Middle East & North Africa

Civil Military Operations: Afghanistan Professor William J Flavin Peacekeeping Institute Publication by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute "The U.S. Army Peacekeeping Institute (PKI), located at the U.S. Army War College, has previously conducted studies of Civil Military Operations (CMO) in U.S. military engagements abroad. Based on comments from various levels of command engaged in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, PKI felt that the one-year mark was the proper time to do an assessment of CMO there. Most participants would be completing tours and have the time and perspective to reflect on their experiences."

The United States and Iraq's Shi'ite Clergy: Partners or Adversaries? Dr W Andrew Terrill Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The U.S. military presence in Iraq is currently in a transitional phase. Either the anti-U.S. insurgency will be brought under control and security will be provided to those forces involved in nation-building; or the insurgency will expand, and U.S. goals in Iraq will be undermined by increasing civil unrest. It is imperative that the former objective be accomplished while the later fate be avoided. To ensure this outcome, U.S. policymakers must understand the internal dynamics of Iraq, including the role of Iraq’s Shi’ite clerics."

Checking Iran's Nuclear Ambitions Mr Patrick Clawson, Mr Henry D Sokolski Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, commissioned by Nonproliferation Policy Education Center (NPEC) "Considering the latest Iranian nuclear developments, one might question whether a study now on how best to restrain Tehran is simply one that’s come too late. To be sure, estimates vary as to when Iran could build its fi rst bomb. Some believe Tehran could do it before the end of 2005; others think Iran would only be able to do so by the end of the decade. In either case, though, the die seems cast: If Iran wants, it has all that it needs eventually to build a bomb on its own. Certainly, trying to deny Iran further nuclear technology in the hopes that this will prevent it from getting nuclear weapons is no longer a credible strategy."

Security Transformation Dr Steven Metz Colloquium Brief by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, The Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, The Eisenhower Conference Series "For the past 5 years, the United States has sought to transform its defense capabilities to reflect ongoing changes in technology, management techniques, the American political and economic landscapes, and the global security environment. The terrorist attacks of September 2001 and the ensuing Global War on Terrorism provided stark and tragic reminders of the need for such an adjustment. With American military forces engaged around the world in both combat and stabilization operations, the need for rigorous and critical analysis of security transformation has never been greater."

Reporters on the Ground: The Military and the Media's Experience During Operation Iraqi Freedom Prof Michael J Pasquarett Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "During the planning for Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), the Department of Defense (DoD) developed an embedded media program that planned for large numbers of embedded reporters throughout military units. Unlike Vietnam in the 1970s, this program resulted in television reporting from within Iraq, especially from those reporters embedded with front-line units, almost instantaneously. The speed that these reports made it on the air often outpaced the military’s communication channels. Although it gave the American citizens an immediate close up report of what their armed forces were doing, it handicapped media analysts and stateside reporters in their ability to put the raw reporting from the field into a larger context. Conversely, those TV journalists supplying these spectacular reports and engrossing pictures from the front line were also handicapped in that they were reporting in a vacuum, unable themselves to obtain any kind of perspective or context."

What should be Believed about Progress in Iraq? Prof John R Martin Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Reading the newspaper, watching the news or listening to it on the radio, one is led to believe that little or nothing is going right in Iraq. Headlines tell of the combat deaths of soldiers; Iraqis ungrateful and impatient for costly reconstruction efforts; and the failure to find Saddam, his weapons of mass destruction, or evidence of ties to al Qaeda. It seems that the 'quagmire' of 'another Vietnam' is just around the corner. At the opposite extreme are some of the reports coming from the Department of Defense. In an effort to counter the bad image generated from the news reports, they too often insist that all is going according to plan, and that the trends are in the right direction."

The Need for a United Nations' Security Role in Iraq Dr W Andrew Terrill Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In the aftermath of the U.S. intervention in Iraq, some unilateralists daydreamed about a decline or even collapse of the United Nations' role in helping provide for global security. Force had been used without the blessing of a second Security Council Resolution, and the new concept of a “coalition of the willing” seemed to offer promise in maximizing U.S. latitude for dealing with international problems. The UN had become unnecessary, and enemies of that institution saw the death throes of Saddam Hussein’s regime as fatal to the UN’s continued existence or at least relevance."

Assessing the Impact of U.S.-Israeli Relations on the Arab World Dr Lenore G Martin Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In this important monograph, Dr. Lenore Martin of Emmanuel College addresses the challenge that U.S. policymakers face in managing relations with numerous regional allies, including Israel and a host of moderate Arab states. These states often maintain differing concerns and are responding to diverse domestic and international pressures when they seek to influence the United States. These regional concerns and interests are thoroughly analyzed throughout this monograph. Additionally, the special importance of the Palestinian question is well-represented, with nuances of regional opinion carefully reflected."

Why They Fight: Combat Motivation in the Iraq War COL Thomas A Kolditz, LTC Raymond A Millen, COL Terrence M Potter, Dr Leonard Wong Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Since World War II, studies have argued and conventional wisdom has claimed that soldiers fight for each other. Cohesion, or the bonds between soldiers, traditionally has been posited as the primary motivation for soldiers in combat. Recent studies, however, have questioned the effects of cohesion on unit performance. This monograph reviews the combat motivation literature and then analyzes findings from interviews conducted during the recent Iraq War."