Recent Articles

Democratization and Instability in Ukraine, Georgia, and Belarus Dr Robert Nalbandov Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "This manuscript analyzes the interconnections between the democratic institutionalization of the newly independent states using the examples of Ukraine, Georgia, and Belarus, their political (in)stability, and economic development and prosperity. By introducing the concept of regime mimicry into the field of public administration, the author expands the epistemological frameworks of the democratization school to the phenomenon of political culture. Successes and failures of the democratic institutionalization processes in these countries largely depend on the ways their institutional actors reacted to internal and external disturbances of their domestic political, economic, and cultural environments. While Georgia’s political culture revealed the highest degree of flexibility in accepting the externally proposed institutional frameworks and practices, the bifurcate political culture in Ukraine impeded its democratic institutionalization, while the rigid political culture in Belarus completely stalled the process of institutional transformations."

The Growing Complexity of Sino-Indian Ties Dr Harsh V Pant Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "According to most political observers, the global political architecture is undergoing a transformation with power increasingly shifting from the West to the East, in what has been called the Asian Century. The two most populous nations on the earth, China and India, are on their way to becoming economic powerhouses and are shedding their reticence in asserting their global profiles, all of which makes their relationship of still greater importance for the international system. The future of this Asian Century will, to a large extent, depend upon the relationship between these two regional giants, and the bilateral relationship between them will define the contours of the new international political architecture in Asia and the world at large. This monograph examines the evolution of Sino-Indian ties over the last few decades and the constraints that continue to inhibit this relationship from achieving its full potential before delineating the implications of this for the United States and the wider international system"

Operational Reservations: Considerations for a Total Army Force COL John D Ellis, COL Laura McKnight Mackenzie Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "As the Army Reserve Components—the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard—assume an “operational” mission as the force drawdowns in overseas contingency operations occur, the Army senior military and civilian leadership should consider the ramifications and realities of such a mission in what is expected to be a relatively peaceful time. This monograph explores some of the considerations regarding the implementation of the Army Total Force Policy, identifies potential obstacles, and makes recommendations to better engage the “three Armies” in a successful and meaningful reform effort. Throughout, the authors call for significant cultural shifts in thinking about how the Reserve Components are used and integrated into a Total Force."

2014-15 Key Strategic Issues List Professor John F. Troxell Document by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "Today we continue to face an uncertain, complicated and rapidly changing international security environment. At the same time, the Army has been asked to rapidly draw down force levels, in light of domestic fiscal challenges. In the face of continuing international tensions and budget austerity, the Army’s greatest challenge is to provide steadfast support to worldwide operational commitments, to include Afghanistan, while simultaneously preparing a smaller force to conduct a wider array of security missions to counter present and future threats. We are committed to ensure the U.S. Army remains the most highly trained and professional land force in the world."

Op-Ed: Changing the Army's Culture of Cultural Change Leonard Wong Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "In a profession as large as the U.S. Army, trying to influence the way organizational members think about specific issues can be a vexing proposition. Certainly new systems, policies, and procedures can force changes in behavior, but often what senior decisionmakers truly desire is a shift in attitudes—a culture change across the entire Army. Recent calls for Army culture change have emerged in areas as diverse as cyber security, resilience, sexual assault, leader development, language proficiency, and even energy conservation. Interestingly, the varied attempts at changing the Army’s culture over the past years seem to follow an amazingly similar template."

Collins Center Update, Volume 16 Issues 1 & 2 Professor Alan Bourque, Colonel Scott A. Forsythe, Lieutenant Colonel Bob Scanlon, Lieutenant Colonel Ned Ritzmann, Professor B.F. Griffard, Colonel Barry Di Ruzza, Mr. Ritchie L. Dion Collins Center Update by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership

Peace & Stability Journal, Volume 4, Issue 3 Mister Robert C Browne Peace and Stability Journal by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute "Our war on poppy production in Afghanistan has complicated and slowed the prosecution of the war against the perpetrators and facilitators of the September 11 attacks, distracted attention from Afghan governance deficiencies that are drivers of the conflict, impeded economic development and the rule of law, fostered corruption, and resulted in the deaths of U.S. and Coalition forces caught up in our crusade against drugs."

Preventing and Managing Conflict in an Unstable World Paul Sangrey, Karen Finkenbinder, PKSOI Interns: Jeremy Wallace, Sarah Cassel, Nasim Fekrat, Sarah Masciola, James Pagano, Danielle Humphrey, Charles Williams Glaser, Paul Sangrey, Rachel Baras, Michael Fishman, Benjamin Brandt, Zachary Ricchuiti, Michael Bruno, Jason Kring PKSOI Paper by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute, US Army War College Press "The genesis for this anthology occurred almost two years ago. As the internship program grew, we realized that many of their projects were too good to be used only by us. We thought their ideas deserved a forum where others might also benefit from their observations. This anthology is not exhaustive. In fact, there were many more papers we would have liked to include but, alas, we had to make the cut somewhere. These papers were written between 2010 and 2012."

Russian Military Transformation - Goal In Sight? Mr Keir Giles, Dr Andrew Monaghan Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "The questionable performance of the Russian armed forces in the conflict in Georgia in 2008 provided the impetus for a program of far-reaching reform in the Russian military. The progress of this reform has been the subject of intensive study, including in a number of monographs issued by the Strategic Studies Institute. But as Mr. Keir Giles and Dr. Andrew Monaghan describe in this Paper, the most recent phase of military transformation in Russia allows conclusions to be drawn about the final shape of the Russian military once the process is complete—and about the range of threats, some of them unrecognizable to us, that is guiding that process."