Recent Articles

Cyber Infrastructure Protection: Vol. II Dr Vincent Boudreau, COL Louis H Jordan Jr, Dr Tarek N Saadawi Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "There is a relentless struggle taking place in the cybersphere as government and business spend billions attempting to secure sophisticated network and computer systems. Cyber attackers are able to introduce new viruses, worms, and bots capable of defeating many of our efforts. The U.S. Government has set a goal of modernizing the nation’s energy grid. A cyber attack on our energy grid could cut off service to large areas of the country. Government, business, and academia must therefore work together to understand the threat and develop various modes of fighting cyber attacks, and to establish and enhance a framework for deep analysis for this multidimensional issue."

Return of the Balkans: Challenges to European Integration and U.S. Disengagement Mr Janusz Bugajski Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "This Letort Paper assesses the prospects for further turbulence and conflict in the Western Balkans and weighs the implications for U.S. policy and for potential future military engagement. Although the region has slipped off the American radar screen in recent years, several unresolved disputes have the potential of escalating. This Paper systematically describes numerous causes of domestic and regional tensions and outlines a number of conflict scenarios."

The Challenge of Drug Trafficking to Democratic Governance and Human Security in West Africa Mr David E Brown Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "...Mr. Brown’s Letort Paper describes how West Africa is under attack from international criminal networks that are using the subregion as a key global hub for the distribution, wholesale, and increasing production of illicit drugs, most prominently cocaine, but also heroin and amphetamines and their precursors. While West African states have made remarkable progress in democratic and economic development over the past decade, the insidious effects of narcotics trafficking have the potential to reverse many of these gains..."

War and Insurgency in the Western Sahara Geoffrey Jensen Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "At a crucial crossroads between Africa and Europe, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, and the “Arab World” and the West, Morocco has long had a special place in U.S. diplomacy and strategic planning. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Morocco’s importance to the United States has only risen, and the more recent uncertainties of the Arab Spring and Islamist extremism in Africa have further increased the strategic value and operational relevance of the Moroccan-American alliance. Yet, one of the pillars of the legitimacy of the Moroccan monarchy, its claim to Western Sahara, remains a point of violent contention..."

Peace & Stability Journal, Volume 3, Issue 3 Mister Robert C Browne Peace and Stability Journal by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute "The Stability Operations Training and Education Workshop reflects the efforts and dedication from the community of interest focused on ensuring the necessary emphasis and discussion occurs in regard to Peacekeeping, Stability Operations and emerging exercises. These efforts will ensure that, as a group, we will continue to place the resources, time and energy towards Peacekeeping and Stability Operations and the associated exercises to further the discussion, educate and promulgate the ideas, concepts and principles that allow us to work in synergy on furthering the knowledge and efforts in Peacekeeping, and Stability Operations. Many organizations participated. A list of these organizations and their principal points of contact are located at the end of this article."

SOLLIMS Sampler - Leadership in Stability Operations: Understanding / Engaging the People Mister David A Mosinski PKSOI SOLLIMS Sampler by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute " 'Understanding / engaging the people' is a vital component of leadership during stability operations. Cultural understanding facilitates informed decision-making. It provides a key baseline of knowledge / awareness for U.S. and international leaders (civilian and military) to successfully operate in the environment of the host nation. Identifying societal groups and networks, and then communicating with, negotiating with, influencing, advising, mentoring, etc. the various groups and their leaders are common – if not essential – engagement activities for U.S. and international leaders during the course of stability operations."

Egypt's New Regime and the Future of the U.S.-Egyptian Strategic Relationship Mr Gregory Aftandilian Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "This monograph, completed in August 2012, analyzes the developments in Egypt from January 2011 to August 2012 and addresses the following questions that are pertinent to U.S. policymakers: How does the United States maintain good relations and preserve its strategic partnership with Egypt under Cairo’s new political leadership and the changing political environment in the country? How does it do so while adhering to American values such as supporting democracy even when those coming to power do not share U.S. strategic goals? The monograph first examines Egypt’s strategic importance for the United States by exploring Egypt’s role in the Arab-Israeli peace process, its geographical role (providing air and naval access) for U.S. military assets heading to the Persian Gulf, and joint training programs. With so much at stake in the Middle East, “losing” Egypt as a strategic ally would be a significant setback for the United States."

Making Strategic Sense of Cyber Power: Why the Sky Is Not Falling Dr Colin S Gray Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "Generically viewed, the challenge that cyber power poses to our understanding is a familiar one. After all, within living memory (just about) we have had to try and make sense of air power, and then, a generation later, of nuclear weapons and their possible delivery by ballistic missiles. What unites our experience with air power, nuclear weapons, and now cyber, is the authority of strategic explanation conveyed in the general theory of strategy—Carl von Clausewitz’s rules, even though he was ignorant of hydrogen fusion weapons and of networked digital compute."

A Reference Guide for Interpreting Statistics and Creating Survey Questions Hai Do, Doctor Karen J. Finkenbinder PKSOI Paper by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute, US Army War College Press "The guide is designed for one that is not enamored with statistics but needs to know enough to accurately interpret an academic article or other statistical information. Further, it includes a brief “how to” section on designing survey questions. For some, this information will be just a review; for others, it will be new information. Regardless of which camp you are in, we hope you find it useful."