Recent Publications

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

A Contemporary Challenge to State Sovereignty: Gangs and Other Illicit Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) in Central America, El Salvador, Mexico, Jamaica, and Brazil
December 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Max G Manwaring Another kind of war within the context of a “clash of civilizations” is being waged in various parts of the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and elsewhere around the world today. Some of the main protagonists are those who have come to be designated as first-second-, and third-generation street gangs, as... 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

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

An Introduction to Theater Strategy and Regional Security
August 1, 2007 — Author: LTC Clarence J Bouchat (USAF, Ret) Theater strategy and theater security cooperation are two of the most important tools available in attaining national security. They offer an effective means for geographic Combatant Commanders to engage other countries, deter aggression, or resolve crises. However, there is little current, concise, and... MORE

Shaping Commitment: Resolving Canada’s Strategy Gap in Afghanistan and Beyond
July 1, 2007 — Author: COL D Craig Hilton Canada’s first ever National Security Policy (2004), followed by the International (Foreign) Policy Statement and Defence Policy Review (2005), has publicly articulated Canada’s principal security interests for the post-September 11, 2001, world. However, the realities of Canada’s present engagement in Afghanistan have... MORE

Rethinking Insurgency
June 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Steven Metz The U.S. military and national security community lost interest in insurgency after the end of the Cold War when other defense issues such as multinational peacekeeping and transformation seemed more pressing. With the onset of the Global War on Terror in 2001 and the ensuing involvement of the U.S. military in... MORE

Global Climate Change: National Security Implications
May 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Douglas V Johnson II On March 29-31, 2007, the Strategic Studies Institute and the Triangle Institute for Security Studies conducted a colloquium on “Global Climate Change: National Security Implications.” Other supporting organizations included the Army Environmental Policy Institute, The Center for Global Change (Duke University),... MORE

Chinese Perceptions of Traditional and Nontraditional Security Threats
March 1, 2007 — Author: Ms Susan L Craig To understand the motivations and decisions of China’s leadership and to behave in a manner so that we can influence them, we must try to understand the world as China does. This research is an attempt to do so by examining the writings and opinions of China’s scholars, journalists and leaders--its “influential elite.”... MORE

The Missing Debate
March 1, 2007 — Author: Prof John R Martin, Dr Gordon Rudd Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the March 2007 newsletter.Read Now MORE

Globalization and Its Implications for the Defense Industrial Base
February 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Terrence R Guay The forces of globalization present challenges, risks, and opportunities to virtually every industry in every country. One of the most important implications of globalization is its effect on the economic competitiveness of countries and particular industries. The author explores how key elements of globalization have... MORE

Defense Transformation: To What, For What?
November 1, 2006 — Author: COL Kevin Reynolds “What form is transformation taking and what end(s) are the armed forces transforming to obtain?” The author argues that U.S. foreign and national security policies should drive the pace and direction of defense transformation, but finds that all too often the military’s weapons systems preferences determine the shape and... MORE