Recent Publications

Transformation for What?
December 1, 2005 — Author: Dr John White One of the most significant of global security reassessments is currently underway, driven by Operations IRAQI FREEDOM and Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, continuing technological developments, budget constraints, and the debate associated with the 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review. To provide senior defense leaders with ideas on... MORE

Victories are Not Enough
December 1, 2005 — Author: Dr Samuel J Newland Since the early stages of World War II, militaries in general, and the U.S. Army in particular, have studied the German way of war, specifically as practiced in the 20th century. While acknowledging that Germany—and before that nation came into existence, Prussia—produced some excellent armies, major problems with the... MORE

Revisions in Need of Revising: What Went Wrong in the Iraq War
December 1, 2005 — Authors: Dr David C Hendrickson, Dr Robert W Tucker Though critics have made a number of telling points against the Bush administration's conduct of the Iraq war, the most serious problems facing Iraq and its American occupiers—criminal anarchy and lawlessness, a raging insurgency and a society divided into rival and antagonistic groups—were... MORE

Why the Teachers?
December 1, 2005 — Author: Dr Douglas J Macdonald Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the December 2005 newsletter.Read Now MORE

Fourth-Generation War and Other Myths
November 1, 2005 — Author: Dr Antulio J Echevarria II Fourth Generation War (4GW) emerged in the late 1980s, but has become popular due to recent twists in the war in Iraq, and terrorist attacks worldwide. In brief, the theory holds that warfare has evolved through four generations: 1) the use of massed manpower, 2) firepower, 3) maneuver, and now 4) an evolved form... MORE

Coup D’Oeil: Strategic Intuition in Army Planning
November 1, 2005 — Author: Dr William Duggan Dr. William Duggan shows how to reconcile analytical and intuitive methods of decisionmaking, by drawing on recent scientific research that brings the two together. He applies this new research to the Army's core methods of analytical decisionmaking as found in FM 5-0, Army Planning and Orders Production. The result is... MORE

Going to War With the Allies You Have: Allies, Counterinsurgency, and the War on Terrorism
November 1, 2005 — Author: Dr Daniel Byman Washington must recognize that its allies, including those in the security forces, are often the source of counterinsurgency problems as well as the heart of any solution. The author argues that the ally's structural problems and distinct interests have daunting implications for successful U.S. counterinsurgency efforts. The... MORE

Getting Ready for a Nuclear-Ready Iran
November 1, 2005 — Authors: Mr Patrick Clawson, Mr Henry D Sokolski As Iran edges closer to acquiring a nuclear bomb and its missiles extend an ever darker diplomatic shadow over the Middle East and Europe, Iran is likely to pose three threats. First, Iran could dramatically up the price of oil by interfering with the free passage of vessels in and through the... MORE

The Danger of Seeking Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq
November 1, 2005 — Author: Dr W Andrew Terrill Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the November 2005 newsletter.Read Now MORE

The PLA Shapes the Future Security Environment
October 15, 2005 — Author: Mr Andy Gudgel Over 50 experts on China and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) gathered at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, from September 23-25, to attend the 2005 PLA Conference, "The PLA Shapes the Future Security Environment," cosponsored by the Heritage Foundation and the U.S. Army War College. The colloquium considered how the... MORE

Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, Bolivarian Socialism, and Asymmetric Warfare
October 1, 2005 — Author: Dr Max G Manwaring ¿Habla español?Military Review translated this study to Spanish. View the translated study.The author answers questions regarding "Who is Hugo Chavez?" "How can the innumerable charges and countercharges between the Venezuelan and U.S. governments be interpreted?" "What are the implications for democracy and stability in... MORE

Precedents, Variables, and Options in Planning a U.S. Military Disengagement Strategy from Iraq
October 1, 2005 — Authors: Dr Conrad C Crane, Dr W Andrew Terrill The questions of how to empower the Iraqis most effectively and then progressively withdraw non-Iraqi forces from that country is one of the most important policy problems currently facing the United States. The authors seek to present the U.S. situation in Iraq in all of its complexity and ambiguity,... MORE