By: Patrick Hoover, Columnist Photo by: http://www.almasdarnews.com On January 20, the Turkish army, with Free Syrian Army (FSA) proxies, launched Operation Olive Branch to clear the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northwestern Syria. Ankara’s chief strategic objectives include eliminating the Syrian Kurdish militia’s People’s Protection Units (YPG) and their political partner, the Democratic Union Party … Continue reading The Impact of Turkey’s Afrin Operation on US-Kurdish Stability Operations
Category: Middle East & North Africa
Sustaining Stability: The Problems and Possibilities of US Stabilization Operations
By: Stan Sundel, Reporter Photo Credit: Center for Complex Operations Are stability operations useful in mitigating foreign conflicts? If so, what policy tools can be leveraged to execute successful stability efforts in today’s challenging security environments? These were two of the key questions addressed by Kim Field, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in … Continue reading Sustaining Stability: The Problems and Possibilities of US Stabilization Operations
National Security Figures Need to Explain the Impacts of Climate Change
By: Evan Cooper, Columnist Photo Credit: Task and Purpose In a 2014 Department of Defense document, then Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel sounded the alarm that “Rising global temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, climbing sea levels, and more extreme weather events will intensify the challenges of global instability, hunger, poverty, and conflict.”[i] Hagel’s warning has borne … Continue reading National Security Figures Need to Explain the Impacts of Climate Change
Rethinking American Military Aid to Egypt
By: Stephanie Pillion, Columnist Photo Credit: MEMO On November 22, 2017, more than 235 were killed and 107 injured when four truck bombs exploded and militants opened fire on a Sufi mosque in Sinai, Egypt.[i] This attack is the latest example of the Egyptian government’s failed efforts to counter the threat of the Islamic State … Continue reading Rethinking American Military Aid to Egypt
Undermining the UN, Putin’s Russia Drives Regional Diplomatic Talks on Syria
By: Patrick Hoover, Columnist Photo Credit: Middle East Monitor Russia is increasingly in the diplomatic driver’s seat of the seven-year Syria conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted his Iranian and Turkish counterparts, Hassan Rouhani and Tayyip Erdogan, in Sochi between November 20 and 25 to issue a joint statement affirming their commitment to a “post-conflict” … Continue reading Undermining the UN, Putin’s Russia Drives Regional Diplomatic Talks on Syria
The Utility of Offensive Nuclear Weapons in the Modern Era
By: Mark Bhaskar, Columnist Photo Credit: MinutemanMissile.com Discussing the potential, or even necessary, use of nuclear weapons by the United States in any reputable forum usually invites near-universal condemnation. Such a strong reaction proves that the “nuclear taboo,” best described in Nina Tannenwald’s 1999 essay, is alive and well. As per this taboo, using nuclear … Continue reading The Utility of Offensive Nuclear Weapons in the Modern Era
Psychologist Discusses ‘Mutual Radicalization’ in Groups and Nation-States
By: Andrew Johnian, Reporter Photo Credit: National Communication Association At Georgetown’s Communication, Culture & Technology Center, Professor Fathali Moghaddam discussed the “mutual radicalization” of groups and nations. The topic is the basis for his forthcoming book, “Mutual Radicalization: The Psychology of How Groups and Nations Drive Each Other to Extremes.” Moghaddam’s work on radicalization was … Continue reading Psychologist Discusses ‘Mutual Radicalization’ in Groups and Nation-States
Jihad After the Caliphate
By: Andrew Swick, Columnist Photo Credit:Al-Sharq al-Awsat (via CIA release) Last month, the US-backed Syrian Defense Forces (SDF) took control of Raqqa from the Islamic State (ISIS), reducing the so-called caliphate’s territorial holdings to a diminished stretch of land on the eastern side of the Euphrates River. While American officials were cautious in their immediate … Continue reading Jihad After the Caliphate
Faculty Interview Series: An Interview with Dr. Gary Shiffman, SSP Adjunct Professor
By: Donnie Hill, Reporter Photo Credit: Giant Oak Dr. Gary Shiffman is the founder and CEO of Giant Oak, a technology firm that specializes in blending social science with big data environments to identify illicit actions, actors, and networks. His past positions include managing director at the Chertoff Group, senior vice president and general manager … Continue reading Faculty Interview Series: An Interview with Dr. Gary Shiffman, SSP Adjunct Professor
Assessing US Credibility in the Trump Era
By: Stephanie Pillion, Columnist Photo Credit: BBC Within the first seven months of his term in office, President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from three critical international agreements: the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Paris Climate Accord, and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The TPP, Paris Climate Accord, and JCPOA are all multilateral … Continue reading Assessing US Credibility in the Trump Era