Recent Publications

Decisionmaking In Operation IRAQI FREEDOM: The Strategic Shift of 2007
May 1, 2010 — Author: Dr Steven Metz In this second volume of the series, Dr. Metz looks carefully at the 2007 decision to surge forces into Iraq, a choice which is generally considered to have been effective in turning the tide of the war from potential disaster to possible—perhaps probable—strategic success. Although numerous strategic decisions remain to be... MORE

Shades of CORDS in the Kush: The False Hope of “Unity of Effort” in American Counterinsurgency
April 1, 2010 — Author: Mr Henry Nuzum Counterinsurgency (COIN) requires an integrated military, political, and economic program best developed by teams that field both civilians and soldiers. These units should operate with some independence but under a coherent command. In Vietnam, after several false starts, the United States developed an effective unified... MORE

Counternarcotics Operations in Afghanistan: The COIN of the Realm
April 1, 2010 — Author: COL Louis H Jordan Jr In this Op-Ed style document, COL Louis Jordan discusses the narcotics industry in Afghanistan—calling it what it is—a commercial enterprise, which is exceedingly important because it provides strength to the insurgency while at the same time keeping the Afghan government weak by fueling instability and corruption... MORE

Transnational Insurgencies and the Escalation of Regional Conflict: Lessons for Iraq and Afghanistan
March 1, 2010 — Author: Dr Idean Salehyan Many insurgents groups benefit from sanctuaries in neighboring countries where they are relatively safe from state security forces. These transnational insurgencies complicate traditional counterinsurgency operations in significant ways. Most importantly, transnational insurgencies have the potential to spark conflicts... MORE

A Case Study in Security Sector Reform: Learning from Security Sector Reform/Building in Afghanistan (October 2002-September 2003)
November 1, 2009 — Author: Capt Jason C Howk This paper provides a case study to help explain the SSR concepts that were recently formalized in U.S. Army Field Manual 3.07, "Stability Operations Doctrine." It provides insights into how the military interacts with host-nation governments, the United Nations, the State Department, and national embassies to solve... MORE

2009 Key Strategic Issues List
July 1, 2009 — Author: Dr Antulio J Echevarria II 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 of Defense leaders should consider in providing military advice and formulating... MORE

Challenges and Opportunities for the Obama Administration in Central Asia
June 1, 2009 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank President Obama has outlined a comprehensive strategy for the war in Afghanistan which is now the central front of our campaign against Islamic terrorism. The strategy strongly connects our prosecution of that war to our policy in Pakistan and internal developments there as a necessary condition of victory. But the... MORE

American Grand Strategy after War
May 1, 2009 — Author: Dr Dallas D Owens, Mr Ionut C Popescu Academic grand strategists are very much aware of the importance of, the need for, and situational determinants of grand strategy after a change in the strategic environment, typified by a hot or cold war. The difficulty of predicting the time, importance, or response to the next “significant” period... MORE

Cultural Dimensions of Strategy and Policy
May 1, 2009 — Author: COL Jiyul Kim There has been a growing recognition in the post-Cold War era that culture has increasingly become a factor in determining the course of today’s complex and interconnected world. The U.S. experience in Afghanistan and Iraq extended this trend to national security and military operations. There is also a growing recognition by... MORE

Provincial Reconstruction Teams: How Do We Know They Work?
March 1, 2009 — Author: Dr Carter Malkasian, Dr Gerald Meyerle Over the past 6 years, provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs) have played a growing role in the U.S. counterinsurgency effort in Afghanistan. PRTs are one of several organizations working on reconstruction there, along with civilian development agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International... MORE

The American Military Advisor: Dealing with Senior Foreign Officials in the Islamic World
August 1, 2008 — Author: Mr Michael J Metrinko Although the role of the military advisor to senior foreign officials is honored in political history, it became almost a forgotten art when it was needed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Whatever the past, the American military services are now fully engaged in nation-building in the Iraqi and Afghan conflict zones, and the... MORE

The Second Berlin Wall
May 1, 2008 — Author: LTC Raymond A Millen Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the May 2008 newsletter. Read Now MORE