Middle East & North Africa

Strategic Insights: ISIS in Libya: A Threat or a Dead-End? Dr Azeem Ibrahim Article by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "Prior to 1912, Libya was a province within the Ottoman Empire and subdivided into two regions (Tripolitania in the west and Cyrenaica in the east) reflecting a long-standing ethnic and geographic division in the country. Although not administered separately, the large region reaching south into the Sahara had a different ethnic make-up compared to the rest of the country and was more connected to sub-Saharan Africa than to the Mediterranean. Ottoman control in the south was limited to a few towns, which gave them some oversight of the trade routes; but by the start of the 20th century, Ottoman authority was notional rather than effective in this region."

Strategic Insights: ISIS in Libya: A Threat or a Dead-End? Azeem Ibrahim Article by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "Prior to 1912, Libya was a province within the Ottoman Empire and subdivided into two regions (Tripolitania in the west and Cyrenaica in the east) reflecting a long-standing ethnic and geographic division in the country. Although not administered separately, the large region reaching south into the Sahara had a different ethnic make-up compared to the rest of the country and was more connected to sub-Saharan Africa than to the Mediterranean. Ottoman control in the south was limited to a few towns, which gave them some oversight of the trade routes; but by the start of the 20th century, Ottoman authority was notional rather than effective in this region."

A Security Role for the United States in a Post-ISIS Syria? Mr Gregory Aftandilian Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "SYRIA has become one of the most vexing and complex problems for U.S. strategic planners in recent times. Currently, the United States has about 2,000 troops in the northeastern part of the country whose primary mission has been to aid the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), made up primarily of Kurds and some Arab tribesmen, to fight ISIS..."

Strategic Insights: After the Smoke Clears in Syria: Dilemmas for U.S. Strategy Remain Dr Christopher J Bolan Article by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press

Strategic Insights: The Assad Regime and Chemical Weapons Dr Robert J Bunker Article by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press

21st-Century Challenges of Command: A View from the Field Dr Anna Simons Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "Among lessons said to have been learned over the past decade and a half is that the United States should never again use force absent a coherent strategy. Yet, no matter how necessary a coherent strategy is, it will prove insufficient unless the problem of too many competing hierarchies is likewise addressed. A second complicating challenge for those in 21st-century command is churn: churn of personnel, of units, and of responsibility. Without there being a commanding general, a supreme commander, or some “one” individual placed in charge for the duration, decisive results will remain elusive."

Can Egypt Lead the Arab World Again? Assessing Opportunities and Challenges for U.S. Policy Mr Gregory Aftandilian Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "This monograph’s research, completed in August 2016, analyzes the potential for Egypt to resume an Arab leadership role that has been in abeyance for several years because of its turbulent domestic scene. The monograph also assesses whether or not such a role would be beneficial for U.S. policy. Although there has been a change in U.S. leadership since then, the situation in Egypt has remained the same."

The Turning Point for Russian Foreign Policy Mr Keir Giles Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "This Letort Paper examines the background to Russia’s use of military force in Ukraine in 2014 and Syria in 2015, and investigates the roots of Russia’s new assertiveness and willingness to resort to direct military action to resolve foreign policy challenges. This Letort Paper identifies two long-standing trends that led to this increased willingness: first, a greater and more urgent perception of threat, whether real or imagined, to Russia’s own security; and second, a recognition that Russia itself had regained sufficient strength, military and otherwise, to assert itself and counter this threat."

Strategic Insights: Strategic Questions Loom Large for President Trump in the Middle East LTC Anthony Abbott, Mr Kenneth Michael Absher, COL Gregory A Adams, Dr Christopher J Bolan Article by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press