Recent Publications

Lethal and Legal? The Ethics of Drone Strikes
December 15, 2015 — Author: Dr Shima D KeeneView the Executive Summary While supporters claim that drone warfare is not only legal but ethical and wise, others have suggested that drones are prohibited weapons under International Humanitarian Law (IHL) because they cause, or have the effect of causing, indiscriminate killings of civilians, such as those in the... MORE

The Approaching Implosion of Venezuela and Strategic Implications for the United States
July 10, 2015 — Dr. R. Evan EllisThe U.S. response to the ever deepening political and economic crisis in Venezuela, and the regime’s increasingly aggressive behavior toward its neighbors and the international community, is compelling evidence that the Barack Obama administration is sincere in respecting the sovereignty of nations of Latin America and the... MORE

The Strategic Logic of the Contemporary Security Dilemma
December 1, 2011 — Author: Dr Max G Manwaring The reality and severity of the threats associated with contemporary transnational security problems indicate that the U.S. and its national and international partners need a new paradigm for the conduct of unconventional asymmetric conflict, and an accompanying new paradigm for strategic leader development. The... MORE

Colloquium Brief: Kingston Conference on International Security (KCIS-2011): The Changing Arctic: Sovereignty, Resources, and Security
August 26, 2011 — Mr. Dru LauzonA Partnership Between Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, Centre for International and Defence Policy, Queen's University, Chair of Defence Management Studies, Queen's University, and Land Force Doctrine and Training System of the Canadian ForcesKey Insights. The threat of military conflict in the Arctic is low, while... MORE

Op-Ed: The Criminals South of the Border: Lessons from Mexico
August 9, 2011 — Dr. Max G. ManwaringYou might also like: "La Familia Drug Cartel: Implications for U.S.-Mexican Security."Authorities have no consistent or reliable data on the Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCO)-gang phenomenon in Mexico. Nevertheless, the TCO-gang phenomenon in that country is acknowledged to be large, complex, and increasingly violent... MORE

A “New” Dynamic in the Western Hemisphere Security Environment: The Mexican Zetas and Other Private Armies
September 1, 2009 — Author: Dr Max G Manwaring This monograph is intended to help political, military, policy, opinion, and academic leaders think strategically about explanations, consequences, and responses that might apply to the volatile and dangerous new dynamic that has inserted itself into the already crowded Mexican and hemispheric security arena, that is, the... 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

ASEAN and Its Security Offspring: Facing New Challenges
September 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Sheldon W Simon Southeast Asian states within ASEAN agree that security relations with the great powers are best achieved by enmeshing the latter in ASEAN procedures. The primary goal of ASEAN is that China, Japan, the United States, and India commit to maintaining Southeast Asia's autonomy, integrity, and prosperity. ASEAN is less... MORE

U.S. Security Strategies: Trade Policy Implications for Latin America
April 14, 2004 — Author: Dr Max G Manwaring The Summit of the Americas Center and Latin American and Caribbean Center of Florida International University, and the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College held the first of a series of mini-conferences dealing with security issues in the Western Hemisphere in Miami, Florida, on February 26, 2004. The... MORE

Security in the Americas: Neither Evolution nor Devolution–Impasse
March 1, 2004 — Author: Dr Max G Manwaring The author identifies the strategic-political challenge of effective sovereignty and security, with a focus on nontraditional threats. He recommends that leaders rethink the problem of nontraditional threats and develop the conceptual and strategic-political multilateral responses necessary to deal effectively with them... MORE

Haiti Strategy: Control, Legitimacy, Sovereignty, Rule of Law, Handoffs, and Exit
October 1, 1994 — Author: Dr Gabriel Marcella Now that the armed forces of the United States have entered Haiti, what is the exit strategy? As the United States, the government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and the United Nations coalition establish order, it is best to be mindful of the tasks ahead: building a new authority system based on the rule of law, instilling... MORE

Peacekeeping, Peacemaking and Peace-Enforcement: The U.S. Role in the New International Order
February 1, 1993 — Author: Dr Donald M Snow The author examines the bases of American military participation in the array of Third World activities falling under the general rubric of peacekeeping and peace-enforcement. The relevance of this inquiry was underscored by President Clinton in his Inaugural Address, when he added situations where "the will and conscience... MORE