Recent Publications

Strategic Insights: Can the EU Declare Energy Independence From Russia?
November 4, 2014 — 2LT Scott CowmanSecond Lieutenant Scott Cowman is a reservist with the U.S. Army. From January to May 2014, during his last semester at Dickinson College, he was an intern with the Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College. The worsening situation in Ukraine has yet again reminded the European Union (EU) and the United States that Europe... MORE

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Nuclear Weapons Materials Gone Missing: What Does History Teach?
November 1, 2014 — Author: Mr Henry D Sokolski View the Executive SummaryIn 2009, President Obama spotlighted nuclear terrorism as one of the top threats to international security, launching an international effort to identify, secure, and dispose of global stocks of weapons-usable nuclear materials—namely highly enriched uranium and weapons-grade plutonium. Since... MORE

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Stepping Up: Burden Sharing by NATO’s Newest Members
November 1, 2014 — Author: Dr Joel R Hillison View the Executive SummaryThis book examines the burden sharing behavior of new NATO members. It makes the argument that new NATO members are burden sharing at a greater rate than older NATO members. It also suggests that NATO’s expansion did not lead to greater free-riding behavior in NATO, contrary to the predictions of... MORE

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Tribal Militias: An Effective Tool to Counter Al-Qaida and Its Affiliates?
November 1, 2014 — Author: Dr Norman Cigar View the Executive SummaryDespite over a decade of open war, dealing with Al-Qaida and its affiliates in the Middle East is likely to remain a concern for the foreseeable future and will pose a challenge requiring the use of any tool that is likely to be effective in meeting the threat. Developing effective tools to counter... MORE

The Role of Leadership in Transitional States: The Cases of Lebanon, Israel-Palestine
November 1, 2014 — Author: Dr Anastasia Filippidou View the Executive SummaryLeadership is dynamic; it is a continuous process and ever-changing relationship between numerous different factors. The research focuses on political leadership in transitional situations and the efforts of leadership in the transformation process from weak and fragmented states or... MORE

Central Asia’s Shrinking Connectivity Gap: Implications for U.S. Strategy
November 1, 2014 — Author: Mr Roman Muzalevsky View the Executive SummaryThe United States is witnessing a transformation of Central Asia—a critical yet highly understudied and misunderstood area of the world, which is seeing growing influence of China, India, and Russia. The agendas of these actors, as well as the United States, Japan, the EU, Turkey, and Iran,... MORE

Creating an Effective Regional Alignment Strategy for the U.S. Army
November 1, 2014 — Authors: Major Raven Bukowski, Major John Childress, LTC Michael J Colarusso, COL David S Lyle View the Executive SummaryAs the war in Afghanistan draws to a close, the Army increasingly is focused upon “regionally aligning” its forces. To do so effectively, however, it must undertake several initiatives. First, the Army must acknowledge and... MORE

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Strategic Insights: Should General Dempsey Resign? Army Professionals and the Moral Space for Military Dissent
October 21, 2014 — Dr. Don M. Snider Given that all Army professionals have taken an oath to “support and defend the Constitution,” in what instances may, or even should, the stewards of the profession dissent in a public way—including resignation or retirement—from an administration’s policy that they believe to be so incorrect as to be ineffective, potentially... MORE

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Strategic Insights: Should China Be Given the Benefit of the Doubt?
October 17, 2014 — Dr. David Lai The South China Sea territorial dispute is a protracted and complicated problem. Recently, it has become an even more contentious issue between the United States and China. At the center of this disagreement is China's massive territorial claims and its persistent approach to dealing with the disputes in bilateral and diplomatic... MORE

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Strategic Insights: The U.S. Foray Into The Levant
October 15, 2014 — Dr. Sami G. Hajjar The Levant is caught up in a web of political, social, and economic problems that seem to be the work of the hidden hand of the devil. The U.S. Air Force, and those of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Jordan are actively bombing positions of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, or ISIS by... MORE

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Maneuvering the Islamist-Secularist Divide in the Arab World: How the United States Can Preserve its Interests and Values in an Increasingly Polarized Environment
October 1, 2014 — Author: Mr Gregory Aftandilian View the Executive SummaryThis monograph examines the Islamist-secularist divide in Arab countries, particularly in Egypt and Tunisia, and why it has become so intense and polarizing. It demonstrates that having Islamist parties in power or in domineering positions in Arab societies often provokes a backlash from... MORE

Distinguishing Acts of War in Cyberspace: Assessment Criteria, Policy Considerations, and Response Implications
October 1, 2014 — Author: Mr Jeffrey L Caton View the Executive SummaryDetermining an act of war in the traditional domains of land, sea, and air often involves sophisticated interactions of many factors that may be outside the control of the parties involved. This monograph seeks to provide senior policymakers, decisionmakers, military leaders, and their respective... MORE