Recent Publications

Escalation and Intrawar Deterrence During Limited Wars in the Middle East
September 1, 2009 — Author: Dr W Andrew Terrill A central purpose of this monograph is to reexamine two earlier conflicts for insights that may be relevant for ongoing dangers during limited wars involving nations possessing chemical or biological weapons or emerging nuclear arsenals. These conflicts are the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the 1991 Gulf War. Both of these... MORE

Criminals, Militias, and Insurgents: Organized Crime in Iraq
July 1, 2009 — Author: Dr Phil Williams Dr. Williams looks in detail at major criminal activities, including the theft, diversion, and smuggling of oil, the kidnapping of both Iraqis and foreigners, extortion, car theft, and the theft and smuggling of antiquities. He also considers the critical role played by corruption in facilitating and strengthening organized... 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

The View from There
September 1, 2008 — 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 September 2008 newsletter.Read Now MORE

Deterrence, Missile Defense, and Collateral Damage in the Iranian-Israeli Strategic Relationship
February 1, 2008 — 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 February 2008 newsletter.Read Now MORE

Cover for Deterrence, Missile Defense, and Collateral Damage in the Iranian-Israeli Strategic Relationship

Jordanian National Security and the Future of Middle East Stability
January 1, 2008 — Author: Dr W Andrew Terrill The United States and Jordan have maintained a valuable mutually-supportive relationship for decades as a result of shared interests in a moderate, prosperous, and stable Middle East. In this monograph, the author highlights Jordan’s ongoing value as a U.S. ally and considers ways that the U.S.-Jordanian alliance might... MORE

Regional Threats and Security Strategy: The Troubling Case of Today’s Middle East
November 1, 2007 — Author: Mr James A Russell The United States needs to undertake a strategic regional net assessment that examines the following issues as it seeks to construct a regional security strategy to protect its interests and mitigate wider threats to international security. That net assessment should include reviewing the role of security guarantees in... MORE

The Evolution of U.S.-Turkish Relations in a Transatlantic Context
November 1, 2007 — Author: Dr W Andrew Terrill Key Insights:• Turkish accession to the European Union (EU) remains a central question in determining the future of Turkish relations with Western Europe and the United States. Any support that the United States can give to the acceleration of Turkish accession will be valuable and helpful to these ties.• While... MORE

Can Tony Blair Make a Difference in the Middle East?
August 1, 2007 — 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 August 2007 newsletter.Read Now MORE

Treating Allies as Allies in the Arab World
June 1, 2007 — 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 June 2007 newsletter.Read Now MORE

The Other Special Relationship: The United States and Australia at the Start of the 21st Century
February 1, 2007 — Authors: Dr Jeffrey D McCausland, Dr Douglas Stuart, Prof William T Tow, Prof Michael Wesley This volume summarizes the major findings of the conference participants over the last year. Beyond the thematic resemblance between this volume and the previous study of U.S.-UK relations,another similarity is the importance of two events in determining... MORE

Learning from Iraq: Counterinsurgency in American Strategy
January 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Steven Metz While the involvement of the United States in counterinsurgency has a long history, it had faded in importance in the years following the end of the Cold War. When American forces first confronted it in Iraq, they were not fully prepared. Since then, the U.S. military and other government agencies have expended much effort to... MORE