Recent Publications

Roots of Terror
May 1, 2007 — Author: Ms Corinna Johnson Many of the traditional processes used to identify and prosecute terrorists operate at a pace too slow to keep up with terrorists’ ability to change and reorganize. Terrorists have adopted structurally independent modes of organization in diverse environments; counterterrorism policies must adopt methods to track... MORE

North Korea’s Military Threat: Pyongyang’s Conventional Forces, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Ballistic Missiles
April 1, 2007 — Author: Capt (USN) John M Sanford, Dr Andrew Scobell North Korea's conventional capabilities have eroded but remain significant, including its sizeable contingent of special operations forces. Meanwhile, Pyongyang continues the vigorous development of its nuclear and missile programs, and has ongoing chemical and biological weapons programs... 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

American Grand Strategy After 9/11: An Assessment
April 1, 2005 — Author: Dr Stephen D Biddle In the three years since 9-11, the Administration has yet to arrive at a clear definition of the enemy or the aim in the War on Terrorism; to date, American policy has combined ambitious public statements with ambiguity on critical particulars. Heretofore, the costs of pursuing such ambitious but ill-defined goals have... MORE

The U.S.-India Relationship: Strategic Partnership or Complementary Interests?
February 1, 2005 — Author: Dr Amit Gupta This monograph examines the U.S.-India security relationship and argues that significant differences in their worldviews precludes the development of a strong strategic relationship at present. However, India's continued economic and military growth, as well as its ongoing commitment towards secularism and democracy, makes it... MORE

Confronting an Irregular and Catastrophic Future
October 1, 2004 — Author: Mr Nathan P Freier Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the October 2004 newsletter.Read Now MORE

Fighting in the Gray Zone: A Strategy to Close the Preemption Gap
September 1, 2004 — Authors: CMDR Joanne M Fish, LTC Samuel F McCraw, COL Christopher J Reddish The 2002 National Security Strategy (NSS) identified the proliferation, privatization, and acquisition of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by terrorist groups and rogue states as the critical nontraditional threat of the 21st century. We argue preemption is ill-suited for... MORE

Checking Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions
January 1, 2004 — Authors: Mr Patrick Clawson, Mr Henry D Sokolski Were Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, there is a grave risk it would be tempted to provide them to terrorists. After all, mass casualty terrorism done by proxies has worked well for Iran to date. The fear about what Iran might do with nuclear weapons is fed by the concern that Tehran has no clear... MORE

Bounding the Global War on Terrorism
December 1, 2003 — Author: Dr Jeffrey Record The author examines three features of the war on terrorism as currently defined and conducted: (1) the administration's postulation of the terrorist threat, (2) the scope and feasibility of U.S. war aims, and (3) the war's political, fiscal, and military sustainability. He believes that the war on terrorism--as opposed to... MORE

Strategic Effects of Conflict with Iraq: Latin America
March 1, 2003 — Author: Dr Max G Manwaring The author has been asked to analyze four issues: the position that key states in their region are taking on U.S. military action against Iraq; the role of America in the region after the war with Iraq; the nature of security partnerships in the region after the war with Iraq; and the effect that war with Iraq will have... MORE

Saddam’s Strategy: No To Nuclear Weapons; Yes To Biologicals
November 1, 2002 — 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 November 2002 newsletter.Read Now MORE

Jihadi Groups, Nuclear Pakistan, and the New Great Game
August 1, 2001 — Author: Dr M Ehsan Ahrari For the United States and other nations concerned with security in South and Central Asia, one of the most ominous trends has been the growing influence of Jihadist groups in Pakistan which feel obligated to wage holy war against everything that they perceive as non-Islamic. Their objective would be a Pakistani government... MORE