Monographs

Chinese Army Building in the Era of Jiang Zemin Dr Andrew Scobell Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "To many in the United States, China looms large as a strategic threat. Some anticipate a threat emerging in the foreseeable future, while others believe that one already exists. Any rising power, as it seeks to find its place on the global stage, poses challenges to the world community. So it is merely prudent to consider the possibility that Beijing might become an adversary."

Threats to Russian Security: The View from Moscow Dr Stephen J Blank Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In October 1999 Moscow published a draft defense doctrine and the next month published a draft of the national security concept. That concept was then revised and given official imprimatur in January 2000. The final official version of the military threat will be published during the spring of 2000. Because those publications have an official and normative, if not juridical, character, their content and unusual sequence of publication possess crucial significance. They aroused considerable interest due to their provisions on nuclear use and both documents’ frank postulation of the United States and NATO as the source of rising military and political threats. Therefore, this monograph focuses on those threat assessments which underlie whatever justification may exist for the use of nuclear weapons or for any other defense policy."

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."

Multinational Land Forces and the NATO Force Structure Review Dr Thomas-Durell Young Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "One should empathize, if not sympathize, with NATO force planners. Since 1991, standing and mobilization forces made available by nations to the Alliance have been steadily reduced. This particularly has been the case for land forces. Equally important have been the structures the Alliance has created into which national contributions would fall on deployment. Military Committee (MC) 317, accepted by nations in 1991, provides the framework by which the Alliance organizes its forces."

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."

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."

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."