Recent Publications

The Military Strategy of Global Jihad
October 1, 2007 — Author: LTC Sarah E Zabel America entered the Global War on Terrorism with little understanding of the enemy it faced. Al-Qaeda is a splinter faction of militant Islamism intent on establishing its vision of strict Islamic rule in the Muslim world through armed action. Global jihadis have spent more than 40 years refining their philosophy, gaining... MORE

Making Riflemen from Mud: Restoring the Army’s Culture of Irregular Warfare
October 1, 2007 — Author: LTC James D Campbell Prior to World War II, the Army had a deeply ingrained facility with and acceptance of what we now term unconventional warfare—raising, training, advising, and cooperating with tribal militias, local paramilitaries, and other nonstate armed groups. This culture of irregular warfare was attributable to nearly 300 years... MORE

The Eastern Dimension of America’s New European Allies
October 1, 2007 — Author: Mr Janusz Bugajski Without a realistic prospect for NATO and EU accession, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, and Georgia will become sources of domestic and regional instability and objects of Russia’s neo-imperialist ambitions that will undermine American and European strategic interests. The new members of NATO and the EU have sought to develop... MORE

The United States and ASEAN-China Relations: All Quiet on the Southeast Asian Front
October 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Ian Storey While the overall security situation in Southeast Asia is something of a mixed bag, with grounds for both optimism and pessimism, one of the most encouraging trends in recent years has been the development of ASEAN’s relations with major external powers. Relations between China and ASEAN in particular have demonstrated a... MORE

The Summit: Mirage or Milestone?
October 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Sherifa D Zuhur Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the October 2007 newsletter.Read Now MORE

ASEAN and Its Security Offspring: Facing New Challenges
September 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Sheldon W Simon Southeast Asian states within ASEAN agree that security relations with the great powers are best achieved by enmeshing the latter in ASEAN procedures. The primary goal of ASEAN is that China, Japan, the United States, and India commit to maintaining Southeast Asia's autonomy, integrity, and prosperity. ASEAN is less... MORE

Turkmenistan and Central Asia after Niyazov
September 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank President Sapirmurat Niyazov, the all-powerful leader of Turkmenistan, suddenly died on December 21, 2006. Because Central Asia is a cockpit of great power rivalry and a potential theater in the Global War on Terrorism, no sooner had Niyazov died than the great powers were all in Turkmenistan seeking to influence its... MORE

Kuwaiti National Security and the U.S.-Kuwaiti Strategic Relationship after Saddam
September 1, 2007 — Author: Dr W Andrew Terrill The U.S.-Kuwaiti military and political relationship has been of considerable value to both countries since at least 1990. This alliance was formed in the aftermath of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s brutal invasion of Kuwait and the U.S. decision to free Kuwait with military force in 1991. Saddam’s later defeat and... MORE

Egypt: Security, Political, and Islamist Challenges
September 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Sherifa D Zuhur This monograph approaches three issues in contemporary Egypt: failures of governance and political development, the continued strength of Islamism, and counterterrorism. The Egyptian government forged a truce with its most troublesome Islamist militants in 1999. However, violence emerged again from new sources of Islamist... MORE

The Reserve Policies of Nations: A Comparative Analysis
September 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Richard Weitz Throughout the world, military reserves are changing. National governments are transforming the relationships between their active and reserve components, the allocation of roles and responsibilities among reserve forces, and the way they train, equip, and employ reservists. Nations no longer consider their reservists as... MORE

China’s Expansion into and U.S. Withdrawal from Argentina’s Telecommunications and Space Industries and the Implications for U.S. National Security
September 1, 2007 — Author: Ms Janie Hulse Chinese involvement in the Latin American telecommunications and space industries has implications for U.S. national security. Unlike other commercial activities geared toward supplying raw materials to China’s 1.3 billion inhabitants, Chinese investment in space and telecommunications implies broader commercial and strategic... MORE

American Grand Strategy for Latin America in the Age of Resentment
September 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Gabriel Marcella A healthy Latin America is of critical value to the United States as a global power. It is besieged by a powerful force of resentment engendered by a combination of weak states, social exclusion, criminal violence, and corruption. In the context of attack by radical populism against democratic values, the United States... MORE