, 2011 — Author: Dr Max G Manwaring The reality and severity of the threats associated with contemporary transnational security problems indicate that the U.S. and its national and international partners need a new paradigm for the conduct of unconventional asymmetric conflict, and an accompanying new paradigm for strategic leader development. The... MORE

The Saudi-Iranian Rivalry and the Future of Middle East Security
December 1, 2011 — Author: Dr W Andrew Terrill Saudi Arabia and Iran have often behaved as serious rivals for influence in the Middle East and especially the Gulf area since at least Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War. While both nations define themselves as Islamic, the differences between their foreign policies could hardly be more... MORE

The United States and China in Power Transition
December 1, 2011 — Author: Dr David Lai The most profound change that the United States and China have experienced in their relations over the past 30 years is perhaps the onset of an apparent power transition between the two nations. This potentially titanic change was set in motion as a result of China’s genuine and phenomenal economic development, and the impact... MORE