Recent Publications

The Energy and Security Nexus: A Strategic Dilemma
November 1, 2012 — Author: Dr Carolyn Pumphrey The relationship between energy and security has been receiving increasing attention over the last few years. Energy literally drives the global economy. Societies rely on it for everything from advanced medical equipment to heating, cooling, and irrigation. Whether it derives from advanced nuclear reactors in developed... MORE

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Russia in the Arctic
July 1, 2011 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank The Arctic has returned with a vengeance as an area of international contention. Beginning in 2007, Russia has continued to make aggressive moves and claims regarding territory in the Arctic Ocean. These moves undoubtedly have been prompted by global climate change and the importance of energy, with which Russia believes... MORE

Russian Military Politics and Russia's 2010 Defense Doctrine

Enter the Era of Persistent Competition for Talent
July 1, 2010 — Author: COL Carolyn F Kleiner Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the July 2010 newsletter.Read Now MORE

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Russia, China, and the United States in Central Asia: Prospects for Great Power Competition and Cooperation in the Shadow of the Georgian Crisis
February 1, 2009 — Author: Dr Elizabeth Wishnick Russia and China have been reacting to the pressures of changing U.S.-Central Asia policy over the past 5 years as has the United States. In response to the “color” revolutions, they achieved broad agreement on the priority of regime security and the need to limit the long-term military presence of the United States in... MORE

Building for the Future: China’s Progress in Space Technology during the Tenth 5-Year Plan and the U.S. Response
March 1, 2008 — Author: Mr Kevin Pollpeter The Chinese government is using space power to increase its influence at home and abroad and hopes to leverage the political, economic, and military benefits of space to become a great power. The ambivalent nature of the U.S.-China relationship, however, assures that over the long term China's rise as a space power will... 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

Strategic Competition and Resistance in the 21st Century: Irregular, Catastrophic, Traditional, and Hybrid Challenges in Context
May 1, 2007 — Author: Mr Nathan P Freier The 2005 National Defense Strategy introduced the now prolific concept of the four challenges--traditional, irregular, catastrophic, and disruptive. Reference to the challenges is now an essential feature of defense deliberations. Yet in spite of the concept’s central place in the defense debates in and out of government,... MORE