The present state of tension between the United States and Iran signifies a failure of current and past diplomatic approaches to influence Iran. Curiously, the Islamic Revolution and the Iranian elections over the last decade indicate that support...
Irregular wars generate significant internal political debate over appropriate strategy and resource allocation, a function of the relative complexity and ambiguity of irregular wars. This study examines whether operational commanders in the...
The events of 11 September 2001 brought the threat of terrorism into American public focus and gave politicians political capital to pursue terrorism with all elements of national power. Since then the United States has fought an unconventional war...
This research explores how the peaking of world oil production influences the global balance of power. On the one hand, the geological phenomenon of peaking, modeled by the Hubbert's peak curve, gives the timeframe and the evolution of oil...
There are many critics who have concluded that the US Government has not successfully conducted communication with its public during the current, persistent conflict, but perhaps one of the earliest was Ted Koppel. In 2001, responding to a question...
The Islamic Republic of Iran poses a significant threat to stability in the Middle East. Iran's nuclear program, inflammatory rhetoric, and support to militias challenge peace efforts throughout the region. America now seeks normalized relations...
Since 2001, the capabilities of the Afghan state have been a priority on the world stage. The reign of Amir Abdur Rahman, who established the current state of Afghanistan, is critical in understanding the development of the current state, and the...
The U.S. intervention in Cuba in 1906, commonly referred to as the Second Intervention, began on September 28, 1906 with the resignation of the Cuban president and his cabinet and ended on January 28, 1909 when the U.S. relinquished control of the...
The drug war has failed to achieve conditions that reduce the influence of illicit drugs abroad or at home. The National Drug Control Strategy is the U.S. President’s policy document that outlines the administration’s plan to reduce the...
In November 2008, U.S. citizens will go to the polls to choose a new President and a new administration. The Bush administration’s strategy of engagement with China is designed to build a peaceful relationship through diplomatic, informational,...
The fundamental nature of warfare, adequately addressed by the current nine principles of war, has changed little over the centuries. However, a series of monumental changes in the international security environment over the past ten years have...
The emergence of non-state actors and sub-national entities on the world stage has presented the established international system with challenges for which it is ill equipped to handle. The historical inclination to resort to military force when...
This monograph is an examination of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS). It describes the international relations theory of constructivism, which is focused on the role of normative structure in the actions of a state. Normative...
For many countries, the finite nature of fossil fuels is a matter of significant security concerns. Producer and consumer countries alike increasingly see energy supply security as a subject of their security and defense policy. Being strategically...
This monograph examines the phenomenon of the disproportionate volunteerism of members of Delaware's Presbyterian Ulster-Scot community in the sole Regiment from Delaware to join the Continental Army. It posits Ulster-Scots represented a majority...
China and the United States have been competitors on a global scale since Deng Xiaoping changed China's trading policies in 1976. The policies resulted in increased tensions between the two nations over time. This monograph uses Commercial...
With the exception of Cuba, US-Latin American relations do not have the specter of Communist influence in the hemisphere distorting the thrust of foreign policy. What does remain is the threat of crises that endangers the viability of the fledgling...
Emory Upton believed that politicians should leave war to professionals. This led to two assumptions that became conventional wisdom: first, an apolitical army represented a more professional force; and second, the problems at the tactical and...
The purpose of this study is to understand the extent to which current and potential conflicts over the Nile River water will affect or impact on South Sudan’s national security strategy after becoming an independent state in July 2011. It also...
West Africa is ripe for democratic development, but chronic instability impedes progress. This thesis describes the causes and extent of instability and concludes that the military is a major contributor. The question is how to prevent the military...