Digital Commons Network^™

Personal Reflections From A Grassroots Peacebuilding Journey, Mark Clark

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article presents the author’s personal reflections from experiences over the past thirty years, working at the intersection of leadership development, complexity, and conflict: a journey from corporate law, the British Army, and armed conflict, through the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the US-led coalition’s intervention in Iraq, emergency humanitarian response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and violence reduction and post-conflict reconciliation in Papua New Guinea, to a Jordan-based international peacebuilding organization that supports grassroots peacebuilding efforts in fifty-two countries, and finally a return home to Scotland. It is a journey of naïveté, hubris, curiosity, and an …

Comparing The Us Response To The Soviet Invasion Of Afghanistan And The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine: Learning From The Past And Planning For The Future, Zachary Hogan

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

As the Russo-Ukrainian war continues to rage, the decisions of the present are of paramount importance. In order to make the most positive and well-supported decisions in this ongoing conflict, it would be wise to look to past instances of similar situations. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan is such an instance. The parallels between the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the past Soviet invasion of Afghanistan are extensive and, more importantly, informative for U.S. foreign policy. It is with this lens that this paper will pursue a historical foreign policy analysis of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, its circumstances and …

Understanding The Knowledge Production Function Of The United Nations: The Case Of The Sahel Crisis, Hussein E. Elshaar

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis aims to test the argument that the UN knowledge production on the situation in the Sahel region is internally consistent and externally valid with the knowledge produced by other entities beyond the UN, including academia and think tanks. The thesis analyzed external studies by scholars and research and academic institutions as well as UN knowledge production, mainly the UN strategic frameworks and the reports of the Secretary-General on the Sahel. The study followed an analytical framework that sought to answer specific questions about how these studies, frameworks, and reports frame the conflict in the Sahel, and what root …

Raven Sentry: Employing Ai For Indications And Warnings In Afghanistan, Thomas W. Spahr

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article examines Raven Sentry, a project that employed artificial intelligence to provide advance warning of insurgent attacks in Afghanistan. During 2019 and 2020, the Resolute Support Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence (J2) benefited from a command culture open to innovation, the urgency created by the US drawdown, and a uniquely talented group of personnel that, aided by commercial sector experts, built an AI system that helped predict attacks. The war’s end cut Raven Sentry short, but the experience provides important lessons on AI and the conditions necessary for successful innovation.

The Combat Path: Sustaining Mental Readiness In Ukrainian Soldiers, Oleh Hukovskyy, James C. West, Joshua C. Morganstein, Eugene F. Augusterfer, David M. Benedek, Oleg Boyko, Robert J. Ursano, Amy B. Adler

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

In Ukraine, soldiers’ psychological resilience is of paramount concern. Therefore, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have developed a new intervention, Combat Path Debriefing, designed to address combat stress and promote unit readiness for soldiers returning to combat. This article outlines the components of Combat Path Debriefing and discusses how it is rooted in principles of combat and operational stress control and the unique characteristics of Ukrainian military life. This perspective offers US and allied leaders real-world experience that can inform future efforts to support soldiers’ mental health and combat performance.

From The Editor In Chief, Antulio J. Echevarria Ii

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

Welcome to the Summer 2024 issue of Parameters. We open this issue with a special “In Memoriam” by General Charles A. Flynn, Commander US Army Pacific, honoring the life and legacies of our director and consummate colleague, Carol V. Evans. We dedicate this issue to her. General Flynn’s memoriam is followed by an In Focus commentary on China’s Belt and Road Initiative. We then feature three forums covering the Russia-Ukraine War, the Middle East, and Professional Development. This issue also contains special essays on the role of professional writing, the US Army War College’s Civil-Military Relations Center, …

Contributor Guidelines, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Towards A Digitally Mediated Transitional Justice Process? An Analysis Of Colombian Transitional Justice Organisations’ Posting Behaviour On Facebook, Jasmin Haunschild, Laura Guntrum, Sofía Cerrillo, Franziska Bujara, Christian Reuter

Peace and Conflict Studies

In Colombia, Transitional Justice (TJ) institutions were established after years of violent conflict as part of the 2016 peace agreement between the FARC and the Colombian government. By analysing the posting behaviour of the government-appointed TJ institutions on Facebook, we show how general TJ aims and opportunities for citizen participation were promoted in 2019. Our analysis reveals that the organisations rarely address topics related to reconciliation and that active online participation and two-way communication are rather scarce. Instead, Facebook is mainly used by the TJ organisations to increase solidarity with victims and disseminate information about their work and the TJ …

Preference Conflict And Peace Studies: The Line Between Disagreement And Violence, Frederic R. Kellogg

Peace and Conflict Studies

Broadening the definition of conflict defines more comprehensively the condition of peace, focusing on how unresolved shared disagreements can lead to, or avoid, polarization and violence. The line between general disagreement and violent conflict lies in the adjustment of shared preferences. Matters like reproductive rights, medically assisted death, race and gender discrimination, while subject to political polarization, are open to peaceful redress through what John Dewey called the transformative continuum of inquiry, in which the crucial social response to shared problems includes dispute and conflict. Resolution of controversial social problems requires preference adjustment and habit change, often, if not always, …

A Red Awakening: An Analysis Of China’S Quest For Global Dominance Through Economic Alternative Warfare Methods, Sarah Beddingfield

Senior Honors Theses

In the 2023 annual meeting of China’s parliament, Chinese President Xi made it clear to his political leaders and the world that he was preparing for war. This should come as no surprise after analysis of China's grand strategy points clearly to the intent to surpass the U.S. as the premier global superpower in all respects. China has been building towards this goal for years through untraditional methods of warfare, forcing the national security community to reevaluate its own strategy and assess the Chinese threat through a different lens. This thesis seeks to address one specific area in which China …

The Importance Of Dialogue Between The United States And North Korea: How Can The United States Respond To The Nuclear Issue With North Korea?, Unbi Choi

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

The nuclear issue with North Korea could create even more danger in currently tense international relations. In reality, a long-standing economic sanction is a factor in North Korea's continued hostile attitude toward the United States. The Trump administration chose negotiation instead of economic sanctions. Negotiations succeeded in temporarily easing tensions between the United States and North Korea. However, the Biden administration put economic sanctions back on North Korea. Since then, North Korea has increasingly cultivated hostility, even more than in the last few years, and is further developing nuclearization. As this example indicates, economic sanctions would have negative consequences. The …

Terrorism In Africa: An Analysis Of The Efficacy Of U.S. Counterterrorism, Max Yong

Global Tides

This paper seeks to identify whether United States aid to Africa has impacted violent terrorist activity on the continent. The existing literature has produced a range of critiques. Many have voiced concern about foreign terrorist organizations (FTO) growing and blame ineffective efforts by the U.S. for this reality. Instances of African nations, in the face of persisting security challenges from FTOs, turning to political adversaries of the U.S. for assistance is evidence of this sentiment. Furthermore, terror attacks since the onset of the U.S. Global War on Terror (GWOT) have only remained higher than in the previous era. Others have …

How Does This End?: The Ukraine War And The Future Of Russia, Jonathan M. Acuff, Hannah N. Clegg

Intelligence and Security Studies

We analyze a range of future scenarios for Russia related to the Ukraine War. Although regime change is a publicly-stated objective for several leaders of NATO countries, we find very little prospect for it. The Russian economy has largely evaded the effects of the sanctions. Despite enormous casualties and incompetence in the management of the war, both Putin and the war remain popular with the Russian public. Contrary to most analysis to date, the Wagner Group mutiny of June 2023 is not an indication of Putin’s weakness, but his strength. The coercive mechanisms of the Russian state remain intact. Indeed, …

The Efficacy Of The Legal Infrastructure Of Proportionality In Contemporary Armed Conflicts, Reed Caney

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Proportionally in armed conflict is one of the key principles of international law, playing a crucial role in ensuring that both civilians are protected in armed conflict, but also that a military is able to accomplish its goals. This paper attempts to discern if the international legal infrastructure is well equipped to deal with proportionality in armed conflicts, especially in regard to contemporary armed conflicts. In an attempt to answer this question, this paper explores the existing legal infrastructure, looking at International Humanitarian Law as a moral system and International Criminal Law as the accompanying legal system to see how …

On Puar’S “Right To Maim”: Conflict-Related Sexual Violence As An Instrument Of Debility, Jeffrey Camille

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In enacting war and terrorism, armed combatants frequently and deliberately utilize sexual violence to target civilians. This crime is widespread, systemic, and organized, and its perpetration against vulnerable populations is a haunting reality of warfare. Although scholarship has speculated about the motivations behind conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), no one answer is sufficient to grasp a phenomenon whose constitution is complicated by a multitude of variables. Thus, scholars must continue in their efforts to rationalize why this crime takes place. This article does just that. Drawing from Jasbir K. Puar’s book The Right to Maim (2017), I fashion an intervention to …

International Law, Self-Defense, And The Israel-Hamas Conflict, Eric A. Heinze

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article examines the international law of self-defense as it applies to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict to determine whether the October 2023 attacks by Hamas against Israel can be interpreted under Article 51 of the UN Charter as an “armed attack” that gives Israel the right to use military force in self-defense against non-state actors. It situates the conflict within ongoing legal and political debates, shows how this conflict fits into a changing global reality where the most dangerous security threats do not exclusively emanate from other states and concludes that Israel’s resort to force in the current conflict appears …

Strategy As Problem-Solving, Andrew Carr

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article proposes a new definition of strategy as problem-solving that challenges the focus on goals and assumptions of order within many post–Cold War approaches to strategy. It argues that the military needs strategy to diagnose the complex problems of the twenty-first century before they can be solved. Inspired by practitioners such as Andrew Marshall and George F. Kennan, this new definition clarifies what strategists do and offers a logic for distinguishing the use of the term strategy. Practitioners will also find problem-solving tools and pedagogies they can adopt today.

Parameters Spring 2024, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Rethinking The Relevance Of Self-Deterrence, Jeffrey H. Michaels

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

Self-deterrence is critically understudied in deterrence theory. Similarly, deterrence practitioners prefer to focus on adversaries’ threats rather than seeking to account for the full scope of fears influencing the decision calculus of policymakers. Through historical case studies, this article identifies where self-deterrence has occurred, highlights the benefits of incorporating the concept in future strategic planning and intelligence assessments, and recommends that policymakers, strategists, and analysts acknowledge self-deterrence as an important factor when preparing for future wars.

Us-Taiwan Relations And The Future Of The Liberal Order, Christina Lai

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

Strengthening ties with Taiwan is the best chance the United States has to preserve the liberal international order in Asia and improve its security relative to China. This study offers a normative perspective on how Taiwan can contribute to US-led international institutions and the Asian regional order and reduce conflict risk. It concludes with recommendations for the United States and its partners to integrate Taiwan into multilateral institutions in Asia.

Review Of Bullets To Ballots: Collective De-Radicalization Of Armed Movements, Gary Prevost

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Essay: Populism- Ensuring That People Have A Voice That Is Heard And Followed, Walter J. Kendall Lll

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Relational Leadership And Governing: Somali Clan Cultural Leadership, Farhia Abdi

The Journal of Social Encounters

This research is focused on exploring the distinction between theories of leadership and more contemporary visions of relational leading. In order to do so, the specific case of traditional clan structure seen in the Somali state will be examined, and parallels between the two will be drawn. This paper argues that the old Somali tradition shares much in common with current writing on relational leadership (Uhl-Bien, 2006) and, therefore, can expand our understanding and support for a form of leadership that transcends traditional, individualist, hierarchical leadership. This argument will be supported by a detailed investigation into clan politics, leadership, and …

Guns, Bombs, And Pollution: Unraveling The Nexus Between Warfare, Terrorism, And Ecological Devastation In Iraq, Hogr Tarkhani

The Journal of Social Encounters

Iraq's environment has experienced significant pollution and degradation, earning it the dubious distinction of being one of the most polluted and degraded regions globally, according to the Globe Pollution Review. The past three decades of armed conflict have exacted a heavy toll on the country, resulting in widespread human suffering, including countless fatalities, injuries, and a massive displacement of people. Amidst this death and destruction, the ecosystem has also endured severe damage, and its decline carries long-lasting implications.

The environmental crisis in Iraq has been worsened by the presence of extremist groups such as the Islamic State (ISIS) and various …

Environmental Peacebuilding: Yesterday, Today, And Tomorrow, Ken Conca

The Journal of Social Encounters

The field of environmental peacebuilding emerged as a counter to the idea that violent conflict was an inevitable byproduct of environmental change. Two decades ago, my colleague Geoffrey Dabelko and I published a book, Environmental Peacemaking, sketching the argument that ecological interdependencies could be instrumentalized as a force for peace (Conca & Dabelko, 2002). Other early works from this period focused on the peace opportunities in biodiversity conservation (Matthew et al., 2002) and transboundary protected areas (Brock, 1991; Ali, 2007). Since that time, a substantial community of research and practice has emerged around these ideas. In this essay I discuss …

The Detection Problem: An Eight-Decade Challenge: The Difficulty Of Practically Detecting And Discriminating Mines, Booby Traps, And Victim Operated Improvised Explosive Devices, Roly Evans, Tracey Temple Phd, Liz Nelson

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Reliably detecting and discriminating mines, booby traps, and victim operated improvised explosive devices remains a stubborn problem for both humanitarian demining organizations and the military. Since mines were widely used during the Second World War, much effort has been expended on the detection problem, with limited success. The aim of being able to positively identify a device first time remains elusive since the scientific challenge of positively identifying different substances in the ground is formidable. This article critically examines the detection problem and suggests that in the continued absence of a ‘silver bullet’ technological solution, the best means currently available …

Analisis Potensi Ancaman Siber Pada Bidang Ekonomi Di Indonesia, Isro' Kurniawan Rahakbauw, Ika Arini Batubara

Jurnal Kajian Stratejik Ketahanan Nasional

Artikel ini membahas analisis potensi ancaman perang siber pada sektor ekonomi di Indonesia. Peningkatan ketergantungan terhadap teknologi informasi dan konektivitas yang semakin luas membuka pintu lebar bagi potensi serangan siber terhadap sektor ekonomi negara. Melalui pendekatan analitis, artikel ini mengeksplorasi berbagai potensi ancaman siber yang mungkin dihadapi Indonesia, melibatkan serangan terhadap infrastruktur keuangan, perdagangan elektronik, serta data dan informasi bisnis. Dalam konteks ini, artikel ini juga mengevaluasi kesiapan dan keefektifan langkah-langkah keamanan siber yang telah diimplementasikan oleh pemerintah dan sektor swasta. Temuan dari analisis ini memberikan wawasan yang berharga untuk mengidentifikasi dan mengatasi potensi ancaman siber di sektor ekonomi Indonesia, …

Meningkatkan Ketahanan Ruang Udara Indonesia Melalui Analisis Intelijen, Laksono Hadisiswanto Putro, Celine Tjandra, Nursirwan Nursirwan

Jurnal Kajian Stratejik Ketahanan Nasional

Airspace defense is part of the country's sovereignty and its existence has been recognized. However, Indonesia does not yet have a law governing its airspace. This lack of regulation has occurred since the country's independence in 1945. This study aims to determine the benefits and urgency of improving airspace resilience in Indonesia by using an intelligence analysis approach. The research method is qualitative and descriptive analytical. Intelligence analysis is a powerful tool to anticipate and mitigate threats. By conducting intelligence analysis, it means being able to predict upcoming threats. The results of this study show that intelligence analysis is very …

The Last Colony: Theoretical Explanations On The Protractedness Of The Western Sahara Conflict, Elisabeth H. Austrheim

Journal of African Conflicts and Peace Studies

“There has never been a protracted war from which a country has benefited” (Tzu 1963: 73).

The forty-eight yearlong Western Sahara conflict over the former Spanish colony between Polisario and the Kingdom of Morocco continues its low prospects of resolution. The future of the territory, with both strategic geopolitical and financial relevance, remains uncertain in which the reasons for the continued prolongation appear to be many. Different conflict theories emphasise various factors causing protractedness, suggesting that many different causes, together, have engendered the current lack of settlement. Whilst the theory of protracted social conflicts emphasises developed high-tensioned, hostile relations between …

Giving Voice To The Victims Of The Insurgency In Eastern Uganda In The Late 1980s And Early 1990s: A Phenomenological Research Study, Lawrence Egulu

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

After five years of protracted guerilla warfare, Uganda’s current President Yoweri Museveni capturedpower in January 1986, displacing the preceding regime that had been dominated by Northern politicians and Eastern Ugandans (army and police). Feeling humiliated, deprived, and out of government, several rebel insurgencies erupted, among which was the Uganda People’s Army in the Teso region. The experiences of the affected population at the hands of the army, rebels, and the Karamojong cattle raiders from the North East have remained largely unexplored, unheard, and undocumented outside of the region, and neither have how the victims made meaning of their conditions. The …