Recent Publications

Egypt’s New Regime and the Future of the U.S.-Egyptian Strategic Relationship
April 11, 2013 — Author: Mr Gregory Aftandilian View the Executive SummaryThis monograph examines the strategic importance of Egypt for the United States by exploring Egypt's role in the Arab-Israeli peace process, its geographical role (providing air and naval access) for U.S. military assets heading to the Persian Gulf, and joint training programs. With so much... MORE

Strategic Stability: Contending Interpretations
February 1, 2013 — Authors: Mr Elbridge A Colby, Mr Michael S Gerson What is strategic stability and why is it important? This edited collection offers the most current authoritative survey of this topic, which is central to U.S. strategy in the field of nuclear weapons and great power relations. A variety of authors and leading experts in the field of strategic... MORE

Against All Odds: Relations between NATO and the MENA Region
August 1, 2012 — Author: Dr Florence Gaub While NATO was created with a primary outlook to the East, its Southern rim was neglected strategically until the end of the Cold War. Since then, the Alliance has undertaken a number of efforts to build strategic relationships with the Middle East and North Africa, recognizing the region’s importance for Allied security... MORE

Cover for Against All Odds: Relations between NATO and the MENA Region

The Next Arms Race
July 1, 2012 — Author: Mr Henry D Sokolski The New Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (New START) agreement was reached in 2011, and both Russia and the United States are bringing nuclear strategic warhead deployments down to roughly 1,500 on each side. In the next round of strategic arms reduction talks, though, U.S. officials hope to cut far deeper; perhaps as low... MORE

The Saudi-Iranian Rivalry and the Future of Middle East Security
December 1, 2011 — Author: Dr W Andrew Terrill Saudi Arabia and Iran have often behaved as serious rivals for influence in the Middle East and especially the Gulf area since at least Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War. While both nations define themselves as Islamic, the differences between their foreign policies could hardly be more... MORE

Presidential Succession Scenarios in Egypt and Their Impact on U.S.-Egyptian Strategic Relations
October 1, 2011 — Author: Mr Gregory Aftandilian Although this monograph was written before the pro-democracy demonstrations in Egypt in January 2011, it examines the important question as to who might succeed President Hosni Mubarak by analyzing several possible scenarios and what they would mean for U.S. strategic relations with Egypt. The monograph first... MORE

2011-2012 U.S. Army War College Key Strategic Issues List (KSIL)
September 19, 2011 — Dr. Antulio J. Echevarria, IIUpdate: The PDF of the KSIL is now available.Topics with an * are from Headquarters Department of the Army G-3/5 and G-4ForewordThe Key Strategic Issues List (KSIL) is published annually for the purpose of making students and other researchers aware of strategic topics that are, or should be, of special importance to... MORE

The Arab Spring and the Future of U.S. Interests and Cooperative Security in the Arab World
August 2, 2011 — Table of Contents Summary Introduction Tunisia Egypt Libya Bahrain Syria Yemen Algeria Jordan Morocco Oman Kuwait Lebanon Mauritania Saudi Arabia Conclusion EndnotesSummaryThe Arab Spring is an ongoing and deeply significant process occurring in the contemporary Middle East that will have important implications for the United States government. In... MORE

Colloquium Brief: The Energy and Security Nexus: A Strategic Dilemma
July 15, 2011 — Key Insights. The U.S. is relatively well placed when it comes to energy security (defined as security from shocks in prices). We are finding more fossil fuels — especially natural gas — and are otherwise buffered from disaster by advantages ranging from the existence of strategic reserves to market mechanisms that plug gaps in our supply. In the future, we have less to fear from diminishing supply than from rising demand, especially in rapidly industrializing countries. The U.S. should engage in a policy of strategic restraint in the Middle East: military force is not the best instrument to use in securing energy supplies. However, the U.S. Armed Forces can increase energy efficiency, provided this does not undermine the effectiveness of its fighting forces... MORE

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union’s Common Security and Defense Policy: Intersecting Trajectories
July 1, 2011 — Author: Mr Sarwar A Kashmeri NATO used to be the world’s most formidable military alliance. But its original reason for existence, the Soviet Union, disintegrated years ago, and its dreams of being a world cop are withering in the mountains of Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the European Union’s (EU) Common Security & Defense Policy (CSDP) has deployed 27... MORE

The Arab Upheavals and the Future of the U.S. Military Policies and Presence in the Middle East and the Gulf
June 27, 2011 — Dr. W. Andrew TerrillSummaryThe political and social upheaval in the Arab World known as the Arab Spring is one of the most significant set of events to unfold in the Middle East since the fall of the Ottoman Empire following World War I. The United States seeks a democratic outcome to all of these conflicts and is also concerned about the human... MORE

Something Brewing in Venezuela
January 1, 2010 — Author: COL Phillip R Cuccia Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the January 2010 newsletter.Read Now MORE