Extremist Islam and Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan and Iraq
Recent conflicts have highlighted how religion and identity are central to security issues. The question remains as to what extent individual conflict zones are facets of a wider, transnational war which pits the ‘West’ against al Qaeda?
Counterinsurgency and Gender: The Case of the Female Engagement Teams
Since 2009 the U.S. Marines have deployed Female Engagement Teams as part of its COIN effort. How does this relate to the gendering of COIN?
US-Indian Relations: Permanent Interests Not Permanent Friends
It is important that the United States do a better job of defending its own interests in its negotiations with India. Nevertheless, there are areas of common strategic concern where we can work with the Indian government to the benefit of both nations.
It Is a Civil War Within Islam: Not Global Terrorism
Washington cannot unilaterally deal with the mayhem that the Islamic civil war has unleashed. The U.S. must enlist allies in multilateral responses to jihadist threats. Often, events can only be influenced at the margins. At times, the most prudent policy may be to do nothing at all.
NATO in Afghanistan: There and Back Again
By invading Afghanistan, NATO took both political and moral responsibility for its future. It is possible that, at the end of the transition process, NATO will fail its test of responsibility
Review – The Wars of Afghanistan
Peter Tomsen has provided a comprehensive account of Afghanistan’s recent conflicts and illuminates aspects of this history in ways that only he could really achieve.
NATO and Afghanistan: Lessons Learned?
At present, the NATO mission in Afghanistan is a failure. Though the Taliban regime was overthrown, violence continues to plague daily life across the country.
Review – Fragments of the Afghan Frontier
Fragments of the Afghan Frontier combines painstaking anthropological field research with extensive historical analysis to assess Afghanistan’s frontier regions and people.
Leaving Without Losing: The War on Terror After Iraq and Afghanistan
Just as intervening in Afghanistan and Iraq did not lead the United States to victory, neither will withdrawing from these countries. Although the U.S. is likely to endure negative consequences from its disengagement, withdrawal need not mean defeat.
Review – An Enemy We Created
van Linschoten and Kuehn’s detailed accounts of the early development of the international jihadists and the Taliban is a wide ranging and useful addition to post 9/11 literature.
