Europe & Russia

Peace & Stability Journal, Volume 4, Issue 4 Mister Robert C Browne Peace and Stability Journal by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute "While the discourse of American military efforts in the 21st-century has been dominated by the nature of counterinsurgency operations and urban warfare, perhaps its most salient output has been a renewed understanding of the importance of ‘whole of government’ approaches to future Army operations. Leveraging the collective capabilities of all elements of national power towards the accomplishment of over-arching political objectives is, therefore, critical to the rapid cessation of hostilities and the subsequent winning of the peace..."

Russia's Contribution as a Partner in the War on Terrorism Mr Henry Plater-Zyberk Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "Written before the Sochi Games, this monograph by Henry Plater-Zyberk explores the Russian approach to counterterrorism, and draws significant conclusions on the prospects for common cause with Russia in fighting terror. Cooperation with Russia in this field is possible and would provide significant benefits, but requires deep understanding of unique Russian concepts and constraints, and the specific nature of the terror threat perceived by Russia. "

European Missile Defense and Russia Mr Keir Giles, Dr Andrew Monaghan Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "In this monograph, Mr. Keir Giles, a British academic and long-term scholar of Russia, examines the history of missile defense, and the current dialogue, from a Russian perspective in order to explain the root causes of Russian alarm. He presents specific recommendations for managing the Russia relationship in the context of missile defense. Important conclusions are also drawn for the purpose of managing the dialogue over missile defense plans not only with Russia as an opponent, but also with European North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies as partners and hosts. The latter are especially significant in the light of these partners’ heightened hard security concerns following Russian annexation of Crimea and continuing hostile moves against Ukraine."

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."

Islamism and Security in Bosnia-Herzegovina Ms Leslie S Lebl Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "Bosnia-Herzegovina, once thought to be on the way to joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU), is instead falling behind, mired in political bickering, economic stalemate, and governmental dysfunction. In this difficult situation, Islamism poses a significant threat to Bosnia’s fragile domestic stability. Although the levels of Islamist terrorism and separatist movements are comparable to those elsewhere in Europe, they are particularly troublesome in Bosnia for two reasons. First, senior political and religious Bosniak (Muslim) leaders have long-standing ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamist terrorism, including al-Qaeda and Iran, that they are very reluctant to abandon. Second, Islamism contributes significantly to Bosnia’s dysfunction as a country. Calls to re-impose traditional Islamic law, or sharia, arouse opposition from Bosnian Serbs and Croats, as does the nostalgia for the Ottoman Empire and Islamic Caliphate shared by key Bosniak leaders, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the Turkish government. "

Russia After Putin Dr Richard J Krickus Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "As the United States reassesses relations with Russia and develops doctrine that addresses a turbulent security environment, Dr. Richard J. Krickus addresses a brace of pivotal questions that have a bearing on the future of Vladimir Putin and his Power Vertical. Are Putin’s days numbered as many Russian watchers predict and what will Russia look like after he leaves the Kremlin? Toward this end, Krickus assesses four plausible scenarios. They include first, Status Quo, depicting the major geo-political features of Russia today; second, Stalin Lite that embraces most of the characteristics of a police state; third, The Western Path to Development that reflects pluralistic phenomenon associated with a “normal” European country; and fourth, Russia in Chaos, an outcome that anticipates the virtual disintegration of Russia as we know it today."

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."

SOLLIMS Sampler - Overcoming "Challenges & Spoilers" with "Unity & Resolve" Mister David A Mosinski PKSOI SOLLIMS Sampler by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute "Overcoming “challenges and spoilers” within conflict-affected nations is a demanding endeavor. Stability operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippines, and multiple nations of Africa have shown that bringing lasting peace/stability to troubled nations – plagued by warlords, extremists, and paramilitaries – is never easy. These have proven to be highly complex operations requiring an extensive understanding of the environment, an extensive understanding of the “challenges and spoilers” within the environment, and an extensive understanding of their connections to 3rd party nations/states/actors."

Augmenting Our Influence: Alliance Revitalization and Partner Development Dr John R Deni Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "The United States prefers to fight in coalitions, and has made this clear in both word and deed. Most of the key American national security or defense strategies, such as the Quadrennial Defense Review report or the National Security Strategy, of the last decade or more note this fact. In practice, the United States worked diligently and tirelessly to construct and maintain coalitions of the willing in both Iraq and Afghanistan. American political and military leaders did this—and will continue to do this for future conflicts—because coalition allies provide both political legitimacy at home and abroad for broad national security policies and specific military operations, and because coalition partners help to shoulder security burdens..."