Issue Papers

BRIC in the Backyard: Brazil's Economic Rise and What it Means for the United States COL James K Rose Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "In today’s increasing globalized world there are several rapidly emerging market success stories that many economic and financial analysts are watching with great anticipation. Brazil is one of these of these geo-political risers and it is perhaps the most underestimated of the so-called BRIC countries. The term BRIC was coined by Jim O’Neill from the Wall Street giant Goldman-Sachs in 2003 and refers to the up and coming economic powerhouse nations around the globe and includes Brazil, Russia, India and China. The story behind Brazil’s economic growth is a remarkable tale and has multiple strategic implications for the United States as the two countries struggle to define their future bilateral relationship. The question of what Brazil’s rise means for the United States and what are the security implications for the hemisphere are significant."

The Causes and Implications of the 2008 Financial Crisis COL Robert D Bradford III Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "The financial crisis of 2008 shocked markets and led to a global recession. Failure of the financial markets caused economies to shrink resulting in hardship and loss around the world. In our modern connected world, few nations escaped the consequences of the crisis. This huge financial crisis diminished the economic strength of our nation, with significant implications for our national defense. This paper will address competing views of the causes of the crisis, and will discuss some of its potential impacts, including its impact on U.S. national security."

Is Brazil Actually Ready to be a World Economic Power? COL Vance F Stewart III Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Brazil, a large and populous country, is blessed with an abundance of natural resources and long-standing ties and traditions to Europe; it is seen as a leader among the nations of the South American continent. Brazil’s ascendancy into the world’s diplomatic and economic leadership circles has been fueled by an amazing ten-year span of economic growth, backed by sound government budgeting and responsible social programs to improve its citizens’ quality of life. It is worth examining though, to ensure that this success has laid a foundation for continued, sustained growth or will it represent a brief moment of glory; with Brazil destined to lapse back into the mediocrity of a developing nation, saddled by crushing poverty, unequal income distribution, crime, and corruption? The question remains, is Brazil actually ready to be a world economic leader? In order to answer the question, this paper will review Brazil’s growth over the past ten years, examine relevant economic indicators, and analyze problem areas that may inhibit or derail future, sustainable progress."

Environmental Security in Botswana Mr Brent C Bankus Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "The continent of Africa is important to U.S. national security interests. Long known for its influence over critical choke points and sea lines of communication, Africa is increasingly known as a land of vast stretches of under-governed spaces, burgeoning terrorist groups, world-class deposits of strategic minerals and petroleum, and the continent most affected by climate change. It is also known for high population growth rates and troubled governments struggling to maintain legitimacy. Many of the challenges to these governments originate with environmental change and a resource base eroded by high population growth rates, bad governmental policy, and environmental degradation. To maintain legitimacy, and preserve political stability, governments must satisfy demands placed on the political system by the population. In Africa, state security increasingly depends upon human security. One country in southern Africa that has succeeded in addressing this paradigm with a whole of government concept is dry and landlocked Botswana."

Strategic Minerals: Is China's Consumption a Threat to United States Security? Mr Brent C Bankus, Dr Kent H Butts, LT Adam Norris Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "The vitality of a powerful nation depends upon its ability to secure access to the strategic resources necessary to sustain its economy and produce effective weapons for defense. This is especially true for the world’s two largest economies, those of the United States and China, which are similarly import dependent for around half of their petroleum imports and large quantities of their strategic minerals. Because China’s economy and resource import dependence continue to grow at a high rate it has adopted a geopolitical strategy to secure strategic resources. China’s resulting role in the mineral trade has increased Western security community concern over strategic minerals to its highest point since the end of the Cold War. "

Assessing the Strategic Environment: Developing Critical Thinking Skills at the Ethiopian Defense Command and Staff College Prof Bernard F Griffard Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "A government’s failure to understand the impact of global variables on the domestic environment can result in major destabilizing events. Emperor Tewodros II of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) learned this lesson the hard way. In 1862, after a snub by the British Government, the Emperor took the British Consul and other Europeans hostage to pressure the Crown to meet his request for equipment and training support. Being a somewhat impatient ruler, he also detained the British delegation sent to negotiate the initial hostages’ release. Because Britain’s ruling Liberal Party was reluctant to engage in “imperial adventures,” the hostages were still in loco Abyssinia into 1867."

Examining Military Governance as a Part of Professional Military Education Mr Brent C Bankus, Ms Lorelei E W Coplen, Prof James O Kievit Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "After the capture of Baghdad in 2003, the expectation was that an Iraqi entity would quickly step forward to begin to fill the role of government in the territory formerly ruled by Saddam Hussein. Instead, there was a power vacuum which the United States – and in particular the United States military – had to fill. Similarly, in Afghanistan, despite the relatively quick identification of Hamid Karzai as the “designated” national leader, it also became clear that the new national government lacked many of the essential capabilities required to actually implement good governance. Again, despite the clear preference of many of today’s military officers to have some other entity (whether of the U.S. government, the United Nations, or even non-government private contractors) be responsible for doing so, that responsibility initially fell largely, if not exclusively, on U.S. military commanders. Even though the U.S. military, especially the U.S. Army, has had a long history of military governance activities, many of those commanders felt unprepared and/or that it was 'not really my job.'"

Developing a Diplomatic Corps that is Second-to-None Mr Samuel R White Jr Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "The 2010 National Security Strategy (NSS) marked a change in emphasis in United States foreign policy direction after more than a decade of continuous military engagement in Afghanistan and Iraq. Global operations against violent extremist groups and entrenched and pervasive terror networks moved policy emphasis toward traditional” hard power” levers – primarily military and economic coercion. Though these elements have dominated U.S. efforts since 9/11, the current NSS implements foreign policy across a wider range of engagement options, balanced between appropriate measures of hard and soft power – coined “smart power” by Joseph Nye."

Climate Change, Adaptation and Security in Central America and the Caribbean Dr Kent H Butts, Ms Marcela Ramirez Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Secretary of State Clinton began her term as the United States Secretary of State by calling for a U.S. foreign policy led by Diplomacy, Development and Defense. Success in applying this concept has been quickly realized at the regional level where cooperation between the Department of State (DOS), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Combatant Commands has been ongoing, particularly in the area of environmental security. United Nations data showing the link between resources and environmental issues and conflict are well known to regional economic and security organizations; but so too, is the potential for resource scarcity and environmental change to create opportunities for confidence building measures and multilateral cooperation that builds host nation capacities. Today, with its impact on water and food security and governmental legitimacy, climate change adaptation has emerged as a leading regional security issue and major concern to regional governments and their populations."