Recent Publications

Preventing Iraq from Slipping Back into Sectarian Chaos
May 1, 2009 — 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 May 2009 newsletter.Read Now MORE

After Iraq: The Search for a Sustainable National Security Strategy
January 1, 2009 — Author: Dr Colin S Gray A sustainable national security strategy is feasible only when directed by a sustainable national security policy. In the absence of policy guidance, strategy will be meaningless. The only policy that meets both the mandates of American culture and the challenges of the outside world is one that seeks to lead the necessary... MORE

Regional Spillover Effects of the Iraq War
December 1, 2008 — Author: Dr W Andrew Terrill The Iraq war has been one of the dominant factors influencing U.S. strategic thinking in the Middle East and globally since 2003. Yet the problems of this highly dynamic and fluid war have sometimes forced U.S. policymakers to address near-term issues that cannot be safely postponed at the expense of long-term strategic... MORE

The View from There
September 1, 2008 — Author: Dr Sherifa D Zuhur Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the September 2008 newsletter.Read Now 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 Evolution of U.S. Turkish Relations in a Transatlantic Context
April 1, 2008 — Author: Dr Frances G Burwell The relationship between Turkey and the United States is complicated because of differing core purposes and somewhat differing memberships, i.e., NATO and the European Union. Current Turkey-U.S. diplomatic and military relations are strained, but both countries recognize how vital it is to address issues of mutual... MORE

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