National Security Research Division
Featured Research
Security in Iraq: A Framework for Analyzing Emerging Threats as U.S. Forces Leave — 2010
David Gompert, Terrence Kelly, Jessica Watkins
U.S. withdrawal from Iraq could affect Iraq's internal security and stability, which could, in turn, affect U.S. strategic interests and the safety of U.S. troops and civilians in Iraq. The framework provided here can help minimize negative effects.
News Release
Research Brief
Full Document
NSRD in the News
Local Communities in Afghanistan Can Play Crucial Role in Improving Security — Jul 26, 2010
The Afghan government and NATO can improve security in Afghanistan by leveraging traditional policing institutions in rural villages and mobilizing the population against insurgents, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
News Release
Full Document
Why U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan Are So Frustrated — June 30, 2010
America's problems in Afghanistan are not fundamentally about personnel, command and control, or civil-military relations as discussed in this commentary by Celeste Ward Gventer that appeared on Christian Science Monitor online.
Commentary
The Sinking of the Cheonan: Engage or Retaliate? — June 30, 2010
North Korea's apparent sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan marks a new low in the North's provocative behavior. This is the subject of a commentary by Bruce W. Bennett that appeared in Global Asia, A Journal of the East Asia Foundation.
Commentary
Don't Lose Ukraine — Jun 28, 2010
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Ukraine on July 4-5 provides an important opportunity to reassure Ukrainians that the U.S. remains committed to Ukraine's sovereignty and democratic evolution, as discussed by Taras Kuzio and F. Stephen Larrabee in this commentary for Project Syndicate.
Commentary
The Afghanistan Clock — Jun 28, 2010
By replacing Gen. Stanley McChrystal with Gen. David Petraeus, U.S. President Barack Obama has treated the most recent symptom of his Afghan malaise, however it does not address a conflicted policy and a divided administration, as discussed by James Dobbins in this commentary for ForeignPolicy.com.
Commentary