Recent Publications

Waging Ancient War: Limits on Preemptive Force
February 1, 2003 — Author: Dr D Robert Worley The author addresses the ways that the age of terrorism is affecting American grand strategy. He contends that terrorism has made many of the basic concepts of international relations and national security obsolete. Declaring war on a tactic—terrorism—erodes the clarity necessary for coherent strategy. Dr. Worley then... MORE

Dragon on Terrorism: Assessing China’s Tactical Gains and Strategic Losses Post-September 11
October 1, 2002 — Author: Dr Mohan Malik The U.S. relationship with China and the global war on terrorism are the two most significant strategic challenges faced by the Bush administration. Both are vital and complex; the way the administration manages them will shape American security for many years. While there is a growing literature on both key strategic issues,... MORE

Growing U.S. Security Interests in Central Asia
October 1, 2002 — Author: Dr Elizabeth Wishnick The author assesses U.S. security interests and military activities in Central Asia. She notes that strengthening the Central Asian states against terrorism and assisting their transition to stable and prosperous nations are difficult and fraught with danger. In particular, there is the risk that the U.S. military... MORE

Transformation Concepts for National Security in the 21st Century
September 1, 2002 — Author: Dr Williamson Murray This book represents some of the thinking by students at the U.S. Army War College, considering the nature and direction of transformation. They consider how the transformed joint services of the United States should employ force in the 21st century. The services are exploring concepts such as Effects Based Operations... MORE

Avoiding Vietnam: The U.S. Army’s Response to Defeat in Southeast Asia
September 1, 2002 — Author: Dr Conrad C Crane As American operations against terrorism spread around the globe to places like Afghanistan and the Philippines, an increasing tendency has been for commentators to draw parallels with past experience in Vietnam. Even soldiers on the ground have begun to speak in such terms. The author analyzes the Army's response to that... MORE

Hizballah: Terrorism, National Liberation, or Menace?
August 1, 2002 — Author: Dr Sami G Hajjar The author reviews the history of Hizballah since its inception in 1982, and examines its role in the recent political turmoil of Lebanon and the region. Not only is Hizballah's role central in the dispute over the Sheb'a Farms enclave between Lebanon and Israel, it is part of an entangled set of linkages involving Syria,... MORE

Facing the Hydra: Maintaining Strategic Balance while Pursuing a Global War against Terrorism
May 1, 2002 — Author: Dr Conrad C Crane The author analyzes the impact of the war on terrorism and the requirements of the 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review on the many essential missions conducted by the U.S. Armed Forces. Focusing primarily on the Army, he highlights the requirements associated with combat operations against terrorists, accelerating... MORE

The Inescapable Global Security Arena
April 1, 2002 — Author: Dr Max G Manwaring The author outlines the violent characteristics of the new security-stability environment and briefly examines the problem of terrorism and the related problem of governance. Then he analyzes the complex threat and response situation and outlines a multidimensional response to these problems. Finally, he enumerates some... MORE

Defeating Terrorism: Strategic Issue Analyses
January 1, 2002 — Author: Prof John R Martin Within only a few days after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the U.S. Army War College initiated a series of short studies addressing strategic issues in the war on terrorism. This collection of essays analyzes a broad array of subjects of great strategic importance. This volume provides historical... MORE

Transnational Threats: Blending Law Enforcement and Military Strategies
November 1, 2000 — Editor: Dr Carolyn Pumphrey On February 2-3, 2000, the U.S. Army War College, the Triangle Institute for Security Studies, and the Duke University Center for Law, Ethics, and National Security co-sponsored a conference in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The conference examined transnational threats, including terrorism involving weapons of mass... MORE

Transnational Threats from the Middle East: Crying Wolf or Crying Havoc?
May 31, 1999 — Author: Prof Anthony H Cordesman There is no doubt that the Middle East can present significant potential threats to the West. The author of this monograph examines these threats in order to put them into perspective--to distinguish between "crying wolf" and "crying havoc." After thorough analysis, he contends that the problems caused by narcotics... MORE

Assessing the Costs of Failure
June 26, 1997 — Authors: Dr Stephen C Pelletiere, Prof Shibley Telhami, Mr Lawrence R Velte As of mid-1997, the fate of the Arab-Israeli peace process is dangerously uncertain. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's decision to begin work on a new Jewish settlement in Jerusalem has so enraged Palestinians that they have effectively walked out of the negotiations... MORE