Recent Articles

Maneuvering the Islamist-Secularist Divide in the Arab World: How the United States Can Preserve its Interests and Values in an Increasingly Polarized Environment Mr Gregory Aftandilian Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "Mr. Gregory Aftandilian examines why the Islamist-secularist divide in such Arab countries as Egypt and Tunisia has become so intense and polarizing and what can be done, from the perspective of U.S. policy, to mitigate such divisions and preserve U.S. interests and values. He demonstrates that having Islamist parties in dominant positions in Arab societies often provokes a backlash from secular elements because the latter see the Islamists as threatening their social freedoms, which leads to unrest. For countries beginning the transitory process from authoritarianism to democracy, Aftandilian recommends that the United States press for a broad governing coalition and a delay in holding elections, similar to what took place in Italy and France toward the end of World War II and which aided the moderate parties. Such practices would allow secular-liberal forces the opportunity to build their political parties and compete with Islamist parties."

Distinguishing Acts of War in Cyberspace: Assessment Criteria, Policy Considerations, and Response Implications Mr Jeffrey L Caton Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "Currently, there is no internationally accepted definition of when hostile actions in cyberspace are recognized as attacks, let alone acts of war. The goal of this monograph is to provide senior policymakers, decisionmakers, military leaders, and their respective staffs with essential background on this topic as well as to introduce an analytical framework for them to utilize according to their needs. The examination canvasses existing decisionmaking policies, structures, and influences to provide a holistic context for the assessment that extends beyond limits of the legal and technical communities. Its approach focuses on the synthesis and integration of material from existing experts, deferring the detailed analysis to the many published studies."

U.S. Policy and Strategy Toward Afghanistan after 2014 Dr Larry P Goodson, Prof Thomas H Johnson Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "As the United States continues to withdraw troops from and prepares to leave Afghanistan, Afghanistan faces multifaceted and significant challenges of governance, economy, security, and regional dynamics. These are all occurring within the context of the potential for an expanded civil war when international forces leave the country. It is time to refocus from the conflict itself and ask hard, but realistic, strategic and policy questions as to the future of Afghanistan, and what role, if any, the United States should play in shaping that future."

Strategic Insights: The Dragon in the Tropics: China's Military Expansion into the Western Hemisphere José de Arimatéia da Cruz Article by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "Despite the fact that Latin America has been an area of U.S. influence since 1823 with the establishment of the Monroe Doctrine, the region has been always relegated to an afterthought by U.S. foreign policymakers. Latin America, as J. D. Gordon stated, “has largely remained a policy backwater for the United States, with America manifesting little by way of strategy toward the region, when it in fact noticed it at all.” This benign neglect posture by U.S. foreign policymakers has tremendous geopolitical and national security implications for the homeland in the 21st century."

Strategic Insights: America's Strategic Debate – And Why It Matters To The Army Dr Steven Metz Article by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "Since becoming a global superpower, the United States often adjusted its national strategy. Over time, the effectiveness of any given strategy erodes. This sparks debate about America’s appropriate role in the world, and about where, when, and why national power should be used. From the debate, a revised approach takes shape and lasts until its effectiveness fades. Then the cycle starts again."

Collins Center Update, Volume 16, Issue 3 (Summer 2014) Colonel John Valledor, John A. Bonin, Ph.D, Professor Bill Waddell, Colonel John Mauk, Mr. Sam White, Jr., CDR Ed “Cliffy” Zukowski, Professors Bernard F. Griffard, Bert B. Tussing Collins Center Update by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership

Strategic Insights: The Ukraine Crises and the Emerging Sino-Russian Political Alliance Bin Yu Article by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "The first half of 2014 witnessed a notable enhancement of Russian-Chinese relations. Signs of this visible geostrategic shift include high-profile summit meetings, breakthroughs in energy/gas deals, renewed interest in military technology cooperation, more integrated military exercises, and closer diplomatic coordination on regional issues (Syria, Iran, Korea, etc.) and multilateral forums (Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia [CICA]; Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa [BRICS]; G20; United Nations [UN]; etc.). In early May, a Chinese government think tank went as far as to propose to form a “political alliance” (政治联盟) with Russia as was sought by Russian President Vladimir Putin."

Political and Socio-Economic Change: Revolutions and Their Implications for the U.S. Military Dr John R Deni Books by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "Significant political, economic, and social change can dramatically impact the international security environment and hence U.S. security. For example, the revolutions that have unfolded across the Middle East and North Africa over the last several years have impacted American interests such as the security of Israel and the spread of democracy. Likewise, the less “revolutionary” but equally impactful changes that have unfolded across Latin America over the last 15 years have affected American interests such as free and open trade and access to reliable energy sources. In response to these changes, American leaders will wield diplomacy, development, and defense tools to safeguard U.S. interests and to fulfill broader policy objectives. Whether and how those leaders choose to wield Landpower—a critically important element of the defense toolbox—is subject to significant debate these days in light of sequestration’s continuing impact and the post-war drawdown impacting the U.S. Army in particular."

A History of the U.S. Army Officer Corps, 1900-1990 Dr Arthur T Coumbe Books by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "With the assistance of the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College, the Army’s Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis published a series of monographs that were intended to provide a theoretical and conceptual framework for the development of an Army Officer Corps Strategy. These monographs consider the creation and maintenance of a highly skilled Officer Corps in the context of the nation’s continuing commitment to an all-volunteer military, its far flung international interests, and ongoing changes in its domestic labor market. The authors of the various monographs believe that the confluence of these factors demands a comprehensive Officer Corps strategy that recognizes the interdependency of accessing, developing, retaining, and employing talent. In their view, building a talent-focused strategy around this four-activity human capital model would best enable the Army to match individual officer competencies to specific competency requirement."