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Peacekeeping and Stability Operations

Afghanistan
commentary
Trump's Options for Afghanistan: Losing or Not Losing
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Jun 23, 2017
The Cipher Brief
The Trump administration faces the choice of losing quickly by withdrawing from Afghanistan; losing slowly by staying at the current, inadequate levels of commitment; or not losing by increasing that commitment enough to maintain a stalemate on the battlefield.
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Japan
commentary
Japan's Mistaken South Sudan Withdrawal
Jeffrey W. Hornung
Jun 8, 2017
The Diplomat
Being a proactive contributor to peace involves risk if a country is serious about gaining real-world experience. Pulling out of South Sudan deprives Japan's Self-Defense Force of crucial operational experience and sends a confusing message to the United States and the international community.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
commentary
Developing a Comprehensive Strategy for Countering the Islamic State
Natasha Lander, Kimberly Jackson
Jun 5, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
Despite substantial policy and military focus, U.S. attempts to stop the Islamic State group have met with only varying degrees of success. A patient, long-term U.S. investment in governance—including a renewed commitment to addressing the root causes of instability in the Middle East—is needed in Iraq and Syria.
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Peacekeeping and Stability Operations
commentary
NATO's Role in Post-Caliphate Stability Operations
Hans Binnendijk, David C. Gompert
May 2, 2017
The National Interest
Steps are needed to fill the vacuum left as the caliphate collapses, lest forces on the ground turn on each other to gain control. The answer is for NATO to act under U.S. leadership. The alternative is either chaos or Iran, backed by Russia, filling the void.
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Peacekeeping and Stability Operations
commentary
U.N. Peacekeeping Is a Good Deal for the U.S.
Heather Peterson
Apr 2, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
Why should America spend taxpayer dollars on foreign peacekeepers when it could use the money to increase the capabilities of its own military? It turns out that U.N. peacekeepers are an incredibly good deal when compared to U.S. forces.
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Disadvantaged Students
commentary
The Urgent Need for an Education Plan in Mosul
Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson
Mar 27, 2017
Fox News Channel
In addition to restoring Mosul's damaged infrastructure, efforts to stabilize the city must include a plan to rebuild education. Students need to make up years of missed K-12 and university education, and ISIS indoctrination needs to be undone.
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Afghanistan
commentary
How Trump Should Manage Afghanistan
Seth G. Jones @SethGJones
Mar 21, 2017
Foreign Affairs
While media coverage has focused on Syria and Iraq, Afghanistan remains an important frontline state in the fight against terrorism. The Trump administration should aim to prevent the Taliban from overthrowing the Afghan government, encourage political reconciliation, and pursue terrorists that threaten the United States.
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Syria
commentary
To Take Raqqa, the U.S. Must Work with Its Partner in the Fight Against the Islamic State Group
Linda Robinson @RobinsonL100
Mar 13, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
Turkey strongly opposes the U.S. bid to arm the Syrian Kurds. Rushing into Raqqa without reaching agreement with Turkey would jeopardize larger U.S. regional and even global geopolitical objectives.
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Peacekeeping and Stability Operations
commentary
For U.S., Many Options but No Clear Path in Middle East
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Mar 6, 2017
The Hill
The struggle against jihadist terrorism has a long way to go. All courses of action come with risks, but are not mutually exclusive. The U.S. could escalate the fight, work with state partners in the Middle East, or withdraw from the region.
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Iraq
commentary
Stabilizing Mosul After the Battle Against ISIS
Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson, Linda Robinson @RobinsonL100
Feb 9, 2017
Newsweek
U.S.-backed Iraqi forces have retaken the east bank of Mosul and are planning to take the west soon. The military operations that oust ISIS are crucial to the city's liberation but failing to get the civilian response right risks a widening civil war.
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Russia
commentary
Iran at Putin's Mercy
Alireza Nader @AlirezaNader
Jan 12, 2017
The National Interest
Russia and Iran have forged an unprecedented but fragile alliance in the Middle East. But there's no guarantee that Putin won't sell Iran out if he manages to forge better U.S. relations under Trump.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
Is the U.S. Abandoning the World Order It Created?
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Nov 14, 2016
Newsweek
In the 20th century the United States created and expanded a world order that has provided security and prosperity, and it has borne much of the cost for sustaining it. Can that liberal global order be updated rather than jettisoned?
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Afghanistan
commentary
Book Review: 'A Kingdom of Their Own: The Family Karzai and the Afghan Disaster'
Jonah Blank
Oct 15, 2016
Foreign Affairs
Foreign observers of Afghanistan tend to think of former President Hamid Karzai's government as a clan of corrupt thugs, led by a feckless, petulant whiner. Joshua Partlow's book tells the story and explores the question of how much the Karzais were responsible for the deterioration of U.S.-Afghan ties.
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South Asia
commentary
Could the Kashmir Standoff Trigger Nuclear War?
Rafiq Dossani, Jonah Blank
Oct 10, 2016
Newsweek
Militants trained in Pakistan have been raiding the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir for over a quarter of a century, but the recent attack was the deadliest in years. A short-term return to peace remains uncertain and the longer term is even harder to predict.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
Economic Benefits of U.S. Overseas Security Commitments Appear to Outweigh Costs
Daniel Egel, Howard Shatz @HowardJShatz
Sep 23, 2016
The RAND Blog
U.S. policymakers should carefully weigh the potential losses against the potential gains when considering the desirability of large-scale retrenchments of U.S. overseas security commitments.
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North Atlantic Treaty Organization
commentary
NATO's Russia Problem: The Alliance's Tough Road Ahead Post-Warsaw Summit
Christopher S. Chivvis @CChivvis, Stephen J. Flanagan
Jul 13, 2016
The National Interest
NATO emerged from Warsaw more unified than some had predicted it would, especially after the shock of Brexit. But with strained economies, rising populism, and persistent threats from the East and the South, NATO still faces an uphill battle.
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Page 1 of 10

Peacekeeping and Stability Operations

Trump's Options for Afghanistan: Losing or Not Losing

Japan's Mistaken South Sudan Withdrawal

Developing a Comprehensive Strategy for Countering the Islamic State

NATO's Role in Post-Caliphate Stability Operations

U.N. Peacekeeping Is a Good Deal for the U.S.

The Urgent Need for an Education Plan in Mosul

How Trump Should Manage Afghanistan

To Take Raqqa, the U.S. Must Work with Its Partner in the Fight Against the Islamic State Group

For U.S., Many Options but No Clear Path in Middle East

Stabilizing Mosul After the Battle Against ISIS

Iran at Putin's Mercy

Is the U.S. Abandoning the World Order It Created?

Book Review: 'A Kingdom of Their Own: The Family Karzai and the Afghan Disaster'

Could the Kashmir Standoff Trigger Nuclear War?

Economic Benefits of U.S. Overseas Security Commitments Appear to Outweigh Costs

NATO's Russia Problem: The Alliance's Tough Road Ahead Post-Warsaw Summit

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