Monographs

U.S. Military Engagement with Transcaucasia and Central Asia Dr Stephen J Blank Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The United States has adapted a strategy of engaging and enlarging the democratic community of states. Transcaucasia and Central Asia have become important testing grounds of this strategy, by virtue of their strategic location adjacent to Russia, the Middle East, and Europe’s periphery, and their large-scale oil and natural gas deposits."

The PLA and the Kosovo Conflict Dr June Teufel-Dreyer Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The U.S. armed forces are not the only military that has sought to discern the lessons of the Kosovo campaign in the spring of 1999. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has also analyzed the conflict and drawn its own conclusions. In fact, as Dr. June Teufel Dreyer, Professor of Political Science at the University of Miami in Florida, observes, rather than reach a single set of conclusions, different groups within the Chinese military drew different judgments. Dr. Dreyer argues that these differences of opinion reflect the considerable diversity of thinking about defense modernization and future war that exists within the PLA today. The analysis that follows therefore provides an opportunity for readers to learn about the different strands in Chinese strategic thinking as that country enters the 21st century."

Armed Conflict in the 21st Century: The Information Revolution and Post-Modern Warfare Dr Steven Metz Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In this monograph, Dr. Steven Metz, who was one of the earliest analysts of the strategic dimension of the revolution in military affairs, suggests that official thinking within the U.S. military may be too narrow. The information revolution, he contends, will have far-reaching strategic effects. The transformation it brings will not only be technological, but political, social, ethical and strategic as well."

European Security: Washington's Shaping Strategy in Action Dr Stephen J Blank, Dr William T Johnsen, Dr Thomas-Durell Young Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Notwithstanding the claims of some in the United States, European affairs continue to dominate U.S. foreign policy and strategic thinking. The end of the Cold War has not seen any blurring of the focus of U.S. officials on European affairs. Managing the implications of the break-up of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, the seemingly never-ending conflicts in the Balkans, encouraging the growth of Western norms and institutions in Central and Eastern Europe, and expanding and reforming the North Atlantic Alliance are just some of the issues that require firm and consistent U.S. leadership."

The United States and Latin America: Shaping an Elusive Future Dr Donald E Schulz Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Developing a U.S. national security strategy for Latin America is a daunting task in an era of scarce resources. Yet, it is important at this historical juncture that the effort be undertaken. The demise of the Cold War has produced not an “End of History” but a “New World Disorder,” which may well become more tumultuous in the decades ahead. Thus, it is crucial at this turn of the millennium to reconsider the prospects for regional security, the challenges that both new and old dangers may pose to U.S. interests, and the kind of strategy and policies that might enable the United States to both better cope with current problems and head off those that are just over the horizon."

The United States and Colombia: Untying the Gordian Knot AMB David Passage Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Twenty-five years after the end of the Vietnam War, the ghost of that war still haunts decisionmakers when it comes to making long-term commitments to situations that remotely resemble anything like our Indochina experience. That is the case with Colombia, which is embroiled in an internecine struggle with two guerrilla movements, bent on overthrowing the government, as well as with narcotraffickers and paramilitary forces."

Asia-Pacific Security: China's Conditional Multilateralism and Great Power Entente Dr Jing-dong Yuan Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "This monograph provides an analysis of the People’s Republic of China’s evaluation of multilateralism and its place in Chinese foreign relations in the Asia-Pacific region. In contrast to conventional scholarly wisdom, the author, Dr. Jing-dong Yuan, contends that China is not opposed to multilateral approaches. In fact, Dr. Yuan asserts that China has adopted an approach he dubs 'conditional multilateralism.' "

Army Professionalism, the Military Ethic, and Officership in the 21st Century Major John A Nagl, COL Tony Pfaff, Dr Don M Snider Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "On January 25, 1999, a tall, ramrod-straight young combat-arms officer serving in Bosnia with the 1st Armored Division told the about-to-graduate cadets at West Point, “I tell my men every day there is nothing there worth one of them dying for.” It was a startling admission to the cadets who were in the midst of a series of classes on the professional military ethic; the lieutenant’s admission was utterly contradictory to what they had been studying."

The Fog of Peace: Finding the End-State of Hostilities Mr Manfred K Rotermund Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Modern hostilities feature military action as an adjunct to diplomacy or as an active tool of diplomacy. The task of achieving peace after such hostilities is perhaps more difficult than it was in the past. Diplomatic considerations often place many players at both the war and peace tables, or at least in the room. Then there is the very question of what the constituents of peace may be. Experience teaches us that the end of hostilities is not peace. At the end of this monograph, I suggest that the peace achieved in Europe after World War II still has many fragile elements to it. My contention is that peace can come only after the salience of pre-hostility ideologies, desires, and tendencies has been minimized. This applies to both conventional wars and military operations other than war that bring intervention from the United States, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), United Nations (U.N.), or other groups."