Recent Publications

Development and Reform of the Iraqi Police Forces
January 1, 2008 — Author: COL Tony Pfaff Despite 4 years of millions of dollars in aid, equipment, education, and advisors, Iraqi police force development lags far behind the military. Numerous reasons are offered to account for this gap: corrupt practices left over from the previous regime, infiltration by militias, weak leadership, competition by better armed and... MORE

Negotiation in the New Strategic Environment: Lessons from Iraq
August 1, 2007 — Author: Mr David M Tressler In stability, security, transition, and reconstruction (SSTR) operations like the U.S. mission in Iraq, negotiation is a common activity. The success or failure of the thousands of negotiations taking place daily between U.S. military officers and local civilian and military leaders in Iraq affects tactical and... MORE

2007 Key Strategic Issues List (KSIL)
July 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Antulio J Echevarria II Today our nation faces several major challenges, ranging in type from the conflict in Iraq to changes in force size and structure. These challenges may be more significant than any the United States has faced in more than a decade. With the publication of the 2007 KSIL, the Strategic Studies Institute and the U.S... MORE

Rethinking Insurgency
June 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Steven Metz The U.S. military and national security community lost interest in insurgency after the end of the Cold War when other defense issues such as multinational peacekeeping and transformation seemed more pressing. With the onset of the Global War on Terror in 2001 and the ensuing involvement of the U.S. military in... MORE

The Missing Debate
March 1, 2007 — Author: Prof John R Martin, Dr Gordon Rudd Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the March 2007 newsletter.Read Now MORE

The Iraq War: Learning from the Past, Adapting to the Present, and Planning for the Future
February 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Thomas R Mockaitis Taking full account of the factors beyond the control of the U.S. military and avoiding glib comparisons with Vietnam, the author examines how the American approach to the war in Iraq has affected operations there. He also draws on the experience of other nations, particularly the United Kingdom, to identify broad... MORE

In Defense of Rational Risk Assessment
February 1, 2007 — Author: Mr Nathan P Freier Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the February 2007 newsletter.Read Now MORE

The Other Special Relationship: The United States and Australia at the Start of the 21st Century
February 1, 2007 — Authors: Dr Jeffrey D McCausland, Dr Douglas Stuart, Prof William T Tow, Prof Michael Wesley This volume summarizes the major findings of the conference participants over the last year. Beyond the thematic resemblance between this volume and the previous study of U.S.-UK relations,another similarity is the importance of two events in determining... MORE

Negotiating with Iran and Syria over Iraq
January 1, 2007 — Author: Dr W Andrew Terrill Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the January 2007 newsletter.Read Now MORE

Learning from Iraq: Counterinsurgency in American Strategy
January 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Steven Metz While the involvement of the United States in counterinsurgency has a long history, it had faded in importance in the years following the end of the Cold War. When American forces first confronted it in Iraq, they were not fully prepared. Since then, the U.S. military and other government agencies have expended much effort to... MORE

Iraq, Women’s Empowerment and Public Policy
December 1, 2006 — Author: Dr Sherifa D Zuhur The role and experience of women is not always considered in wartime or during stabilization and reconstruction operations. In Iraq, it is essential to consider women’s needs and the obstacles they now face. The author examines some of the difficulties that attend policy formulation on Iraqi women, who have identified the... MORE

Iraqi Security Forces and Lessons from Korea
December 1, 2006 — Author: Dr Sheila Miyoshi Jager Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the December 2006 newsletter.Read Now MORE