Recent Articles

Can Russia Reform? Economic, Political, and Military Perspectives Dr Stephen J Blank Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The nature of the Russian state and the economy it superintends raise more than academic questions, for if we understand the nature of the state and its subordinated economy, we can then form an accurate vision of what Russia’s overall policy and strategy will be. We may say, euphemistically, that the beginning of wisdom in understanding Russian policy and strategy is to grasp the answers to key questions concerning the nature of its political and economic processes. In line with that approach to understanding Russia, the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) is pleased to present the first volume of papers from its annual conference on Russia conducted on September 26-27, 2011. The resulting papers go straight to the heart of the most important questions concerning the nature of the state and the possibilities for its economic reform."

Information as Power, Volume 6 Jeffrey L. Groh, Benjamin C. Leitzel, Dennis M. Murphy, and Mark A. Van Dyke Study by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "The U.S. Army War College (USAWC) is pleased to present this anthology of selected student work from Academic Year 2011 representing examples of well-written and in-depth analyses on the vital subject of Information as Power. This is the sixth volume of an effort that began in 2006. The anthology is an important component of an effort to coordinate and recommend the design, development and integration of content and courses related to the information element of power into the curriculum to prepare our students for senior leadership positions."

Maritime Stability Operations Joint and Army Stability Operations Doctrine by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute, Department of the Navy, United States Marine Corps "Marine Corps Interim Publication 3-33.02/Navy Warfare Publication 3-07/Commandant Instruction M3120.11, Maritime Stability Operations, is the initial step in the development of Naval Service (Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard) doctrine for maritime stability operations. It reflects the latest thinking of naval forces concerning stability operations and is influenced by Joint Publication 3-07, Stability Operations, and Army Field Manual 3-07, Stability Operations."

War, Law and Order, Case Study: Australian Whole-of-Government COL Marcus Fielding PKSOI Paper by US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute "This paper begins with a description of an Australian Special Forces raid in Afghanistan where civilians were killed and wounded. The subsequent White Paper prompted several questions...To answer these questions, this paper examines how the Australian Government can assist another state government to restore and maintain public security by developing capacity in its security and criminal justice sectors."

Lessons of the Iraqi De-Ba'athification Program for Iraq's Future and the Arab Revolutions Dr W Andrew Terrill Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The presence of U.S. combat troops in Iraq has now come to an end, and the lessons of that conflict for the United States and other nations will be debated for some time to come. It is now widely understood that the post-invasion policy of de-Ba’athification, as practiced, had numerous unintended consequences that made building Iraqi civil society especially difficult following the U.S.-led invasion. The U.S. approach to this policy is often assessed as having underestimated both the dangers of increased sectarianism in Iraq and the need for strong efforts to manage ethnic-sectarian divisions. The Iraqi government’s approach to de-Ba’athification was, nevertheless, much more problematic due to its openly biased and sectarian nature. However well-intentioned, de-Ba’athification originally was as a concept, in practice it had a number of serious problems. These problems intensified and became more alarming as the de-Ba’athification process became increasingly dominated by the Iraqis and American oversight over that program gradually evaporated. At that time, it came to be viewed as an instrument of revenge and collective punishment by both the Iraqis that administered de-Ba’athification and those that were targeted by these policies. "

The Role of Small States in the Post-Cold War Era: The Case of Belarus Dr Dmitry Shlapentokh Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The following conclusions are drawn from this analysis: 1. There is an emerging post-unipolar world. Now the United States is not the only global center, as it was during the first years of the post-Cold War era. Nor do just two superpowers—the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics—now define the course of global events. The new multipolarity implies the presence of several centers of power. This provides the opportunity for small states such as Belarus to move from one center of power to another or to engage in a sort of geopolitical gamesmanship. 2. During the last 10 years or so, Belarus moved from Russia to the European Union (EU) and back. At the same time, it engaged in relationships with Iran and China. While relationships with Russia and the EU have not been stable, this is not the case with China and Iran. Here, Belarus has always maintained a good relationship, especially in the case of China. This is demonstrated by the increasing role of Asia in the geopolitical arrangements of the present, and will be even more so in the future."

Ambassador Stephen Krasner's Orienting Principle for Foreign Policy (and Military Management)—Responsible Sovereignty Dr Max G Manwaring Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The principal security threats of the past several centuries—war between or among major powers—do not have the urgency they once did. Two new types of threats have been introduced into the global security arena. Violent nonstate actors and other indirect political, economic, and social causes of poverty, social exclusion, corruption, terrorism, transnational crime, the global drug problem, and gangs are a few examples of “new” threats to global security and stability. Today, even more so than in the past, the evolving concept of national security implies the protection—provided through a variety of nonmilitary and military ways and means—of the popular interests that provide for the well-being of society. This broadened definition of the contemporary security problem makes the concept so vague as to render it useless as an analytical tool. The genius of Ambassador Stephen Krasner, however, helps solve the problem."

Enabling Unity of Effort in Homeland Response Operations LTG H Steven Blum, LTC Kerry McIntyre Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Balancing authorities and responsibilities within our federal system has been a matter of continuous debate since the earliest days of the republic. Its continued relevance is exemplified in our current national conversation over how to most effectively organize and operate for homeland security and defense. Crises and catastrophic events in our homeland require Americans from different organizations, jurisdictions, and functions to work together. Yet despite considerable national effort and resources devoted to developing and improving our collective response capabilities, effectiveness in working together—unity of effort—still seems to elude us."

Peace & Stability Journal, Volume 2, Issue 3 Mister Robert C Browne Peace and Stability Journal by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute "The Joint Staff J7 teamed with the Peace Operations Policy Program at George Mason University (GMU), the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute (PKSOI), and other stakeholders to conduct a unified workshop at George Mason University, Arlington Campus, from 7-9 February 2012. The workshop provided a forum for trainers, educators, planners and practitioners from the U.S., international governmental and military organizations, international non-governmental organizations, military and civilian peace and stability training centers and academic institutions to share current challenges and best practices toward improving civilian and military teaming efforts, promoting synergy, and reducing ad hoc efforts that address interrelated challenges."