Recent Publications

Op-Ed: Thinking Inside A New Box: The Coming of the New Age of Mutualism; The End of Another
February 11, 2013 — COL Louis H. Jordan, JrThe recent announcement by the President on the transfer of responsibility for Afghan society back to the Afghan government, and the new role of U.S. forces as a trainers and advisors in the support of this objective, elicited many reactions from opposing points of view here at home. However, what is missing in the dialog is... MORE

Talking Past Each Other? How Views of U.S. Power Vary between U.S. and International Military Personnel
February 1, 2013 — Author: COL Richard H M Outzen View the Executive SummaryThe 21st century U.S. military seldom operates alone. Except for initial entry and organizational training, it works almost always with and through foreign partners. Yet over the past decade, anecdotal evidence suggests that U.S. military organizations and personnel have trouble... MORE

Op-Ed: The Need For A “Half-Pivot to the Americas”
January 10, 2013 — Dr. Robert J. BunkerMuch discussion has been generated over the still relatively new U.S. strategic “Pivot to Asia” and what this will mean for our national defense policy and force structure. This pivot represents what will become a multi-year shift from the legacy of 9-11, with over a decade’s focus on ground and counterinsurgency operations in... MORE

India’s Changing Afghanistan Policy: Regional and Global Implications
December 1, 2012 — Author: Dr Harsh V Pant View the Executive SummarySince 2001, the situation in Afghanistan has afforded New Delhi an opportunity to underscore its role as a regional power. India has a growing stake in the development of peace and stability in Afghanistan; and the 2011 India-Afghan strategic partnership agreement underlines India’s commitment to... MORE

Cover for India's Changing Afghanistan Policy: Regional and Global Implications

2012-13 Key Strategic Issues List
August 1, 2012 — Author: Dr Antulio J Echevarria II Update No. 1 and Update No. 2 to the KSIL are now available with additional topics.Unlike other lists that generally reflect issues which are operational or tactical in nature, the focus of the Key Strategic Issues List is strategic. The spotlight is, in other words, on those items that senior Army and Department... MORE

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Disjointed Ways, Disunified Means: Learning from America’s Struggle to Build an Afghan Nation
May 1, 2012 — Author: COL Lewis G Irwin Remarkably ambitious in its audacity and scope, NATO’s irregular warfare and nation-building mission in Afghanistan has struggled to meet its nonmilitary objectives by most tangible measures. Put directly, the Alliance and its partners have fallen short of achieving the results needed to create a stable, secure,... MORE

Cover for Disjointed Ways, Disunified Means: Learning from America's Struggle to Build an Afghan Nation

Op-Ed: Heading Toward the NATO Summit
April 9, 2012 — Dr. Jeffrey D. McCausland From the perspective of the Obama administration, the last NATO Summit that was held in Lisbon in November 2010 was critically important and was described as a great success in its aftermath. President Obama arrived in office with the goal of rebuilding American alliances, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)... MORE

Conflict Management and “Whole of Government”: Useful Tools for U.S. National Security Strategy?
April 1, 2012 — Authors: Dr Robert H Dorff, Dr Volker C Franke Today, America faces security challenges that are exceedingly dynamic and complex, in part because of the ever changing mix and number of actors involved and the pace with which the strategic and operational environments change. To meet these new challenges more effectively, the Obama administration... MORE

Cover for Conflict Management and "Whole of Government": Useful Tools for U.S. National Security Strategy?

Op-Ed: Weekend at Osama’s
February 6, 2012 — Dr. Cori E. Dauber Even before Osama bin Laden was killed, the Obama administration began arguing that al-Qaeda was close to final defeat because so many of its senior leaders were now dead largely as a result of drone operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But that assessment depends on an awfully narrow definition of “al-Qaeda” — and of “dead.”... MORE

Economic Transition in Afghanistan: How to Soften a Hard Landing
October 25, 2011 — Dr. Leif RosenbergerThe clock is ticking. Between now and 2014, upwards of 150,000 foreign troops and 30,000 contractors will start leaving Afghanistan. Donor aid is also declining. In the past year, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) budget has been cut in half. In other words, the war economy is unraveling.While most of the... MORE

The Afghanistan Question and the Reset in U.S.-Russian Relations
October 1, 2011 — Author: Dr Richard J Krickus The ability of the United States and Russia to cooperate in Afghanistan represents a solid test of their reset in relations. The author provides the historical background to the Afghanistan Question and assesses current events in the Afghan war with three objectives in mind: 1) To determine whether Russian-American... MORE

Real Leadership and the U.S. Army: Overcoming a Failure of Imagination to Conduct Adaptive Work

Colloquium Brief: Conflict Management: A Tool for U.S. National Security Strategy
July 6, 2011 — Ms. Mackenzie Duelge, Esq., Dr. Volker C. FrankeA Partnership Between the U.S. Army War College, and Kennesaw State UniversityKey Insights: Security and development go hand-in-hand. Especially in fragile and failing states, the military is increasingly involved in peace- and nation-building efforts. However, military involvement is reaching... MORE