Recent Publications

Governance, Identity, and Counterinsurgency: Evidence from Ramadi and Tal Afar
March 1, 2013 — Author: Dr Michael Fitzsimmons The premise of most Western thinking on counterinsurgency is that success depends on establishing a perception of legitimacy among local populations. The path to legitimacy is often seen as the improvement of governance in the form of effective and efficient administration of government and public services. However,... 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

Beyond the Battlefield: Institutional Army Transformation Following Victory in Iraq
November 1, 2012 — Author: LTC G Scott Taylor The Army goes to great lengths to capture lessons learned and preserve these lessons for current practitioners and future generations. Though the Army is one of the most self-critical organizations found in American society, a well-deserved reputation has also been earned for failing to inculcate those lessons by... MORE

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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

2012-13 Key Strategic Issues List Thumbnail

Lessons of the Iraqi De-Ba’athification Program for Iraq’s Future and the Arab Revolutions
May 1, 2012 — Author: Dr W Andrew TerrillThis monograph considers both the future of Iraq and the differences and similarities between events in Iraq and the Arab Spring states. The author analyzes the nature of Iraqi de-Ba’athification and carefully evaluates the rationales and results of actions taken by both Americans and Iraqis involved in the process. While... MORE

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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

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The Saudi-Iranian Rivalry and the Future of Middle East Security
December 1, 2011 — Author: Dr W Andrew Terrill Saudi Arabia and Iran have often behaved as serious rivals for influence in the Middle East and especially the Gulf area since at least Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War. While both nations define themselves as Islamic, the differences between their foreign policies could hardly be more... MORE

Puncturing the Counterinsurgency Myth: Britain and Irregular Warfare in the Past, Present, and Future
September 1, 2011 — Author: Dr Andrew Mumford This monograph holds that an aura of mythology has surrounded conventional academic and military perceptions of British performance in the realm of irregular warfare. It identifies 10 myths regarding British counterinsurgency performance and seeks to puncture them by critically assessing the efficacy of the British way of... MORE

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

Rebuilding Armed Forces: Learning from Iraq and Lebanon
May 1, 2011 — Author: Dr Florence Gaub Security Force Assistance becomes more and more important not only in the post-conflict reconstruction process, but also in a more general way in the foreign policy of the United States. Looking into the experience of both Iraq and Lebanon, this monograph offers useful insights for future military assistance programs and... MORE

Improvised Explosive Devices in Iraq, 2003-09: A Case of Operational Surprise and Institutional Response
April 1, 2011 — Author: Brigadier Andrew SmithSurprise is a familiar term in military writings and is enshrined in most nations’ doctrine. Surprises that emerge in tactics, however, can also operate at the strategic and operational levels and are particularly dangerous because they can test the relevance and adaptability of military forces and the "institutional"... MORE

Op-Ed: What If They Threw a War and…
February 1, 2011 — Mr. Lawrence KaplanThis is the February Op-Ed of the SSI NewsletterAs a member of the media who reported on the U.S. military in Iraq, I had numerous opportunities to measure the “gap” between the press corps and the Armed Forces. One of these came a few years ago at a grubby Italian restaurant near a military base in North Carolina, where I was... MORE