Recent Publications

The Real Rebalancing: American Diplomacy and the Tragedy of President Obama’s Foreign Policy
October 26, 2015 — Author: Dr John R DeniView the Executive Summary American security policy rests on a three-legged stool consisting of defense, diplomacy, and development. As President Obama implied in his May 2014 speech at West Point, the United States is in the midst of a resurgence of diplomacy and development, as it seeks to leverage diplomatic influence,... MORE

Breaking the Bathsheba Syndrome: Building a Performance Evaluation System that Promotes Mission Command
October 26, 2015 — Author: COL Curtis D TaylorView the Executive Summary In 2014, the National Defense Authorization Act directed the Department of Defense to reconsider the way the Army evaluates and selects leaders. This call for reform came after repeated surveys from the Center for Army Leadership suggested widespread dissatisfaction with the current approach... MORE

Arab Threat Perceptions and the Future of the U.S. Military Presence in the Middle East
October 22, 2015 — Author: Dr W Andrew TerrillView the Executive Summary The threat perceptions of many Arab states aligned with the United States have changed significantly as a result of such dramatic events as the 2011 U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq, the emergence and then fading of the Arab Spring, the rise of Iranian power and Tehran’s nuclear agreement with... MORE

The Rise of iWar: Identity, Information, and the Individualization of Modern Warfare
October 16, 2015 — Author: COL Glenn J VoelzView the Executive Summary During a decade of global counterterrorism operations and two extended counterinsurgency campaigns, the United States was confronted with a new kind of adversary. Without uniforms, flags, and formations, the task of identifying and targeting these combatants represented an unprecedented... MORE

Strategic Insights: If You Want Peace, Prepare for War: Reflections on China’s V—Day Parade
October 5, 2015 — Dr. David LaiThe Chinese government conducted a military parade to commemorate the “70th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War” on September 3, 2015. Although Chinese President Xi Jinping uttered “peace” 18 times in his brief opening remarks and Chinese... MORE

Strategic Insights: The Russian Intervention and the Internal Dynamics of Syria
October 1, 2015 — Dr. W. Andrew TerrillThe Syrian civil war began in March 2011 and has claimed nearly 250,000 lives so far. After over 4 years of internal fighting, the Kremlin has decided to expand its role in this conflict by moving combat aircraft and some ground troops to Syria to support the Bashar al-Assad government. These actions seem like a clear prelude... MORE

Strategic Insights: Economic Power: Time to Double Down
September 29, 2015 — Professor John F. TroxellA recent editorial in The New York Times asked the question, “Who threatens America most?” It proceeded to compare recent pronouncements by incoming senior military leaders, the President, the FBI director, and finally the Director of National Intelligence. The major candidates included the usual nation states (Russia,... MORE

The Ethics of Drone Strikes: Does Reducing the Cost of Conflict Encourage War?
September 29, 2015 — Authors: Dr Marcus Schulzke, Dr James Igoe WalshView the Executive Summary Armed unmanned aerial vehicles—combat drones—have fundamentally altered the ways the United States conducts military operations aimed at countering insurgent and terrorist organizations. Drone technology is on track to become an increasingly important part of the country’s... MORE

The Limits of Offshore Balancing
September 24, 2015 — Author: Dr Hal BrandsView the Executive Summary Is offshore balancing the right grand strategy for America? Is it time for Washington to roll back the vast system of overseas security commitments and forward military deployments that have anchored its international posture since World War II? This monograph argues that the answer to these questions... MORE

Developing Emerging Leaders: The Bush School and the Legacy of the 41st President
September 18, 2015 — Author: Dr Joseph R CeramiView the Executive Summary The main focus of this monograph is to synthesize the top research on leadership and leader development and to highlight the needs for developing individuals committed to careers of service across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. The foundation for the research is based on ideas drawn... MORE

Cyber Defense: An International View
September 14, 2015 — Authors: Mr Keir Giles, Ms Kim HartmannView the Executive Summary An overview of four different national approaches to cyber defense are discussed: those of Norway, Estonia, Germany and Sweden. While providing a useful guide for engagement with the relevant governmental and other organizations in each of these countries, the Paper also compares and... MORE

Strategic Insights: The Will To Fight
September 11, 2015 — Dr. M. Chris MasonEvents on world battlefields over the past two years should give the U.S. Army pause to reconsider the entire Foreign Internal Defense (FID) mission. The seemingly unarguable axiom that "good training makes good soldiers" has been proven to be not always true. Good training does not always make good soldiers. If the definition of... MORE