Recent Publications

U.S. Foreign Policy and Regime Instability
May 1, 2008 — Author: Dr James Meernik The United States utilizes a vast arsenal of foreign policy tools to induce, compel, and deter changes in other nations’ foreign policies. Traditionally, U.S. foreign policy research focuses on the degree of success the U.S. Government has achieved when seeking specific objectives such as improvements in human rights... MORE

Force and Restraint in Strategic Deterrence: A Game-Theorist’s Perspective
November 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Roger B Myerson A great power’s use of its military forces may be rendered ineffective or even counterproductive when there are no clear internationally recognizable limits on this use of force. Professor Myerson derives this conclusion from the basic observation that our ability to influence potential rivals depends on a balanced mix of... MORE

The Proliferation Security Initiative as a New Paradigm for Peace and Security
April 1, 2006 — Author: Dr Mark R Shulman The author examines the Proliferation Security Initiative—a multinational activity launched in 2003 to enable the United States and like-minded countries to interdict the flow of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). This Initiative also may bring dramatic changes the international security system by enabling concerned states... MORE

Multilateral Constraints on the Use of Force: A Reassessment
March 1, 2006 — Author: Dr Seyom Brown The difficulty of achieving a multilateral consensus in the NATO Alliance can create more of a crisis than does the difficulty of generating an effective UN response to threats to international peace and security. NATO was supposed to be America's prime multilateral institution for obtaining legitimation and support of... MORE

Appeasement Reconsidered: Investigating the Mythology of the 1930s
August 1, 2005 — Author: Dr Jeffrey Record U.S. use of force since 1945 has been significantly influenced by the perceived consequences of appeasing Hitler in the 1930s, and from the mid-1970s to 2001 by the chilling effect of the Vietnam War. As the United States approached its second war with Iraq, proponents cited the Munich analogy to justify the war, whereas... MORE

The Intervention Debate: Towards a Posture of Principled Judgment
January 1, 2002 — Author: Dr John Garofano The author argues that American policymakers must take an approach based on "principled judgment" when deciding on the use of force. The 1990s showed the extremes of deciding when and how to use force, one of the central elements of strategy. Throughout American history, debate has raged over whether force is appropriate... MORE

The Costs of Conflict: The Impact on China of a Future War
October 1, 2001 — Author: Dr Andrew Scobell It is increasingly important for Americans to think carefully about the vast complexities of the U.S.-China relationship, and the calculations that go into forming courses of action. The key question is: will China s so-called first priority of economic development and its resulting influence on domestic social stability... MORE

Political Control over the Use of Force: A Clausewitzian Perspective
April 1, 2001 — Author: LTC Suzanne C Nielsen The author addresses the issues regarding the ideal relationship between the commander and the statesman in time of war and the balance between political control and military operational expertise by examining what Carl von Clausewitz has to say about civil- military relations and the use of force. She looks in depth... MORE

Peacekeeping and the Just War Tradition
September 1, 2000 — Author: COL Tony Pfaff Major Tony Pfaff, a former Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the United States Military Academy, addresses an important source of much of the confusion that currently surrounds many of the Operations Other Than War (OOTW) that the military finds itself participating in with increasing frequency. The author points out that,... MORE