Low-Intensity Conflict

Vietnam
commentary
Vietnam Needs to 'Struggle' More in the South China Sea
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Nov 15, 2019
The Diplomat
With the standoff between China and Vietnam at the disputed Vanguard Bank ended, it makes sense to take stock of how Hanoi's security strategy fared in countering Chinese coercion. It may be time for Vietnam to consider a careful recalibration to allow for more “struggle” and less “cooperation.”
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Artificial Intelligence
commentary
AI and Irregular Warfare: An Evolution, Not a Revolution
Daniel Egel, Eric Robinson @RobinsonEricD, Charles T. Cleveland, Christopher Oates
Oct 31, 2019
War on the Rocks
How will artificial intelligence change the way wars are fought? The answer, of course, depends. And it mainly depends on what type of wars are being fought. And how will AI affect the type of wars that the United States is most likely to fight?
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Information Operations
commentary
What Translation Troubles Can Tell Us About Russian Information Warfare
Joe Cheravitch
Oct 4, 2019
Small Wars Journal
Moscow's form of information warfare targeting the West has attracted significant international attention since 2014, especially through its reinvigorated military intelligence branch. Nonetheless, little research has focused on these campaigns' apparent shortcomings. Most notable among operational errors are the confusing translation mistakes that undermine attempts at covert influence efforts.
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Law of the Sea
commentary
Why Vanguard Bank and Why Now? Explaining Chinese Behavior in the South China Sea
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Aug 19, 2019
Maritime Issues
What can Vietnam do now to make Chinese assertiveness against it less likely going forward? Although deepening the U.S.-Vietnam defense partnership in the short-term may be contributing to trouble with China, closer cooperation in the long-run could serve to deter China. Enhancing cooperation with Vietnam's other defense partners—namely Australia, Japan, and India—could help to deter Beijing as well.
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China
commentary
Managing U.S. Military-to-Military Relations with China, a Strategic Competitor in an Era of Renewed Great Power Competition
Scott W. Harold @ScottWHarold
Mar 8, 2019
ChinaFile
The United States National Security Strategy describes a return of great power rivalry with China as the leading challenger, and the National Defense Strategy prioritizes strategic competition. What are the implications for U.S.-China military-to-military relations?
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Russia
commentary
Russia's Soft Strategy to Hostile Measures in Europe
Raphael S. Cohen, Andrew Radin @andrewmradin
Feb 26, 2019
War on the Rocks
They've been called political warfare, measures short of war, gray zone warfare, and a host of other terms. Russia has used a wide range of hostile measures to expand its influence and undermine governments across the European continent. These tactics should be appreciated for what they are: part of a larger, coherent Russian effort, but ultimately not an insurmountable one.
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Politics and Government
commentary
What Does America's Political Polarization Mean for Competition with China?
Timothy R. Heath
Nov 9, 2018
The Hill
Political polarization in the United States potentially carries significant implications for America's strategic competition with China. Leaders in Washington will need to work to mitigate the effects of polarization and manage competition with China in a stable, effective manner.
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Information Operations
commentary
Political Warfare Is Back with a Vengeance
Raphael S. Cohen, Linda Robinson @RobinsonL100
Apr 13, 2018
The National Interest
The United States' principal adversaries are fighting and gaining ground by employing a host of tactics short of all-out war. This form of warfare, once called political warfare, is back with a vengeance, empowered by new tools and techniques.
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Gaza Strip
commentary
How Salafism's Rise Threatens Gaza
Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke
Oct 11, 2017
Foreign Affairs
The rise of hardline Salafism is a worrisome trend in Gaza, where Salafists could surpass Hamas as the most dangerous threat to other Palestinians and the state of Israel. Such a result could signal the sabotage of yet another chance for progress in one of the world's longest-running conflicts.
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Military Strategy
commentary
Managing Chaos in an Era of Great Power Competition
Austin Long, Linda Robinson @RobinsonL100, Seth G. Jones
Sep 5, 2017
War on the Rocks
As Washington policymakers seek a new strategic course, U.S. national security strategy should not neglect the importance of competition short of armed conflict. A U.S. strategy that incorporates this perspective from the beginning could manage chaos at a reasonable cost.
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Asymmetric Warfare
commentary
Five Lessons from Israel's Wars in Gaza
Raphael S. Cohen
Aug 3, 2017
War on the Rocks
After a decade of operating against Hamas in Gaza, the Israel Defense Force has learned many lessons about urban warfare against hybrid adversaries. The last confrontation teaches five basic lessons that apply well beyond Gaza.
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Low-Intensity Conflict
essay
The Price of Peace
Jun 24, 2015
Groundbreaking analysis by a team of RAND economists and policy experts reveals how much Israelis and Palestinians stand to lose from the enduring conflict, and how much they could gain in peace.
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Low-Intensity Conflict
commentary
War or Peace? Putting a Price on the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse
Charles P. Ries @charles_ries, C. Ross Anthony
Jun 9, 2015
Newsweek
Today, more than 90 percent of Israelis and Palestinians were born after 1948 and have known nothing other than some version of the impasse. Both sides could be better off with a stable two-state solution. Prolonging the impasse for another generation would have real costs.
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Global Security
commentary
Greater Disorder Does Not Imply Greater Insecurity
Ali Wyne @Ali_Wyne
Jan 7, 2015
The American Interest
President Obama observed in June that the world is less violent than it has ever been. While his proposition may seem incongruous with the present crises across Eurasia, the evidence suggests that the world is indeed becoming more secure.
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Peacekeeping and Stability Operations
commentary
The Foreign Policy Essay: The Limits of Small Footprints
Stephen Watts
Mar 31, 2014
Lawfare
The history of “small-footprint approaches” should be sobering. It suggests that such approaches are good at preventing allied governments from losing against rebels, but are not very good at actually winning wars.
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Asymmetric Warfare
blog
New RAND Report Updates, Expands Research on Successful Counterinsurgency Approaches
Sep 27, 2013
When a country is threatened by an insurgency, what efforts give its government the best chance of prevailing? A new update to a RAND 2010 study expands the data set of 30 insurgencies to 71 and compares all 71 of them begun and completed worldwide since World War II.
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Low-Intensity Conflict

Vietnam Needs to 'Struggle' More in the South China Sea

AI and Irregular Warfare: An Evolution, Not a Revolution

What Translation Troubles Can Tell Us About Russian Information Warfare

Why Vanguard Bank and Why Now? Explaining Chinese Behavior in the South China Sea

Managing U.S. Military-to-Military Relations with China, a Strategic Competitor in an Era of Renewed Great Power Competition

Russia's Soft Strategy to Hostile Measures in Europe

What Does America's Political Polarization Mean for Competition with China?

Political Warfare Is Back with a Vengeance

How Salafism's Rise Threatens Gaza

Managing Chaos in an Era of Great Power Competition

Five Lessons from Israel's Wars in Gaza

The Price of Peace

War or Peace? Putting a Price on the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse

Greater Disorder Does Not Imply Greater Insecurity

The Foreign Policy Essay: The Limits of Small Footprints

New RAND Report Updates, Expands Research on Successful Counterinsurgency Approaches

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