Middle East & North Africa

The Peace process, Phase One: Past Accomplishments, Future Concerns Dr Stephen C Pelletiere Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, Jordan has been the linchpin in long-standing efforts to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict. Among Arab states, Jordan has the longest border with Israel and hosts the largest number of displaced Palestinians. Until 1967, Jordan governed the principal portion of pre-1948 Palestine that remained in Arab hands after the 1948 war, namely the West Bank territory including eastern Jerusalem. Jordan lost the West Bank to Israel in 1967, and King Hussein formally severed Jordan's administrative ties to the West Bank in 1988; however, in practice, the future of Jordan and the fate of the Palestinian community have remained closely linked."

Yemen and Stability in the Persian Gulf: Confronting the Threat from Within Dr Stephen C Pelletiere Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "This study looks at Yemen, a small state which over the course of centuries has played a minor--but nonetheless important--part in the history of the Middle East. Yemen's importance derived from its strategic location. At various times great powers wishing to control the Red Sea/Indian Ocean area tried to take over Yemen."

A Theory of Fundamentalism: An Inquiry into the Origin and Development of the Movement Dr Stephen C Pelletiere Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Throughout the Middle East the fundamentalist tide is rising, and shows no sign of cresting soon. Given the extraordinary growth of fundamentalist attitudes, it is curious that in the West so much confusion exists about the movement. Western analysts seem unsure of how to deal with fundamentalism, much less capable of developing effective strategies to combat it. Their difficulty begins with a lack of awareness of the movement's origins. To understand fundamentalism, one must return to the 1970s and the period of the Cold War. The movement sprang from the clash of rightist and leftist forces; this circumstance--of being a product of the Cold War--shaped its development."

Terrorism: National Security Policy and the Home Front Dr Stephen C Pelletiere Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The recent bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma has highlighted the complexity of the phenomenon of political extremism. Until this occurred, inside the United States foreign terrorists were the focus of attention, particularly the so-called Islamic fundamentalists. Undue emphasis on the "foreign connection” can make it appear that only Middle Eastern terror is of consequence. The Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) has long resisted this approach. We view terrorism as a universal phenomenon, one that can erupt anywhere. As part of our continuing investigation of this problem, SSI held a conference last November at Georgia Tech, at which a number of terrorist-related issues were considered. The emphasis was on international terror, but the threat of domestic extremism also was examined. Included in this volume are three papers presented at the conference—two are related to international terror, while one is concerned with the domestic variety—and a concluding chapter."

Assad and the Peace Process: The Pivotal Role of Lebanon Dr Stephen C Pelletiere Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "This study considers the remarkable performance of Syria's President Hafez al Assad, who took what apparently was a bankrupt negotiating stance in the Arab-Israeli peace talks and turned it into a position of strength"

Hamas and Hizbollah: The Radical Challenge to Israel in the Occupied Territories Dr Stephen C Pelletiere Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "This study argues that Hamas and Hizbollah, the two main religious groups fighting Israel, probably are more threatening to U.S. interests than is generally believed. It discusses the various openings that the groups were able to exploit to advance themselves, and particularly how they profited from errors on the Israelis' part."

Energy and Security in Transcaucasia Dr Stephen J Blank Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "One of the world's enduring regional conflicts is in Nagorno-Karabakh. This war pits local Armenians and their cousins from Armenia against Azerbaidzhan and has enmeshed Russia, Turkey and the Western allies (France, Great Britain, and the United States) in a complex series of regional relationships. The international stakes of this war involve the control over exploration for natural gas and oil and the transhipment of these commodities from Azerbaidzhan to the West. Energy resources represent Azerbaidzhan's primary means of economic modernization and are therefore vital to its economic and political freedom."

Shari'a Law, Cult Violence and System Change in Egypt: The Dilemma Facing President Mubarak Dr Stephen C Pelletiere Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Egypt is one of the more economically deprived countries in the world. Societal stress is a major challenge. Few believe that Egypt will escape the poverty that has for so long oppressed it. For all its challenges, Egypt is of strategic importance to the United States, because of its leadership position in the Arab world. It would be extremely difficult for Washington to safeguard its interests in the Middle East without support from Cairo."

Turkey's Strategic Position at the Crossroads of World Affairs Dr Stephen J Blank, Dr William T Johnsen, Dr Stephen C Pelletiere Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "By virtue of its strategic location at the intersection of Europe and Asia, Turkey plays a pivotal role in the post-cold war system of states. It lies, one could say, at the epicenter of a series of conflicts, real and potential, in both continents. It also has enjoyed noticeable growth in both economic prosperity and democracy since 1980. And because Turkey has been, and remains, a faithful U.S. ally, Washington has called upon it to play a role in the Balkans, Near East, and former Soviet empire commensurate with its new-found political and economic development."