Sunday, August 30, 2009

Friday's Miscellany 08-28-2008

Air Force Space Command (AFSPC)
· High Frontier Journal, v. 5, no. 4, August 2009

*Building the Political Consensus to Deter Attacks on Our Nation’s Space Systems by US Representative Terry Everett
*Employing Elements of National Power in Schriever V by VADM Carl V. Mauney
*Schriever V Wargames: The Boundaries of Space and Cyberspace by Lt Gen Larry D. James
*Schriever V - A UK Perspective by AVM T. M. “Timo” Anderson
*A Space Doctrine for Soldier, Scientist, and Citizen: What It Will Take to Secure the Space Domain by Ambassador Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr.
*Political-Military Implications of Space Warfare on Homeland Defense and Allied Relations by BG Robert J. Felderman
*The Value of the Domain [Schriever V Wargame] by Col Robert F. Wright, Jr.
*Coalition Space Operations: Lessons Learned from Schriever V Wargame by Mr. Joseph D. Rouge and Mr. Dennis L. Danielson
*Schriever V: Lessons Learned - A Canadian Perspective by Col François Malo
*The Strategic Value of Schriever V: Policy and Strategy Insights for the Quadrennial Defense Review by Mr. Marc J. Berkowitz
*Schriever V: Managing and Understanding Consequences to Military Space by Maj Gen Franklin “Judd” Blaisdell, USAF, retired
*Schriever Wargames: The Battle for the Ultimate High Ground by Mr. James C. Mesco

American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS)
· 'They Can and Must Increase': An Analysis of U.S.-Russian Economic Relations in International Comparison

· Toward a Transatlantic Eastern Policy? The U.S., the EU, and the "In-Between States"

Amnesty International
· Philippines: Shattered Lives: Beyond the 2008-2009 Mindanao Armed Conflict

· Timor-Leste: 'We Cry for Justice’: Impunity Persists 10 Years on in Timor-Leste

Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
· Options for Reforming the Clean Development Mechanism


Brookings Institute
· The Battle for Baghdad


Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
· Filling the Void: Dispatch from Afghanistan

Center for Contemporary Conflict (CCC)
· Strategic Insights, v. 3, no. 3, August 2009

*Subversion as a Facet of Terrorism and Insurgency: The Case for a Twenty-First Century Approach by Lindsay Clutterbuck and William Rosenau
*Employing Data Fusion in Cultural Analysis and Counterinsurgency in Tribal Social Systems by Steffen Merten
*Could Al Qaeda’s Own Strategy to Defeat Itself Actually Work? by Carl J. Ciovacco
*Diplomatic Game-Changer: How Recent Maritime-Related Initiatives Have Decisively Improved the Ability to Confront Terrorists/Criminals by Brian Wilson
*Ideology or Pragmatism? U.S. Economic Aid, Military Assistance, and Foreign Military Sales: 1950-2007 by David A. Anderson and MAJ Randall D. McCauley, USA
*Democracy Promotion and the National Security Strategy: U.S. National Interest, Primacy, and Coercion by Richard Nere
*Skeptics at NATO’s 60th Anniversary: A Critique of the Criticism by Maj. Loree Filizer, USAF
*Indo-U.S. Relations: An Historical Perspective by Dheeraj Kumar
*What if the President of Sudan is Arrested? by Glen Segell
*What is Washington’s Next Move on North Korea? by Sehun Cheon
*Lost Years, Lost Opportunities: Bush Foreign Policy by David W. Wise

Center for Defense Information (CDI)
· The Concern with South Korea's Missile Defense System

Center for Infrastructure Protection (CIP)
· Critical Path: A Brief History of Critical Infrastructure Protection in the United States [this is not new but has only recently been posted digitally]


Center for National Policy
· The Future of the U.S. Army: Options for Force Modernization

Center for Naval Analyses (CNA)
· “A Wing and a Prayer”: Summary and Analysis of the NAHLN HPAI Exercise Program


Center for Security Policy
· Stay of Execution


Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
· The Afghan-Pakistan War: The Shifting Nature of the Threat

Center for Strategy and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA)
· Life After FCS

Center for the Study of Intelligence
· Studies in Intelligence v. 53, no. 2, (Special Review Supplement) Summer 2009
*Intelligence in Contemporary Media: Views of Intelligence Officers by John McLaughlin

Combating Terrorism Center (CTC)
· CTC Sentinel, v. 2, no. 8, August 2009
*The Philippines' Continued Success Against Extremists by Peter Chalk
*The Evolving Role of Uzbek-led Fighters in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Jeremy Binnie and Joanna Wright
*Tribal Dynamics of the Afghanistan and Pakistan Insurgencies by Hayder Mili and Jacob Townsend
*A Review of Reconciliation Efforts in Afghanistan by Joanna Nathan
*The Absence of Shi`a Suicide Attacks in Iraq by Babak Rahimi
*Factors Affecting Stability in Northern Iraq by Ramzy Mardini
*Training for Terror: The 'Homegrown' Case of Jami`at al-Islam al-Sahih by Jeffrey B. Cozzens and William Rosenau
*Recent Highlights in Terrorist Activity

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
· The Budget and Economic Outlook: An Update

· Quality Initiatives Undertaken by the Veterans Health Administration

Department of Homeland Security
· Information Technology Sector Baseline Risk Assessment

Department of Homeland Security Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA)
· General Counsel Electronic Management System (GEMS)

Institute for Defence Studies & Analyses (IDSA)
· Journal of Defence Studies, v. 3, no. 1, January 2009
*Essential Elements of India's Defence Offset Policy - A Critique by Thomas Mathew
*A Survey of Successful Defence Offset Policy by Anuradha Mitra
*What India can Learn from Global Offset Experiences by Vivek Lall
*Implementation of Offset Policy in Defence Contracts: Indian Army Perspective by S. Sunder
*Offset Absorption Roadmap for the Navy by S. Samaddar
*Offset Absorption Roadmap for the Air Force by Sudhir V. Bal
*Offset Investment Inflow Priorities for Defence R&D by Prahlada, S. Radhakrishnan & Parimal Kumar
*Offset Investment Inflow Priorities for Ordnance Factories by S. Gopalaswamy
*Technology Inflows – Issues, Challenges and Methodology by S. P. Ravindran
*Manufacturing Capabilities Enhancement for Efficient Offset Absorption- Joint Ventures / Collaborations / Tie ups by Jayant Patil & Mukesh Bhargava
*Gearing up for the Defence Exports: Challenges, Opportunities and Pitfalls by B. Khaitan
* Industry Perspectives on Defence Offsets by S. K. Kaura

Institute for National Security Studies
· Strategic Assessment, v 12, no. 2, August 2009
*The Promise and Perils of Engagement by Mark A. Heller
*The Iranian Nuclear Program: Waiting for Obama by Ephraim Kam
*Iran's Ballistic Missiles by Yiftah S. Shapir
*Battling for Consciousness by Yossi Kuperwasser
*Palestinian Duality: Territories, Governments, Agendas by Ephraim Lavie
*The Lebanese Paliamentary Elections: Back to the Future? By Benedetta Berti
*Guardians of a Tense Peace: US Combat Forces in Iraq by Clint ZumBrunnen
*Russia in the Middle East: An Unlikely Comeback by Olena Bagno
*Killing Pakistan from Within by Meirav Mishali-Ram

Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS)
· Update on the Arak Heavy Water Reactor in Iran

International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR)
· 15 Ideas to Fix the Middle East

International Crisis Group
· Chad: Escaping from the Oil Trap

International Relations and Security Network
· Abkhazia: Optimism and Tension
· Swine Flu – the Sickly Side of Globalization

International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
· Counterinsurgency Guidance

Minority Rights Group International
· Peoples Under Threat 2009
*The Efficacy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” by Om Prakash
*Winfield Scott’s 1847 Mexico City Campaign as a Model for Future War by Daniel T. Canfield
*Graying Panda, Shrinking Dragon: The Impact of Chinese Demographic Changes on Northeast Asian by Matt Isler
*A New Grand Bargain: Implementing the Comprehensive Approach in Defense Planning by Thomas G. Mahnken
*Strategic Drift? The Future of the National War College by Janet Breslin-Smith and Cliff Krieger
*Developing Strategists: Translating National Strategy into Theater Strategy by Derek S. Reveron and James L. Cook
*Asia: Facing Interesting Times By Dean Cheng
*Future Gulf War: Weighing Arab and American Forces against Iranian Capabilities by Richard L. Russell
*The State of Play in Russia’s Near Abroad By Peter B. Humphrey
*SORT-ing out START: Options for U.S.-Russian Strategic Arms Reductions by Stephen J. Cimbala
*Real Acquisition Reform By Jim Cooper and Russell Rumbaugh
*Integrating CONOPs into the Acquisition Process by John P. Jumper, David A. Deptula, and Harold B. Adams
*Moving Toward a Joint Acquisition Process to Support ISR by Del C. Kostka
*MRAPs, Irregular Warfare, and Pentagon Reform by Christopher J. Lamb, Matthew J. Schmidt, and Berit G. Fitzsimmons
*Strategic Communication and the Combatant Commander by Jeffrey B. Jones, Daniel T. Kuehl, Daniel Burgess, and Russell Rochte
*Energy and Environmental Insecurity by Richard B. Andres
*Measure, Manage, Win: The Case for Operational Energy Metrics by Andrew Bochman
*Interview with General Raymond T. Odierno, USA, Commander, Multi-National Force–Iraq by David H. Gurney and Jeffrey D. Smotherman
*Breaking the Yardstick: The Dangers of Market-based Governance By Don J. DeYoung
*Radar versus Stealth: Passive Radar and the Future of U.S. Military Power by Arend G. Westra
*Mind Fitness: Improving Operational Effectiveness and Building Warrior Resilience Elizabeth A. Stanley and Amishi P. Jha
*The Department of Homeland Security: An Organization in Transition by Charles B. King III
*U.S. Joint Military Contributions to Countering Syria’s 1970 Invasion of Jordan by Richard A. Mobley

National Democratic Institute (NDI)
· Preliminary Statement of the NDI Election Observer Delegation to Afghanistan's 2009 Presidential and Provincial Council Elections


National Security Archive
· The CIA's Vietnam Histories

New America Foundation
· Japan Rethinks Reform
*Wishful Thinking and Indecisive Wars by Ralph Peters
*A Balanced Approach to Irregular Warfare by Admiral Eric T. Olson
*Future Force Planning for the Middle East by Rear Admiral John F. Sigler
*The Missile Defense Mission by Jeff Kueter
*Contextualizing Counterinsurgency by Stephen Sloan & Sebastian L. v. Gorka
*A Post-Conflict Primer by J. Sullivan, A. Shkolnikov & A. Nadgrodkiewicz
*Higher Miseducation by Patrick Poole
*The Perilous Future of U.S. Strategic Forces by B. Thayer & T. Skypek
*Not Saved by “Zero” by Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.
*The Art of (Cyber) War by Brian M. Mazanec
*Finding Equilibrium on Iran by Mario Loyola
*Fixing Our Pakistan Problem by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
*The Power of the Ought”: An Interview with Ambassador Max Kampelman
*LEBANON: Out of Gas by Nicholas Noe
*INDIA: Pakistan’s Enemy Within by M. D. Nalapat
*BELGIUM: The Case for Montenegro by Borut Grgic

Small Wars Journal
· Cultural Awareness or Cultural Apperception: Is There a Difference?
· Dealing with the Crisis in Zimbabwe: The Role of Economics, Diplomacy, and Regionalism

Stanley Foundation
· Peacebuilding Following Conflict


Stimson Center
· Resetting the Peace Clock

Virtual Information Center (VIC)
· Country Primers [latest]
*Indonesia
*Vanuatu
*Tonga
*New Zealand
*Australia

Washington Institute for Near East Policy
· Ahmadinezhad's Cabinet: Loyalists and Radicals

· Putting Iraq's Security Agreement to the Vote: Risks and Opportunities

Thursday, August 27, 2009

NSPS review report and recommendations

"On May 14, 2009 the Deputy Secretary of Defense requested the DBB to form a Task Group to review NSPS to help the Department determine: (1) if the underlying design principles and methodology for implementation are reflected in the NSPS program objectives; (2) whether the program objectives are being met; and (3) whether NSPS is operating in a fair, transparent, and effective manner. This Task Group is a subcommittee of the Defense Business Board, and pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, the Government in Sunshine Act of 1976, and other appropriate federal regulations, this Task Group does not work independently of the Board's charter." from the Defense Business Board NSPS Task Group's page

They have now released their final NSPS report

Report to the Secretary of Defense - Review of the National Security Personnel System. Recommendations on Performance Management and the National Security Personnel System

Friday's Miscellany 08-21-2009

Amnesty International
· Honduras: Human Rights Crisis Threatens as Repression Increases

· Tunisia: Continuing Abuses in the Name of Security

Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
· The Armageddon Test


Brookings Institution
· Monetary Policy Challenges for Emerging Market Economies

· Pakistan's Madrassas: The Need for Internal Reform and the Role of International Assistance
· Peace, Reconciliation, and Displacement
· Protecting the Displaced in Colombia: The Role of Municipal Authorities


Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
· Palestine: The Schism Deepens

· Rising Tensions in Afghanistan: Dispatch from Kandahar

Center for American Progress
· In Afghanistan, Do What We Must

· Peaking Duck: Beijing’s Growing Appetite for Climate Action
· Slideshow: Afghanistan Heads to the Ballot Box- Pre-Election Photos from Afghanistan

Center for Immigration Studies (CIS)
· Jobs Americans Won’t Do? A Detailed Look at Immigrant Employment by Occupation

· Worse Than It Seems: Broader Measure of Unemployment Shows Bleak Picture

Center for Naval Analyses (CNA)
· Energy Conversation: The First 3 Years

· Powering America’s Defense: Energy and the Risks to National Security

Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS)
· Alternative Transportation Fuels and Vehicle Technologies

· GCC - Iran: Operational Analysis of Air, SAM and TBM Forces
· Issues in International Political Economy - "Mexico's Periodic Bad Times" - August 2009 - Number 116 · Legitimacy and the Afghan Elections
· A Risk-Management Approach to Afghanistan?
· Shape, Clear, Hold, and Build

Centre for International Governance Innovation
· Afghanistan’s Alternatives for Peace, Governance and Development: Transforming Subjects to Citizens & Rulers to Civil Servants


Council on Foreign Relations
· Beyond Elections, Fixing the Afghan State

· FARC, ELN: Colombia’s Left-Wing Guerrillas

· Overcoming the 'Rut' in Middle East Peace Efforts
· Political Instability in Egypt

Department of Defense (DOD)
· Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)/ Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) U.S. Casualty Status Fatalities


Department of Defense Chemical and Biological Defense Program (CBDP)
· CBDP Annual Report to Congress 2009


Department of Homeland Security Inspector General
· OIG-09-93 - Review of U.S. Coast Guard Enterprise Architecture Implementation Process


Department of Justice
· Cities in Which Mexican DTOs Operate Within the United States--Situation Report

· National Methamphetamine Threat Assessment 2009
· National Prescription Drug Threat Assessment 2009

Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI)
· Prolonging East Asia’s Surprising Peace—Can It Be Managed?


Heritage Foundation
· Afghan Elections Offer Hope for the Future

· Extended Republic or Centralized Nation-State? Herbert Croly, Progressivism, and the Decline of Civic Engagement
· A CIA Special Prosecutor: A Wolf in Wolf's Clothing

· No North Korean Thaw from Clinton Trip
· Obama Missile Defense Proposal: Numbers Matter
· Strengthening U.S. Anti-Narcotics Efforts in Colombia
· Sustain MEADS, the Other European Missile Defense Program
· The U.S. Should Not Join the International Criminal Court

Hudson Institute
· The Talibanization of Gaza: A Liability for the Muslim Brotherhood


Human Rights Watch
· "They Want Us Exterminated": Murder, Torture, Sexual Orientation and Gender in Iraq


Institute for the Study of War
· Building Security Forces and Ministerial Capacity: Iraq as a Primer


International Crisis Group
· Myanmar: Towards the Elections


International Relations and Security Network
· Afghan Vote: Dangerous Ink Stains

· Central Asia: Beyond Jihad
· Mexico’s ‘Divine Justice’
· South Ossetia: The War Way of Life
· Transdniester: No End to Conflict
· Turnout Mixed In Afghan Vote
· The US and the Gulf: Shifting Diplomatic Landscapes
· US Defense Budget, A Hard Sell

International Republican Institute (IRI)
· Afghanistan Public Opinion Survey: July 16-26, 2009


Iran Tracker
· A Thorn in the Side of the Taliban: Turkistan Bhittani Biography and Analysis


Jamestown Foundation
· China Brief, v. 9, 17, August 20, 2009

*Hu's Anti-Graft Drives Lack Institutional Checks and Reforms
*Is China a "Soft" Naval Power?
*Peace-Mission 2009: A Military Scenario Beyond Central Asia
*China-ASEAN Free Trade Area: A Chinese "Monroe Doctrine" or "Peaceful Rise"?
· Terrorism Monitor, v. 7, no. 26, August 20, 2009

*Jihadis Turn their Eyes to Syria as a Post-Iraq Theater of Operations
*The Death of Baitullah Mahsud: A View from Afghanistan
*Uncertainty Rather than Stability Follows Defeat of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers
*The Return of the Kingmaker: Afghanistan's General Dostum Ends his Exile

Lexington Institute
· Are Policymakers Too Enchanted With Unmanned Aircraft?

· Reversing Industrial Decline: A Role for the Defense Budget

National Security Archive
· Brazil Conspired with U.S. to Overthrow Allende

· Breaking the Silence: The Mexican Army and the 1997 Acteal Massacre

Natural Resources Defense Council
· A Clear Blue Future: How Greening California Cities Can Address Water Resources and Climate Challenges in the 21st Century


Peterson Institute for International Economics
· The 2008 Oil Price "Bubble"

· Criss-Crossing Globalization: Uphill Flows of Skill-Intensive Goods and Foreign Direct Investment
· Setting the NAFTA Agenda on Climate Change
· Structural and Cyclical Trends in Net Employment over US Business Cycles 1949–2009: Implications for the Next Recovery and Beyond
· What's on the Table? The Doha Round as of August 2009

PEW Center
· New Data Show Nanotechnology-Related Activities in Every U.S. State


RAND
· Computer Simulation of General and Flag Officer Management: Model Description and Results

· Finding Needles in a Haystack: A Resource Allocation Methodology to Design Strategies to Detect Terrorist Weapon Development

Small War Journal
· To Kill a Mockingbird: The Deconstruction of Information Operations


Stimson Center
· The Indian Ocean: Resource and Governance Challenges

· Islam and Politics: Renewal and Resistance in the Muslim World

Strategic Studies Institute
· Mind-Sets and Missiles: A First Hand Account of the Cuban Missile Crisis

· The Role of Cuban Paramilitary Organizations (People's Militias) in the Post-Castro Era
· Taking Up the Security Challenge of Climate Change

UK Parliament
· Closing the Impunity Gap: UK Law on Genocide (and Related Crimes) and Redress for Torture Victims

· Scrutiny of Arms Export Controls (2009): UK Strategic Export Controls Annual Report 2007, Quarterly Reports for 2008, Licensing Policy and Review of Export Control Legislation


US Institute of Peace
· Building the Rule of Law in Haiti: New Laws for a New Era

· How Opium Profits the Taliban
· Notes from Sudan

Washington Institute for Near East Policy
· Cracking Down on Iran's Illicit Trade

· Fatah Congress: Will New Resolutions Mean a New Direction?

Washington Post-ABC News
· Poll Data on US Opinion on Afghan War

· Washington Post article


World Health Organization (WHO)
· Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2008: The Numbers and Trends

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Friday's Miscellany 08-14-2009

Adjutants General Association of the United States (AGAUS)
·
The Homeland Security Council: A Different Structure for a Different Challenge

Afghanistan Analyst Network
· How To Win An Afghan Election

· The Other Side. Dimensions of the Afghan Insurgency: Causes, Actors - and Approaches to Talks

Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission
· AIHRC AIHRC-UNAMA Joint Monitoring of Political Rights Presidential and Provincial Council Elections : First Report 25 April – 12 June 2009

· AIHRC-UNAMA Joint Monitoring Of Political Rights - Presidential And Provincial Council Elections - Second Report, 16 June - 1 August 2009


American Enterprise Institute
· Order of Battle: Pakistani Military in FATA and Northwest Frontier Province


Amnesty International
· Civilians in the Aftermath of War: The Georgia-Russia Conflict One Year On


Army War College
· Parameters, Summer 2009, v. 39, no. 2

*“Is There a Civil-Military Gap in China’s Peaceful Rise?” by Andrew Scobell
*“China’s New Security Strategy for Africa” by Jonathan Holslag

*“Enhancing Interrogation: Advancing a New Agenda” by John A. Wahlquist
*“Unlocking Russian Interests on the Korean Peninsula” by John W. Bauer
*“Caught in the Net: Lessons from the Financial Crisis for a Networked Future” by Gautam Mukunda and William J. Troy
*“An Ever-Expanding War: Legal Aspects of Online Strategic Communication” by Daniel Silverberg and Joseph Heimann
*“Deconstructing Our Dark Age Future” by P. Michael Phillips

Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
· Improving U.S.-China Relations: The Next Steps


Brookings Institution
· The 2009 Afghanistan Elections and the Future of Governance

· The 2009 Afghan Elections and the Future of the International Community in Afghanistan
· Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd and the Australia-U.S. Alliance

· China’s New Think Tanks: Where Officials, Entrepreneurs, and Scholars Interact
· Climate Change and India: Is There a Basis for U.S. Pressure?
· A Crucial Election for Afghanistan's Future
· Successful Afghan Election Is Only Part of the Fight against the Taliban
· The Taliban and the Afghan Elections

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
· Inside Kabul: Dispatch from Afghanistan

· Islam and the Paths of Pakistan’s Political Development
· Morocco’s Royal Think Tank Issues Report on Economic Crisis: Diagnosis Right, Therapy Wrong!

· Realities and Priorities: What to Do in Afghanistan
· Regional Arrangements in the Arabian Gulf

· Why America Should Play the Long Game in Iran

Center for a New American Security
· Afghanistan Strategy Dialogue [blog by Abu Muqawama]


Center for American Progress
· Economic Snapshot for August 2009

· Natural Gas: A Bridge Fuel for the 21st Century
· Rebuilding America: A Policy Framework for Investment in Energy Efficiency Retrofits
· U.S. Policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan: A Center for American Progress Conversation with Ambassador Richard Holbrooke and His Interagency Team

Center for Defense Information (CDI)
· How Congress Finances Pork


Center for National Policy
· Afghan Elections: Prospects for the Future


Center for Security Policy
· Is 'Islam' at War with Us?


Center for Nonproliferation Studies
· The African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Enters into Force

· Chemical Weapon Munitions Dumped at Sea

Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA)
· Analysis of the FY 2010 Defense Budget Request

· Classified Funding in the FY 2010 Defense Budget Request
· Impact of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on the US Military’s Plans, Programs, and Budgets
· Resourcing For Defeat: Critical Failures In Planning, Programming, Budgeting, And Resourcing The Afghan And Iraq Wars

Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
· Iran Status Report

· Twenty Important Controls for Effective Cyber Defense and FISMA Compliance
· Violence in the North Caucasus Interim Report: January 2008 – July 2009
· Withdrawal from Iraq: Assessing the Readiness of Iraqi Security Forces

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

· Creating Global Intelligence: Overview http://www.foia.cia.gov/cgi.asp
· Foreign Broadcast Information Service: History -Part I: 1941-1947


Centre for Military and Strategic Studies
· Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, Summer 2009, v. 11, no. 4

*A Rational-constructivist Explanation for the Evolution and Decline of the Norm against Mercenarism
*The Theoretical Aspect of Targeted Killings: The Phoenix Program as a Case Study
*Auditory Situation Awareness in Urban Operations

Congress Senate Foreign Relations Committee
· Afghanistan's Narco War: Breaking the Link Between Drug Traffickers and Insurgents


Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
· Pakistan’s Tribal Belt (Interactive)

· Striking a Balance on Counterterrorism Policies
· U.S. Air Strikes in Pakistan "Ineffective"
· U.S. Policy Shift Needed in the Horn of Africa

Department of Defense Inspector General (DODIG)
· Report on the President's Surveillance Program, prepared by the Offices of Inspectors General of the Department of Defense, Department of Justice, Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, and Office of the Director of National Intelligence
http://www.dodig.mil/Ir/reports/s0907.pdf

Department of Homeland Security Inspector General
· OIG-09-91 - CBP's Construction of Border Patrol Facilities and Acquisition of Vehicles

· OIG-09-74 - Advisory Report: Department of Homeland Security's Capabilities to Implement the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

Department of Homeland Security Office of Immigration Statistics
· 2008 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics

· The Macroeconomic Impacts of the 9/11 Attack: Evidence from Real-time Forecasting


Department of Homeland Security Privacy Impact Assessments
· Department of Homeland Security Our Border Network


European Commission (EC) European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO)
· The EU in Afghanistan - Assistance and Support to the Democratic Process


Foreign Policy Research Institute
· La Familia Michoacána: A Deadly Mexican Cartel Revisited


Global Facilitation Network for Security Sector Reform (GFN-SSR)
· Key Challenges Facing Security Sector Reform: A Case for Reframing the Donor Policy Debate
· Security Sector Reform: Post-Conflict Integration
· SSR and Post-Conflict Reconstruction: Armed Wing of State-Building?

Government Accountability Office (GAO)
· International Trade: Four Free Trade Agreements GAO Reviewed Have Resulted in Commercial Benefits, but Challenges on Labor and Environment Remain, GAO-09-439

· U.S.-Africa Trade: Options for Congressional Consideration to Improve Textile and Apparel Sector Competitiveness under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, GAO-09-916

Heritage Foundation
· A CIA Special Prosecutor: A Wolf in Wolf's Clothing

· Five Things Congress and the President Are Doing to Bring Back Sky-High Gas Prices
· India's Future in the Balance

· Pakistan Gaining Against Militants

Hudson Institute
· Hudson Institute Economic Report August 14, 2009


Human Rights Watch
· Human Rights and Saudi Arabia’s Counterterrorism Response Religious Counseling, Indefinite Detention, and Flawed Trials

· White Flag Deaths: Killings of Palestinian Civilians during Operation Cast Lead

Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
· Strategic Forum no. 245 - An Iraqi ISF Assessment after U.S. Troop Withdrawal


Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS)
· Mysteries Deepen Over Status of Arak Reactor Project


Institute for the Study of War
· Why the Taliban Are Winning--for Now


International Crisis Group
· Nepal’s Future: In Whose Hands?

· Somalia: The Trouble with Puntland

International Energy Administration (EIA)
· End-User Petroleum Product Prices and Average Crude Oil Import Costs July 2009

· Monthly Natural Gas Survey May 2009
· Monthly Oil Survey May 2009

International Relations and Security Network
· Africa: Police for Peace

· Fatah's Changing of the Guard
· Iran Watch: A Lame Duck President?
· An Opportune Time for Moldova
· Tactical Nukes: A Strategic Asset or Future Liability?

IranTracker
· 2009 Waziristan Conflict Map

· Reported Death of Beitullah Mehsud & Pakistani Taliban Leadership

Jamestown Foundation
· Terrorism Monitor, v. 7, no. 25, August 13, 2009

*Jihadis Search for Intelligence Penetration on Jihadi Website Forums
*Counterterrorism Operations Continue in Tajikistan
*PKK Forces Await Orders from Imprisoned Leader Abdullah Ocalan
*Is the Trans-Sahara Gas Pipeline a Viable Project? The Impact of Terrorism Risk

National Academies Press
· Contaminated Water Supplies at Camp Lejeune: Assessing Potential Health Effects [free download but registration required]

· The Disposal of Activated Carbon from Chemical Agent Disposal Facilities [free download but registration required]

Partnership for a Secure America
· Pakistan's Nuclear Security


Pew Global Attitudes Project
· Pakistani Public Opinion: Growing Concerns About Extremism, Continuing Discontent with U.S.


RAND
· Finding Needles in a Haystack: A Resource Allocation Methodology to Design Strategies to Detect Terrorist Weapon Development

· Improving the Army's Assessment of Interactive Multimedia Instruction Courseware
· A National Agenda for Public Health Systems Research on Emergency Preparedness
· Risk Communication in the Early Stages of the H1N1 (Swine Flu) Alert: How Effective Were State and Local Public Health Departments?

· Shaping Tomorrow Today: Near-Term Steps Towards Long-Term Goals
· Understanding Why Terrorist Operations Succeed or Fail

Small Wars Journal
· Bil Janoob: Multi-National Division-South Security Force Assistance

· Inception and Early Evolution of a Partnership Doctrine: Building Afghan Army Capacity While Fighting a Counterinsurgency

Social & Demographic Trends Pew Research Center
· Forty Years After Woodstock, A Gentler Generation Gap


Southern Poverty Law Center
· The Second Wave: Return of the Militias


Special Inspector General For Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR)
· SIGAR-Audit-09-3 A Better Management Information System Is Needed to Promote Information Sharing, Effective Planning, and Coordination of Afghanistan Reconstruction Activities


Stimson Center
· Mapping the United States Government Engagement in Global Public Health

· A New Agenda for Bosnia and Herzegovina
· Thailand’s Apparent Policy Shift on Mekong Hydropower Dams

Strategic Studies Institute
· Toward a Risk Management Defense Strategy


UK Parliament
· Leaks and Whistleblowing in Whitehall


US Institute of Peace (USIP)
· Afghanistan’s Police: The Weak Link in Security Sector Reform

· Blood Oil in the Niger Delta
· Interview with Abiodun Williams about Africa
· Interview with Sheldon Himelfarb about Media in Peacebuilding
· Theory Meets Practice: Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan

Washington Institute for Near East Policy
· Militarization of the Iranian Judiciary

· Mubarak Comes to Washington

White House
· Health Insurance Reform Reality Check


Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
· A "New" Strategy For Afghanistan And Its Region - Summary Report

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Online Discourse in the Arab World: Dispelling the Myths

The US Institute of Peace, in collaboration with the Harvard Berkman Center for Internet & Society, held an event entitled " Online Discourse in the Arab World: Dispelling the Myths" on June 17, 2009. The video of this event is now available.

A related report from the Berkman Center entitled " Mapping the Arabic Blogosphere: Politics, Culture, and Dissent" might also be of interest.
The Internet & Democracy Project is investigating the "impact of the Internet on civic engagement and democratic processes." They also did some work on "Mapping Change in the Iranian Blogosphere" earlier this year.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Friday's Miscellany 08-07-2009

American Enterprise Institute
· Deter, Defend, Repel, and Partner: A Defense Strategy for Taiwan

· Drug Use in Nigeria

American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICIGS)
· German and U.S. Domestic Counterterrorism Responses: Only Half a World Apart

· Kulturpolitik versus Aussenpolitik in the Past Sixty Years

· NATO and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization: New Energy Geopolitics for the Transatlantic Alliance
· The Transatlantic Agenda for Labor Market Reform: Increasing Adaptability Through Continuing Training

American Society of Civil Engineers
· Guiding Principles for the Nation’s Critical Infrastructure

Amnesty International
· Civilians in the Aftermath of War: The Georgia-Russia Conflict One Year On


Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
· U.S. Aid to Pakistan—U.S. Taxpayers Have Funded Pakistani Corruption


Brookings Institution
· Germany’s Recession vs. America’s: Doing Worse, but Feeling Better

· How the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars Have Shaped the Obama Administration
· Morocco’s King Mohammed VI: 10 Years and Counting

· The Scouting Report: Dialing Down North Korea’s Nuclear Threat
· Seeking Fair and Effective Administration of Immigration Laws
· Why Paying for Health Care Reform Is Difficult and Essential: Numbers and Rules

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
· Iran's Clenched Fist: Should the United States Extend or Withdraw Its Hand?
· Kurdish Elections: Implications for Iraq and the Region
· The Taliban's Winning Strategy in Afghanistan

Center for Security Policy
· What's Wrong with Insulza and the OAS

· A World of Hurt

Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA)
· Correcting Course: The Cancellation of the Future Combat Systems Program


Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
· The New Metrics of Afghanistan

· Resourcing for Defeat: Critical Failures in Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Resources the Afghan and Iraq Wars
· South Asia Monitor: "A Calculated Risk": India's New Budget - August 03, 2009
· Toward the Heavens: Latin America’s Emerging Space Programs


Congress. Senate. Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee
· Aviation Safety: The Relationship Between Network Airlines and Regional Airlines


Congress. Senate. Foreign Relations Committee
· Georgia: One Year After the August War


Congress. Senate. Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee
· The U.S. Postal Service in Crisis

· Strengthening the Federal Acquisition Workforce: Government-wide Leadership and Initiatives
· Focusing on Children in Disasters: Evacuation Planning and Mental Health Recovery
· Eliminating Wasteful Contractor Bonuses

Congress. Senate. Judicial Committee
· Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court - Sonia Sotomayor


Department of Defense
· Measuring Stability in Iraq, Quarterly Report, July 2009


Department of Defense Inspector General (DODIG)
· D-2009-098 Status of the Defense Emergency Response Fund in Support of the Global War on Terror

· D-2009-097 Data Migration Strategy and Information Assurance for the Business Enterprise Information Services
· D-2009-091 Information Operations Contracts in Iraq

· D-2009-030 Marine Corps Implementation of the Urgent Universal Needs Process for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles

Department of Homeland Security Office of Immigration Statistics
· An Exploratory Time Series Analysis of Apprehensions and Linewatch Hours on the Southwest Border


Department of Homeland Security Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA)
· Department of Homeland Security Complaint Tracking System (CTS)

· Department of Homeland Security National Dialogue for the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR)

DIALOGUE
· Remittances in Latin America and the Caribbean: Their Impact on Local Economies and the Response of Local Governments


Energy Information Administration (EIA)
· Energy Market and Economic Impacts of H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009


FDD's Center for Terrorism Research
· A Guide to Terrorism Events and Landmark Cases: Terrorism in the West 2008


Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI)
· U.S. Foreign Policy Traditions and the Middle East

· The U.S. and Egypt Since the Suez Crisis
· What Students Need To Know About America’s Wars, Part 2— 1920–Present: A History Institute for Teachers

Government Accountability Office (GAO)
· America Competes Act: NIST Applied Some Safeguards in Obtaining Expert Services, but Additional Direction from Congress Is Needed, GAO-09-789

· Ballistic Missile Defense: Actions Needed to Improve Planning and Information on Construction and Support Costs for Proposed European Sites, GAO-09-771
· Biosafety Laboratories: BSL-4 Laboratories Improved Perimeter Security Despite Limited Action by CDC, GAO-09-851
· Defense Acquisitions: Additional Analysis Needed to Capture Cost Differences Between Conventional and Nuclear Propulsion for Navy's Future Cruiser, GAO-09-886R
· Federal Contracting: Application of OMB Guidance Can Improve Use of Award Fee Contracts, GAO-09-839T
· Hurricane Katrina: Barriers to Mental Health Services for Children Persist in Greater New Orleans, Although Federal Grants Are Helping to Address Them, GAO-09-935T [testimony]


Heritage Foundation
· Bill Clinton in Pyongyang: Bring American Reporters Home, Do Not Let Up on Nukes

· Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Authorization Bill: Conference Issues and Recommendations
· Foreign Aid: Congress Should Shift USAID Funds to the Millennium Challenge Account
· National Security Not a Good Argument for Global Warming Legislation
· Shiprider Program Demonstrates U.S.--Canadian Cooperation

Human Rights Watch
· Broken System: Dysfunction, Abuse, and Impunity in the Indian Police

· Rockets from Gaza: Harm to Civilians from Palestinian Armed Groups’ Rocket Attacks

IBM Center for the Business of Government
· Strategic Risk Management in Government: A Look at Homeland Security [with case example of port security]


Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
· Strategic Forum no. 244 - Aligning Disarmament to Nuclear Dangers: Off to a Hasty START?

· Strategic Forum no. 243 - U.S.-Mexico Defense Relations: An Incompatible Interface

Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS)
· Imagery Brief on Burma


Institute for Security Studies (ISS)
· ISS Paper 192: Financial Disclosure Requirements in South Africa 2004–2008, Holding Elected Politicians Accountable

· ISS Paper 191: Africa and an Arms Trade Treaty
· Monograph No 163: Benin, Revue de la Justice Criminelle
· Monograph No 162: Mali Criminalité et Justice Criminelle

· Monograph No 161: The Theory and Practice of Criminal Justice in Africa

· Monograph No 160: Sierra Leone. A Country Review of Crime and Criminal Justice, 2008

· Monograph No 159: The Criminal Justice System in Zambia. Enhancing the Delivery of Security in Africa


Institute for the Study of War
· Déjà Vue All Over Again in Afghanistan?

· Major Enemy Groups in Afghanistan [map]
· Order of Battle, Coalition Combat Forces in Afghanistan, August 2009
· Order of Battle, Coalition Combat Forces in Iraq, August 2009


International Relations and Security Network
· F-22: Ruptured Raptor

· Moscow's Security Plans Face Reality Check
· Ukraine: The Rise of Yatsenyuk
· Web 3.0: Installing the Plumbing

International Council on Security and Development
· Afghanistan Elections: Guns and Money

· Kabul maps

Iran Tracker
· Unrest in Iran: Incident Statistics and Map for Protests, Arrests, and Deaths

Jamestown Foundation
· China Brief, v. 9, no. 16, August 5, 2009

*Hu Boosts Military Modernization at PLA Anniversary
*Xinjiang Crackdown and Changing Perceptions of China in the Islamic World?
*China's Russian Far East
*Strategic Implications of Chinese Fisheries Development
· Terrorism Monitor, v. 7, no. 24, August 6, 2009

* Jihadis Ask How the Mujahideen Will Control an Islamic State of Iraq
*Local Militants Struggle with Taliban Government for Control of Pakistan's Khyber Agency
*What Next for the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group after Rebuff from the Libyan Regime?
*Imprisoned PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan Preparing a Roadmap to Peace in Turkey's Ethnic-Kurdish Insurgency

Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense
· Chem-Bio Defense Quarterly, Vol. 6 No. 3, July-September 2009


Lexington Institute
· Stopping C-17 Now Would Hobble Future Warfighters


Migration Policy Institute
· Aligning Temporary Immigration Visas with US Labor Market Needs: The Case for Provisional Visas


National Academies Press
· Ensuring the Integrity, Accessibility, and Stewardship of Research Data in the Digital Age

· Evaluation of Future Strategic and Energy Efficient Options for the U.S. Capitol Power Plant [free download but registration required]
· Global Security Engagement: A New Model for Cooperative Threat Reduction [free download but registration required]

RAND
· Improving Development and Utilization of U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officers

· Public Health Preparedness and Response to Chemical and Radiological Incidents: Functions, Practices, and Areas for Future Work
· A Question of Balance: Political Context and Military Aspects of the China-Taiwan Dispute
· A Strategic Approach to Joint Officer Management: Analysis and Modeling Results

Small Wars Journal
· The 800-Pound Gorilla: The Interrelationship of Culture, Economics, and Security in Afghanistan

· Going Tribal: Enlisting Afghanistan’s Tribes
· Organizing Counterinsurgency Operations in Afghanistan

Special Inspector General For Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR)
· Quarterly Report to the United States Congress, July 2009


Stimson Center
· Defense Sector Reform: A Note on Current Practice

· National Security Strategies and Policies: A Note on Current Practice
· Threat Assessments and Reviews: A Note on Current Practice

Strategic Studies Institute
· The Role of Cuban Paramilitary Organizations (People's Militias) in the Post-Castro Era

· Taking Up the Security Challenge of Climate Change

UK House of Commons - Foreign Affairs Committee
· Global Security: Afghanistan and Pakistan


UK Parliament
· Allegations of UK Complicity in Torture

· Dual-use Dilemma
· The Iraq Inquiry
· Pandemic Influenza: Follow-up

US Institute of Peace
· Scenarios for Sudan: Avoiding Political Violence Through 2011


Washington Institute for Near East Policy
· 'Managed Democracy' Gives Way in Iraqi Kurdistan


White House
· Remarks by John O. Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism – As Prepared for Delivery "A New Approach to Safeguarding Americans"