Recent Publications

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Libya: Reviewing Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR
June 28, 2013 — Author: Dr Florence Gaub View the Executive SummaryOn March 17, 2011, a month after the beginning of the Libyan revolution, with up to 2,000 civilians dead, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) decided on backing a no-fly zone over Libya and authorized “all necessary measures” to protect civilians. While France, Great Britain, and the United... MORE

Joint Strategic Planning System Insights: Chairmen Joint Chiefs of Staff 1990 to 2012
June 24, 2013 — Author: Dr Richard M Meinhart View the Executive SummaryMilitary leaders at many levels have used strategic planning in various ways to position their organizations to respond to the demands of the current situation while simultaneously preparing to meet future challenges. This Paper will first describe the Chairman’s statutory responsibilities and... MORE

The Struggle for Yemen and the Challenge of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
June 21, 2013 — Author: Dr W Andrew Terrill View the Executive SummaryIn recent years, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has been widely recognized as a more dangerous regional and international terrorist organization than the original al-Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden until his death in 2011. In 2010-11, AQAP was able to present a strong challenge to Yemen's... MORE

Nigerian Unity: In the Balance
June 14, 2013 — Authors: LTC Clarence J Bouchat (USAF, Ret), Mr Gerald McLoughlin View the Executive SummaryNigeria’s future as a unified state is in jeopardy. Those who make or execute U.S. policy will find it difficult to advance U.S. interests in Africa without an understanding of the pressures that tear and bind Nigeria. Despite this, the centrifugal forces... MORE

Op-Ed: Abraham Lincoln and the Obligations Of International Law
June 13, 2013 — Prof. Matthew PinskerAbraham Lincoln cared about international law. He encountered it as a 19th-century lawyer and politician. He quoted from it in some key public documents. He invoked it as commander-in-chief. But most important, he considered himself and the American government to be bound by it—or at least obligated to take international legal... MORE

The Future of the Arab Gulf Monarchies in the Age of Uncertainties
June 10, 2013 — Author: Dr Mohammed El-Katiri View the Executive SummarySeismic cultural and political shifts are under way in the Arab Gulf monarchies. The political upheavals and transitions that have swept through the Arab world over the last 2 years have not toppled the Arab Gulf rulers, but did not leave them untouched, either. Rulers of Gulf Cooperation... MORE

Avoiding the Slippery Slope: Conducting Effective Interventions
June 4, 2013 — Author: Dr Thomas R Mockaitis View the Executive SummaryThis Letort Paper covers U.S. military interventions in civil conflicts since the end of the Cold War. It defines intervention as the use of military force to achieve a specific objective (i.e., deliver humanitarian aid, support revolutionaries or insurgents, protect a threatened population,... MORE

Return of the Balkans: Challenges to European Integration and U.S. Disengagement
May 31, 2013 — Author: Mr Janusz Bugajski View the Executive SummaryFor the first time in its modern history the entire Balkan Peninsula has the opportunity to co-exist under one security and developmental umbrella combining NATO and the European Union (EU). Unfortunately, European and American leaders have been unable to complete such a unique historic vision,... MORE

Asia-Pacific: A Strategic Assessment
May 28, 2013 — Author: Dr David Lai View the Executive SummaryDr. David Lai provides a timely assessment of the geostrategic significance of Asia-Pacific. His monograph is also a thought-provoking analysis of the U.S. strategic shift toward the region and its implications. Dr. Lai judiciously offers the following key points. First, Asia-Pacific, which covers... MORE

Academic Engagement Notes: 2013 International Studies Association (ISA) Annual Convention
May 23, 2013 — Dr. Robert J. Bunker, Dr. John R. DeniThe annual convention of the International Studies Association (ISA) was held in San Francisco, CA, on April 3-6, 2013. The 54th annual convention theme was, “The Politics of International Diffusion: Regional and Global Dimensions.” This conference was a major academic event with over 1,000 panels and round... MORE

The Challenge of Drug Trafficking to Democratic Governance and Human Security in West Africa
May 17, 2013 — Author: Mr David E Brown View the Executive SummaryInternational criminal networks mainly from Latin America and Africa—some with links to terrorism—are turning West Africa into a key global hub for the distribution, wholesaling, and production of illicit drugs. These groups represent an existential threat to democratic governance of already... MORE

War and Insurgency in the Western Sahara
May 13, 2013 — Author: Geoffrey Jensen View the Executive SummaryAt a crucial crossroads between Africa and Europe, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, and the “Arab World” and the West, Morocco has long had a special place in U.S. diplomacy and strategic planning. Since September 11, 2001, Morocco’s importance to the United States has only increased, and the... MORE