Recent Publications

Precision in the Global War on Terror: Inciting Muslims through the War of Ideas
April 1, 2008 — Author: Dr Sherifa D Zuhur Never before have Americans paid so much attention to Islam and Muslim ideology. Although efforts have been made to separate mainsteam views from extremist principles, Muslims feel that many of their basic beliefs are under attack in the ongoing war of ideas. The author explores why, surveying a broad swath of accusations... MORE

AFRICOM’s Dilemma: The “Global War on Terrorism” “Capacity Building,” Humanitarianism, and the Future of U.S. Security Policy in Africa
November 1, 2007 — Author: Mr Robert G Berschinski Africa is a continent of growing economic, social, political, and geostrategic importance. The establishment of a new Combatant Command for Africa–AFRICOM–marks an important milestone in the evolution of relations between the United States and the governments of Africa. Through AFRICOM, the U.S. Department of Defense... MORE

The Military Strategy of Global Jihad
October 1, 2007 — Author: LTC Sarah E Zabel America entered the Global War on Terrorism with little understanding of the enemy it faced. Al-Qaeda is a splinter faction of militant Islamism intent on establishing its vision of strict Islamic rule in the Muslim world through armed action. Global jihadis have spent more than 40 years refining their philosophy, gaining... MORE

Turkmenistan and Central Asia after Niyazov
September 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank President Sapirmurat Niyazov, the all-powerful leader of Turkmenistan, suddenly died on December 21, 2006. Because Central Asia is a cockpit of great power rivalry and a potential theater in the Global War on Terrorism, no sooner had Niyazov died than the great powers were all in Turkmenistan seeking to influence its... MORE

Shaping Commitment: Resolving Canada’s Strategy Gap in Afghanistan and Beyond
July 1, 2007 — Author: COL D Craig Hilton Canada’s first ever National Security Policy (2004), followed by the International (Foreign) Policy Statement and Defence Policy Review (2005), has publicly articulated Canada’s principal security interests for the post-September 11, 2001, world. However, the realities of Canada’s present engagement in Afghanistan have... 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 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

A Nation at War
January 1, 2007 — Author: Prof John R Martin One of the basics of strategy is understanding the foe and the type of war in which a nation is involved. Perhaps even more basic than that is the seemingly simple requirement to understand that the nation is at war. The Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) does not fit easily into the mold of war, but that is because of too... MORE

Strategic Challenges for Counterinsurgency and the Global War on Terrorism
September 1, 2006 — Author: Dr Williamson Murray In March 2006, President George W. Bush signed a new National Security Strategy that he refers to as a “wartime national security strategy” and states that to follow the path the United States has chosen, we must “maintain and expand our national strength.” One way to do this is to study and propose solutions to the... MORE

Canadian Defense Policy–A breath of Fresh Air
July 1, 2006 — Author: Dr Alex Crowther Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the July 2006 newsletter.Read Now MORE

Value Projection and American Foreign Policy
June 1, 2006 — Author: Dr Douglas J Macdonald Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the June 2006 newsletter.Read Now MORE

The Power of Division and Unity
April 1, 2006 — 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 April 2006 newsletter.Read Now MORE