Archive

Gangs, "Coups D' Streets," and the New War in Central America Dr Max G Manwaring Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "A new kind of war is being waged in Central America—and elsewhere around the world—today. The main protagonists are what have come to be called first, second, and third generation street gangs. In this war, gangs are not sending conventional military units across national borders, or supporting proxy forces in an attempt to conquer territory or bring down governments. Rather, these nonstate actors are more interested in commercial profit and controlling territory (turf) to allow maximum freedom of movement and action."

U.S. Defense Strategy After Saddam Dr Michael E O'Hanlon Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In this defense strategy and budget monograph, Michael O’Hanlon argues that America’s large defense budget cannot be pared realistically in the years ahead. But given the extreme demands of the Iraq mission, particularly on the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, he suggests how reductions in various weapons modernization programs and other economies might free up enough funds to add at least 40,000 more ground troops to today’s military. O’Hanlon also addresses the important question of how the United States might encourage and help other countries to share more of the global military burden. Finally, he sketches other cost cutting measures such as privatization. These cost saving ideas all require serious consideration because of the enormous strain being placed on the size and cost of the U.S. ground forces."

Welcome Iran and North Korea to the Nuclear Club: You're Targeted LTC Raymond A Millen Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In one of the great ironies of the post-Cold War era, the United States, the most powerful nuclear state in the world, seems fear stricken by the possibility of Iran and North Korea obtaining nuclear weapons. Two facts frame the dilemma: both states are intent on becoming nuclear powers, and neither the European Union (EU) nor China is willing to help curb their ambitions. Clearly, nonproliferation is an important policy goal, but the United States should not view leakage as a catastrophe. Rather, the proper response is a declaratory policy of nuclear deterrence directed specifically at Iran and North Korea once they become nuclear powers."

The U.S.-UK Special Relationship: Past, Present and Future Dr Douglas V Johnson II Colloquium Brief by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, with Dickinson College, and The Defence Academy of the United Kingdom "On April 11-13, 2005, the Strategic Studies Institute co-sponsored a conference on “The U.S.-UK Special Relationship: Past, Present and Future,” in cooperation with Dickinson College, and the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom at Shrivenham. The conference was followed by a wrap-up session hosted by the Royal United Services Institute in London. Conference attendees were primarily from the Defence Academy and its associated colleges and research bodies."

South Asia and the Nuclear Future: Rethinking the Causes and Consequences of Nuclear Proliferation Dr Todd S Sechser Colloquium Brief by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, The Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University "U.S. policy toward the nuclearization of India and Pakistan has shifted from sanctions and rollback to reluctant acceptance of their nuclear status. The United States now seeks to ensure that India and Pakistan become responsible nuclear powers and is emphasizing cooperative measures to prevent war, secure weapons and material from terrorist theft, and stop the further spread of nuclear weapons."

U.S.-India Security Ties Mr Brian Shoup Colloquium Brief by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, Indiana University "India, as an emerging global power, increasingly is focused on issues that transcend the traditional South Asian region. U.S. policy, though, still tends to view India and its interests through precisely such a lens. Among the most important future developments will be the “de-hyphenation” of India from the rest of South Asia, and specifically Pakistan."

Beyond The U.S. War on Terrorism: Comparing Domestic Legal Remedies to an International Dilemma Dr Dallas D Owens Colloquium Brief by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, The John Bassett Moore Society of International Law, University of Virginia School of Law "The conference program was designed to discuss international legal remedies to terrorism in terms of: (1) the importance of definitions for war and terrorism, (2) the evolution of U.S. political and legal responses to terrorism, (3) the long and rich European experience, (4) the lessons from Latin America about terrorism and the dangers of oppressive reactions, (5) the Islamic world’s role in and reaction to terrorism, and (6) the relationship between terrorism and the law of the battlefield. A panel, with members drawn from diverse backgrounds, was dedicated to each of these topics."

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."