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Pretexts for War and the Preinvasion Crisis in Ukraine
December 5, 2024 — The US strategy in the lead-up to the invasion of Ukraine undermined Russian efforts to justify the war. This monograph derives lessons about counterjustification strategy through an exhaustive study of US military, diplomatic, and informational activities during the crisis... MORE

Cover of Pretexts for War and the Preinvasion Crisis in Ukraine by
Ron Gurantz

Bargaining for Justice: Ukraine, Gaza, and the Ethics of Conflict Termination
September 23, 2024 — This book, drawing on the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, offers a unique perspective by combining insights from bargaining theory and the just-war tradition. It demonstrates how moral commitments can serve as a framework for war termination, a topic relevant to scholars, policymakers, and practitioners in international relations and conflict resolution... MORE

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The Role of America’s European Allies in the Russia-Ukraine War, 2022–24
September 19, 2024 — What more can US allies in Europe do to assist Ukraine militarily? More broadly, what can the United States expect from its closest allies in Europe in strategic competition with Russia and China? The authors assess steps Washington can take to ensure its allies fulfill their potential now and in the future... MORE

Cover for John R. Deni and Lisa A. Aronsson's monograph, "The Role of America’s European Allies in the Russia-Ukraine War, 2022–24"

Satellites in the Russia-Ukraine War
August 21, 2024 — Satellites and counterspace systems have shown themselves to be important parts of modern warfare in the Russia-Ukraine War. This monograph examines the role of space and counterspace systems in the war, the effects of satellite proliferation and commercialization, and the restrictions placed on the use of space-based capabilities to prevent escalation... MORE

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Lieutenant General Robert C. Richardson Jr.: Central Pacific Theater Army Commander for Admiral Chester W. Nimitz 1943–45
July 11, 2024 — Lieutenant General Robert C. Richardson Jr. commanded US Army Forces in Central Pacific Area and US Army Forces, Pacific Ocean Areas. He served as de facto theater Army commander to Admiral Chester W. Nimitz from August 1943 to June 1945, executing the range of what are now the Army war-fighting and Joint functions... MORE

Cover for Lieutenant General Robert C. Richardson Jr.: Central Pacific Theater Army Commander for Admiral Chester W. Nimitz 1943–45

Deterrence Gap: Avoiding War in the Taiwan Strait
January 5, 2024 — The various deterrents that used to discourage Beijing from invading Taiwan have decayed, and at the same time China’s leaders face fewer restraints than ever before. Even so, if interlocking deterrents can be developed for the short, medium, and long terms, and peace reinvigorated, war may yet be avoided... MORE

Americans and the Dragon: Lessons in Coalition Warfighting from the Boxer Uprising
May 17, 2023 — Mitchell G. Klingenberg — Monograph by the US Army War College, US Army War College Press, Strategic Studies Institute — "Drawing from archival materials at the US Army Heritage and Education Center and the United States Military Academy at West Point, numerous published primary sources, and a range of secondary sources, this monograph offers an overview of the China Relief Expedition from June 1900 to the moment of liberation in August. Its considerations range from the geopolitical to the strategic and down to the tactical levels of war. US forces partnered alongside the combined naval and land forces of multiple nations, thus constituting the first contingency, expeditionary, and multinational coalition in American military history..."... MORE

Cover for the monograph "Americans and the Dragon: Lessons in Coalition Warfighting from the Boxer Uprising"

China's Future Military Capabilities
April 26, 2023 — Roger Cliff — Monograph by the US Army War College, US Army War College Press, Strategic Studies Institute — "The 2022 National Defense Strategy of the United States of America identifies China as the “pacing challenge” for the US military. This monograph examines the process by which China’s military capabilities are developed, the capabilities China’s military is seeking to acquire in the future, and the resulting implications for the US military. To date, all the extant studies have merely described the capabilities the People’s Liberation Army is currently acquiring. This monograph goes further by drawing on the Chinese military’s publications to identify and discuss the capabilities the People’s Liberation Army seeks to acquire in the future..."... MORE

Cover for the monograph "China's Future Military Capabilities"

Coercing Fluently: The Grammar of Coercion in the Twenty-first Century
August 1, 2022 — Dr. C. Anthony Pfaff — Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press — To illustrate the logic and grammar of coercion, this analysis relies on decision-theory methods, such as game theory, that examine the strategic decision-making process in interactions with adversaries and partners. The intent here is not to offer predictive models of rational-actor behavior. Rather, the intent is to use game-theory and similar approaches to understand how coercion works better. This analysis considers competitive interactions between actors that have discrete and qualifiable, if not quantifiable, preferences and who behave rationally, though this analysis acknowledges the behavior that is considered rational is frequently informed by nonrational social, cultural, and psychological factors. Considering these competitive interactions allows one to identify “rules of thumb” that can orient and guide actors as they compete... MORE

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The Grand Strategy of Gertrude Bell: From the Arab Bureau to the Creation of Iraq
July 13, 2022 — Heather S. Gregg — Monograph by the US Army War College, US Army War College Press, Strategic Studies Institute — The remarkable life of early-twentieth-century British adventurer Gertrude Bell has been well documented through her biographies and numerous travel books. Bell’s role as a grand strategist for the British government in the Middle East during World War I and the postwar period, however, is surprisingly understudied. Investigating Gertrude Bell as both a military strategist and a grand strategist offers important insights into how Great Britain devised its military strategy in the Middle East during World War I—particularly, Britain’s efforts to work through saboteurs and secret societies to undermine the Ottoman Empire during the war and the country’s attempts to stabilize the region after the war through the creation of the modern state of Iraq. As importantly, studying the life and work of Bell offers a glimpse into how this unique woman was able to become one of the principal architects of British strategy at this time and the extraordinary set of skills and perspectives she brought to these efforts—particularly, her ability to make and maintain relationships with key individuals. Bell’s life and work offer insights into the roles women have played and continue to play as influencers of grand strategy... MORE

Cover for The Grand Strategy of Gertrude Bell: From the Arab Bureau to the Creation of Iraq