Recent Publications

War without Borders: The Colombia-Ecuador Crisis of 2008
December 1, 2008 — Author: Dr Gabriel Marcella Unprotected borders are a serious threat to the security of a number of states around the globe. Indeed, the combination of weak states, ungoverned space, terrorism, and international criminal networks make a mockery of the Westphalian system of international order. Latin American countries are experiencing all of these... MORE

Regional Spillover Effects of the Iraq War
December 1, 2008 — Author: Dr W Andrew Terrill The Iraq war has been one of the dominant factors influencing U.S. strategic thinking in the Middle East and globally since 2003. Yet the problems of this highly dynamic and fluid war have sometimes forced U.S. policymakers to address near-term issues that cannot be safely postponed at the expense of long-term strategic... MORE

HAMAS and Israel: Conflicting Strategies of Group-Based Politics
December 1, 2008 — Author: Dr Sherifa D Zuhur Efforts to separate HAMAS from its popular support and network of social and charitable organizations have not been effective in destroying the organization, nor in eradicating the will to resist among a fairly large segment of the Palestinian population. It is important to consider this Islamist movement in the context... MORE

Affairs of State: The Interagency and National Security
December 1, 2008 — Author: Dr Gabriel Marcella The United States has a large and complex interagency process to deal with national security on a global basis. It is imperative that civilian and military professionals understand that process. The chapters in this volume deal with various dimensions and institutions, from the National Security Council, the Department... MORE

PLA Missions Beyond Taiwan
November 1, 2008 — Author: Mr Marc Miller The interplay between China’s armed forces and its complex foreign policy and international security environment was examined in order to understand the requirements of several newly emerging PLA missions, and to consider how these specific interactions affect policy towards Taiwan and the wider Asia-Pacific region. Three... MORE

Living Perilously in a Bubble
November 1, 2008 — Author: Dr Leonard Wong Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the November 2008 newsletter.Read Now MORE

Known Unknowns: Unconventional “Strategic Shocks” in Defense Strategy Development
November 1, 2008 — Author: Mr Nathan P Freier The author provides the defense policy team a clear warning against excessive adherence to past defense and national security convention. Including the insights of a number of noted scholars on the subjects of “wild cards” and “strategic surprise,” he argues that future disruptive, unconventional shocks are inevitable... MORE

Unity of Command in Afghanistan: A Forsaken Principle of War
November 1, 2008 — Author: COL Ian Hope This Carlisle Paper discusses the traditional importance of unity of command in American doctrine and practice from World War I until now, and how this principle has been forsaken in the evolution of military command for Afghanistan. It examines the unprecedented departure from the principle of unity of command in Afghanistan... MORE

Stability Operations and State Building: Continuities and Contingencies
October 1, 2008 — Author: COL Greg Kaufmann The Department of Defense published its Directive 3000.05, “Military Support for Stability, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction (SSTR) Operations,” in November 2005, to address this area of state building and stability operations. The process of arriving at this point, however, indicates that no consistent view of the... MORE

Leadership and National Security Reform: The Next President’s Agenda
October 1, 2008 — Authors: Dr Joseph R Cerami, Dr Robert H Dorff, Ms Lisa Moorman On March 20, 2008, the Bush School of Texas A&M University hosted a conference on “Leadership and National Security Reform: The Next President’s Agenda.” The participants examined the contemporary international environment and American national security policy for the next presidential... MORE

Dueling Natures
October 1, 2008 — Author: Dr Antulio J Echevarria II Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the October 2008 newsletter.Read Now MORE

Slowing Military Change
October 1, 2008 — Author: Dr Zhivan Alach The author looks at the development of military technology in recent years. He examines three major platforms: fighter aircraft, tanks, and cruisers, examining the gaps between generations as well as the capability gains of each succeeding type. While development has slowed, at the same time capability increases have also... MORE