Strategy • Diplomacy • War
By Monica Duffy Toft
Leaving is going to hurt, no question. But the hurt we may suffer from leaving is far less than the hurt we and the Afghan people are certain to sustain if we refuse to face reality and continue to preside over a broken military intervention. There are alternatives to military force, let’s use them.
Read moreBy Thomas Cavanna
This award-winning book written by Anand Toprani, Associate Professor at the Naval War College, examines the strategies that Britain and Germany developed during the years of 1918 to 1945 to restore their energy independence (as opposed to energy security, i.e., importing oil at reasonable prices), and how those efforts caused an “overextension” that accelerated London and Berlin’s “demise as great powers.”
Read moreProfessor Monica Duffy Toft was a guest of the Hard Truth, Soft Power podcast about how the events of 2020 have accelerated global trends and made the world’s challenges, like authoritarianism, soft power, data privacy, and the future of work, more visible.
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By Zoltan Feher
On October 27, 2020, James D. Boys was the guest speaker at the Research & Policy Seminar of the Center for Strategic Studies. Boys presented his paper “The Madman Theory: Intellectual and Cultural Origins,” which constitutes the third chapter in his anticipated ten-chapter book detailing the development of The Madman Theory and its implementation by Presidents Nixon and Trump.
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By Zoltan Feher
As part of the Engaging Practitioners series, on October 22, 2020, the Center for Strategic Studies (CSS) hosted Professor Joseph Nye, University Distinguished Service Professor at Harvard University, and former Dean of Harvard’s Kenny School of Government.
Read moreSince 2000, the Triangle Institute for Security Studies (TISS) has hosted an annual two-day conference called the “Junior and Interdisciplinary Faces of International Security.” The purpose of the “New Faces” project, as it has come to be known, is to strengthen the rising cohort of scholars specializing in security studies.
Read moreBy Monica Duffy Toft
Just under 5 million U.S. citizens live abroad, serving in the military and embassies or just living in another country. As a political scientist who studies demographics and politics, I have observed how different voting blocs, even small ones, can affect the outcome of elections. Three million people is more than enough people to decide a presidential or congressional race with narrow margins.
Read moreBy Aroop Mukharji
For over a hundred years, the United States has struggled to find a policy toward Central America that improves its economic prosperity and security. The region’s challenges today are many: weak and failed states, drug and human trafficking cartels, and an exploding migration and humanitarian crisis. Why has U.S. foreign policy toward Central America failed, and failed badly?
Read moreBy Monica Duffy Toft
Beyond our two big overseas commitments—Iraq and Afghanistan—military operations have by and large been increasingly opaque. Much has been done with drones and special operations forces. Along with this, U.S. diplomatic efforts and resources have dramatically receded into the background. We need to face the fact that the United States has become a hyper-interventionist and unilateral power. More bluntly, it has become a bully in the international arena.
Read moreMany people in Lebanon blame the government for an explosion last month that killed 190 people. Now, many residents are wondering if it’s time to leave the country.
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