Strategic Opportunities: Charting New Approaches to Defense and Security Challenges in the Western Hemisphere Dr Max G Manwaring Colloquium Brief by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, Latin American and Caribbean Center, Florida International University "The major trend in the conference dialogue involved a move away from the previously dominant traditional-legal concept of national security toward a “full spectrum” of closely related nation-state, subnational, individual, and global political-military and socio-economic threats."

The International Community and Haiti: A Proposal for Cooperative Sovereignty Dr Gabriel Marcella Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "An earlier version of this commentary appeared in the Miami Herald (January 2, 2005). The reaction to that piece has been divided between approval and downright rejection. The rejection was perhaps due to the novelty of the proposal, but more probably it was the implication that Haitians, heirs to a proud legacy of liberation from the shackles of slavery, could not take care of their own affairs. Pragmatic realism, however, informs us that the value at stake here is national survival, and the issues central to the Haiti dilemma have consequences far beyond the borders of that long-suffering society."

The Rise and Fall of Empires Dr Douglas V Johnson II Colloquium Brief by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, with the Triangle Institute for Security Studies "On March 4-5, 2005, the Strategic Studies Institute and the Triangle Institute for Security Studies (TISS), (Duke University, University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University) co-hosted a conference addressing the question of whether or not the United States has become an empire and, if so, what does that mean for U.S. national security policy? The path to the answer was to examine several other “empires’” rise, limiting factors, and declines."

The Power of Division and Unity Dr Sherifa D Zuhur Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Twelve cartoons published by the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, on September 30, 2005, and reprinted in January in other European newspapers unleashed a strong reaction in the Muslim world. Wildly different conclusions were drawn from these events, as from several other important and divisive incidents that followed, including the thwarted takeover of port management by the Dubai Ports World and sectarian fighting in Iraq. Oddly, the cartoon incident might be the most significant illustration of extreme polarization, which has not yet been bridged nor fully addressed."

Afghanistan: Reconstituting a Collapsed State LTC Raymond A Millen Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In this monograph, Lieutenant Colonel Raymond A. Millen examines warlordism as the principal impediment to Afghanistan’s revival and offers a shift in strategy that addresses the war of ideas, the counternarcotics initiative, and the incorporation of the Afghan National Army into the provincial reconstruction teams. As Lieutenant Colonel Millen observes, all the resources are in place; they simply need a shift in focus. Lieutenant Colonel Millen takes into account the historical, cultural, and economic factors that impede central authority and the reforms needed for modern states. His problem-solving approach is insightful, pragmatic, and innovative."

The Transatlantic Defense Industrial Base: Restructuring Scenarios and Their Implications Dr Terrence R Guay Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Today, U.S. and European defense firms are at a crossroads. Opportunities for the construction of a transatlantic defense sector are tangible, but significant obstacles may accelerate the formation of a bipolar industrial base. While market forces played a key role in the transformation and consolidation of these sectors in recent years, political considerations are largely responsible for a restructuring process that has been almost entirely among U.S. firms in the United States and among European Union companies in Europe."

Transformation and Strategic Surprise Dr Colin S Gray Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In this monograph, Dr. Colin Gray takes a broad view of strategic surprise, and relates it to the current military transformation. He argues that the kind of strategic surprise to which the United States is most at risk and which is most damaging to our national security is the deep and pervasive connection between war and politics. Although America is usually superior at making war, it is far less superior in making peace out of war. Dr. Gray concludes that the current military transformation shows no plausible promise of helping to correct the long-standing U.S. weakness in the proper use of forces as an instrument of policy."

American Grand Strategy After 9/11: An Assessment Dr Stephen D Biddle Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Grand strategic choices are among the most important decisions senior leaders must make. Getting grand strategy right is fundamental to success in the Global War on Terrorism. This monograph assesses the grand strategic choices presented to the United States since 2001, by evaluating their ability to serve our basic national security interests in a post-September 11, 2001 (9/11), world, and by identifying implications for American policy in the coming years."

Seizing the Day: Resolution in and around the Black Sea Dr Stephen J Blank Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "President Bush’s February 2005 meeting with European and Russian leaders represented an attempt to repair relations with each of these governments, with NATO, and with the European Union (EU). While Iraq, Iran, and Israel probably were the main issues in these meetings, recent events in the Black Sea basin provide an enormous opportunity to advance a common Western agenda and even possibly to associate Russia with an extension of the realm of security in Europe."