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13362. Discourse, Dissent, and Strategic Surprise: Formulating U.S. Security Policy in an Age of Uncertainty
- Author:
- Janne E. Nolan and Douglas MacEachin
- Publication Date:
- 01-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
- Abstract:
- The Institute for the Study of Diplomacy (ISD) at Georgetown University launched a two-year study of the role of intelligence and policy failures in undermining the pursuit of U.S. strategic interests. This study focuses on why the United States has found itself unprepared to manage or contain adverse developments in regions of vital interest even in instances where there was extensive U.S. diplomatic and military involvement. The authors of this monograph selected five case studies of "strategic surprises" drawn from recent history. The cases were discussed and analyzed by a working group made up of senior practitioners and policy experts, a group established in the fall of 2004 that held five meetings sponsored by ISD from November 2004 through the spring of 2006.
- Topic:
- Security and Development
- Political Geography:
- United States
13363. America Speaks Out: Is the United States spending too much on defense?
- Author:
- Carl Conetta
- Publication Date:
- 03-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Project on Defense Alternatives
- Abstract:
- On 1-4 February 2007, the Gallup polling organization asked a representative sample of US citizens if they thought the United States was spending too little, too much, or just the right amount on defense and the military.{1} For the first time since the mid-1990s, a plurality of Americans said that the country was spending too much. The surprising result of the survey shows current public attitudes to approximate those that prevailed in March 1993, shortly after former President Bill Clinton took office. Today, 43 percent of Americans say that the country is spending “too much” on the military, while 20 percent say “too little”. In 1993, the balance of opinion was 42 percent saying “too much” and 17 percent saying too little.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, Economics, and War
- Political Geography:
- United States and America
13364. More Troops for Iraq? Time to just say "No"
- Author:
- Carl Conetta
- Publication Date:
- 01-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Project on Defense Alternatives
- Abstract:
- Few outside the administration would contest that the mission's “measurables” are miserable. The progress in Iraq reconstruction has been glacial and the security situation has steadily deteriorated, despite a great expenditure of time, money, and lives. But why? Critics have variously targeted the administration's strategy, planning, priorities, and level of effort – which suggest that there might be a better way. And, indeed, the administration now claims to have discovered one.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy and War
- Political Geography:
- United States and Iraq
13365. Resolving Iraq: Progress depends on a short timeline for US troop withdrawal
- Author:
- Carl Conetta
- Publication Date:
- 01-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Project on Defense Alternatives
- Abstract:
- The Bush administration's misadventure in Iraq constitutes a splendid catastrophe – “splendid” in the sense of being manifest, multifaceted, and profound. It is the strategic equivalent of Katrina, but man-made. Born of disinformation, it has – at great cost in lives, money, and prestige – spawned anti-Americanism, civil war, and a surge in terrorism.{1} Failing to see this is dangerous. Even more dangerous is mistaking the malady for the cure – which is precisely what President Bush has done with his “troop surge” proposal.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy and Development
- Political Geography:
- United States, Iraq, and America
13366. No good reason to boost Army, Marine Corps end strength
- Author:
- Carl Conetta
- Publication Date:
- 01-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Project on Defense Alternatives
- Abstract:
- President Bush's request to increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps by 92,000 personnel follows on the heels of similar proposals by Congress members of both parties. Despite the bipartisan appeal of this idea, it is not at all clear what problem it is intended to solve or how it is supposed to solve it. Advocates may believe that America's troubles in Iraq provide reason enough to “grow” the Army and Marine Corps. But this view misconstrues both the lessons of that war and America's true security needs.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, Government, and War
- Political Geography:
- Iraq and America
13367. From Alamogordo to Reliable Replacement Warheads
- Author:
- Leo A. Grünfeld and Francesca Sanna-Randaccio
- Publication Date:
- 12-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- The paper discusses three important legacies that the first nuclear age, that of the Cold War, left behind: (1) the recurrent attempts at threat inflation and the corresponding politics of fear; (2) enormous stocks of poorly protected weapons and fissile materials; and (3) a vision of a world free of nuclear weapons. It goes on to explain the characteristics of the second nuclear age, a notion that Paul Bracken introduced after the testing in South Asia in 1998. Finally, it discusses two basic conditions for the international non-proliferation regime to function effectively: leadership and compatibility with the distribution of power in the international system. The latter is primarily about the rise of Asia in international affairs.
- Topic:
- International Cooperation and Nuclear Weapons
- Political Geography:
- United States and Asia
13368. The EU as a Security Actor: The development of political and administrative capabilities
- Author:
- Pernille Rieker
- Publication Date:
- 12-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- With its special character in relation to both institutional design and policy content, the EU is often classified as a 'post-modern' security actor. What does this actually mean? What kind of capabilities does a post-modern actor have? This article focuses on the development of political and administrative capabilities in the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy. If it is true that the EU is becoming an increasingly important security actor, we should expect an increase in these kinds of capabilities as well. According to March Olsen (1995) little can be accomplished without capabilities such as rights and authorities, resources, competencies and organizational skills. This should also be true of a presumably 'post-modern' actor like the EU. This paper examines the extent to which the EU has established these kinds of capabilities in relation to its security policy, how they can be characterized and whether they have increased over time.
- Topic:
- Security, Defense Policy, and Government
13369. Globalisation and Diplomacy
- Author:
- Iver B. Neumann
- Publication Date:
- 12-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- Globalisation is shorthand for changes in space, time and the relationship between them. This paper, which will be forthcoming as a chapter in a book edited by Andrew Cooper and published by the United Nations University Press, argues that changes in deterritorialisation will not have thoroughgoing effects for diplomacy. A change in time, notably the change to zero lag-time in information flows, is, on the other hand, of key importance. So is the increase in the sheer mass and density of communication. If transcending boundaries is the essence of globalisation, then it stands to reason that state diplomats must sooner or later take cognizance of the other kinds of polities that exist within the system.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Diplomacy, Globalization, and Government
13370. Civil-Military Cooperation in Multinational and Interagency Operations
- Author:
- Kristin M. Haugevik and Benjamin de Carvalho
- Publication Date:
- 05-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- This paper discusses obstacles to civil-military cooperation in the context of multinational and interagency operations, with a special focus on assessment functions and processes. As such, the paper seeks to contribute to the ongoing process of developing a framework for assessment of operations within the context of MNE5. The rationale behind this study is to strengthen the basis for and the effectiveness of Effects-Based Assessment (EBA) of performances, effects, and end-states in multinational and interagency operations. The first section starts by identifying a set of key overall challenges to such cooperation, namely civilian and military actors' often lack of knowledge of one another's organizational identities, security concerns, and working procedures. The paper then discusses one of these categories, namely working procedures, in more detail, identifying in the second section the challenge of divergent operational terminologies, and in the third section the challenge of overcoming the information sharing gap when in the presence of similar assessment practices. The main suggestion of this paper is that knowledge about civilian and military operational terminologies and assessment practices is an imperative for successful civilmilitary cooperation in multinational and interagency operations. Such knowledge, we argue, is best obtained if both military and civilian actors respectively open their communication channels with the purpose of sharing information and operational experiences. Furthermore, based on the discussion, the paper raises a number of points which the authors believe would be valuable topics for further developing civil-military cooperation within the context of multinational and interagency operations.
- Topic:
- Security, Civil Society, Development, and Government