Recent Publications

Predictions, Observations, and the Free Lunch
January 1, 2011 — Author: COL Louis H Jordan Jr Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the January 2011 newsletter.Read Now MORE

Preparing for a Mid-Term Assessment of Leadership and National Security Reform in the Obama Administration
August 1, 2010 — Authors: Mr Jared E Bennett, Dr Joseph R Cerami, Dr Robert H Dorff Key Insights:• The initiatives for the extensive national security reform that is required to meet current threats will have to come from outside of the executive branch bureaucracy. This is true even though former senior members of the Project on National Security Reform are... MORE

Cover for Preparing for a Mid-Term Assessment of Leadership and National Security Reform in the Obama Administration

2010 Key Strategic Issues List (KSIL)
July 1, 2010 — 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

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

Thinking about Nuclear Power in Post-Saddam Iraq
April 1, 2010 — Author: Dr Norman Cigar Iraqis are debating the desirability of atomic power for their country. One can expect increasing Iraqi calls for a revival of the country’s nuclear capability, at least in the civilian sector, which reflects a general consensus within key sectors of Iraqi public opinion as well as a growing regional trend. The Iraqi... 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

Synchronizing U.S. Government Efforts toward Collaborative Health Care Policymaking in Iraq
March 1, 2010 — Author: LTC Thomas S Bundt A primary pillar to achieving strategic aims in Iraq is through the reestablishment of a functional healthcare system. Currently, no set corporate solution exists including all agencies pertaining to a universally acceptable strategic health policy in support of this objective. Healthcare is an elemental component of... MORE

Escalation and Intrawar Deterrence During Limited Wars in the Middle East
September 1, 2009 — Author: Dr W Andrew Terrill A central purpose of this monograph is to reexamine two earlier conflicts for insights that may be relevant for ongoing dangers during limited wars involving nations possessing chemical or biological weapons or emerging nuclear arsenals. These conflicts are the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the 1991 Gulf War. Both of these... MORE

Iraq: Strategic Reconciliation, Targeting, and Key Leader Engagement
September 1, 2009 — Author: Capt Jeanne F Hull Discussion of Key Leader Engagements (KLE) as a nonlethal option for countering insurgent organizations. Outreach to insurgent organizations through KLE can be both an economy of force measure and, in some circumstances, could be more effective than engaging insurgent organizations with lethal force. The challenge with... 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

Criminals, Militias, and Insurgents: Organized Crime in Iraq
July 1, 2009 — Author: Dr Phil Williams Dr. Williams looks in detail at major criminal activities, including the theft, diversion, and smuggling of oil, the kidnapping of both Iraqis and foreigners, extortion, car theft, and the theft and smuggling of antiquities. He also considers the critical role played by corruption in facilitating and strengthening organized... 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