Recent Publications

"The Strategic Importance of Taiwan to the United States and Its Allies"
July 31, 2023 — This podcast presents four factors to consider in evaluating Taiwan’s strategic importance to the United States and its allies and answers a question often raised at forums concerning the Indo-Pacific: “Why should the United States care” about this small island in the Pacific? The response often given is simply US credibility, and while this is an important factor, this podcast reviews a wider array of possible factors to consider when answering that question. The study of these factors should assist US military and policy practitioners in accurately evaluating the related strategic environment... MORE

Russia's Attempts to Undermine Democracy in the West: Effects and Causes
August 8, 2019 — Robert E. Hamilton, August 2019, Orbis, the Foreign Policy Research InstituteBy exploiting pre-existing divisions in Western societies and attempting to sway elections toward candidates palatable to the Kremlin, the Russian Federation has had some success in eroding social cohesion and confidence in the institutions of democracy. But pulling the... MORE

The Strategic Lessons Unlearned from Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan: Why the ANSF Will Not Hold, and the Implications for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan
June 25, 2015 — Author: Dr M Chris Mason View the Executive SummaryThe wars in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan were lost before they began, not on the battlefields, where the United States won every tactical engagement, but at the strategic level of war. In each case, the U.S. Government attempted to create a Western-style democracy in countries which were decades... MORE

What Is Next for Mali? The Roots of Conflict and Challenges to Stability
November 20, 2013 — Author: Dr Dona J Stewart View the Executive SummaryIn March 2012, the government of Mali, one of the most touted symbols of Africa’s democratic potential, fell in a military-executed coup. At the same time, a 4-decades old rebellion among Tuaregs seeking autonomy or independence reached new heights fueled by weapons from Libya and the belief that... MORE

The Future of the Arab Gulf Monarchies in the Age of Uncertainties
June 10, 2013 — Author: Dr Mohammed El-Katiri View the Executive SummarySeismic cultural and political shifts are under way in the Arab Gulf monarchies. The political upheavals and transitions that have swept through the Arab world over the last 2 years have not toppled the Arab Gulf rulers, but did not leave them untouched, either. Rulers of Gulf Cooperation... MORE

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

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

Dealing with Political Ferment in Latin America: The Populist Revival, the Emergence of the Center, and Implications for U.S. Policy
September 1, 2009 — Author: Dr Hal Brands The current political dynamics in Latin America is analyzed, and their meaning for the United States is evaluated. The author argues that references to a uniform “left turn” in the region are misleading, and that Latin America is actually witnessing a dynamic competition between two very different forms of governance... MORE

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

Value Projection and American Foreign Policy
June 1, 2006 — 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 June 2006 newsletter.Read Now MORE

The Return of the Latin American Left
March 1, 2006 — Author: Dr Alex Crowther Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the March 2006 newsletter.Read Now MORE

Democratization Vs. Liberalization in the Arab World: Dilemmas and Challenges for U.S. Foreign Policy
July 1, 2005 — Author: Dr Daniel Brumberg The author looks at the political origins and dynamics of "liberalized autocracy" in the Arab world. Liberalized autocracy is a system of rule that allows for a measure of political openness and competition in the electoral, party, and press arenas, while ultimately ensuring that power rests in the hands of ruling... MORE