The Institute for National Strategic Studies serves as a focal point for analysis of critical national security policy and defense strategy issues.
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Aug. 25, 2020
Tactical Partnerships for Strategic Effects: Recent Experiences of U.S. Forces Working By, With, and Through Surrogates in Syria and Libya
Drawing on interviews with senior policymakers, diplomats, and military officials with knowledge of Operations Inherent Resolve in Syria and Odyssey Lightning in Libya, this paper confronts commonly-held perspectives on the “by, with, through” approach to warfare. It argues that will-to-fight and skillset play important roles in US military partnerships with irregular forces.
Aug. 13, 2020
The Maduro Regime's Illicit Activities: A Threat to Democracy in Venezuela and Security in Latin America
Nicolás Maduro’s global web of illicit activities provides a lifeline of support to his regime and
Aug. 10, 2020
Distilling the Essence of Strategy
This succinct set of considerations provide the fundamentals distilled from a detailed review of Professor Colin Gray’s studies. There is nothing guaranteed in the realm of human affairs, but strategists who recognize these considerations will increase the likelihood that their strategy will be “good enough.” There is heroic difficulty in resolving the competing tensions inherent to crafting and implementing strategy, and only a few heroes that have taught this craft with Colin’s intense style. He will be remembered for keeping the strategic flame alive and passing it along to future generations of strategists.
July 31, 2020
Of Russian Influence in Germany - Russian Roulette Podcast Episode 104
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather Conley sits down with Dr. Jeffrey Mankoff and Tabea
July 28, 2020
With Friends Like These: Assessing Russian Influence in Germany
As Europe’s unquestioned heavyweight and a country with deep political, economic, and cultural ties
July 20, 2020
China's 'New-Type' Private Think Tanks: Is 'New' Better?
China’s public policy research community has long been dominated by large state-run research
An End to Exquisite Weapons
The convergence of new technologies is creating smaller, cheaper, autonomous weapons that challenge America’s arsenal of few, costly, but exquisite weapons. This convergence also presents the nation with an opportunity to field forces that are not only more effective, but also cheaper. By focusing on weapons systems that can be made platform-agnostic—launching from air, sea, or land—the U.S. can forgo the huge expense of many of today’s weapons systems.
Al-Qaeda’s Iran Dilemma: Evidence from the Abbottabad Records
Through a comprehensive review of documents recovered from Usama bin Ladin’s Abbottabad compound, this study provides a new periodization of al-Qaeda’s relationship with Iran. The analysis reveals that al-Qaeda often had to reconcile conflicting operational and ideational pressures in its interactions with the Islamic Republic over time. Beyond offering insight into the trajectory of this important relationship and direction for future scholarship, the analysis suggests some ways through which the United States might expand the strategic wedge that exists between these unlikely allies and highlights the need for a more flexible understanding of state sponsored terrorism.
July 14, 2020
Terrorism in Afghanistan: A Joint Threat Assessment (Chapter III)
Chapter III: Afghanistan in the Regional Security Interplay ContextAs it has for centuries,
July 13, 2020
Western Way of War
RUSI Western Way of War audio discussion featuring Dr. Frank Hoffman.