The United States is committed to on-going involvement with Iraq to rebuild the country. Marines, who deploy to Iraq or are involved with Iraqis, need a basic knowledge of the country, its culture, history and present-day state of affairs. This...
Partnership for the Americas: the human rights initiative. Admiral Jim Stavridis, U. S. Navy; Alexander T. Roney; and Leana Bresnahan; USSOUTHCOM is the only combatant command with a separate office charged to monitor and coordinate human rights...
The U.S. strategy in Iraq from 2003 to 2007 focused on transitioning Iraq into a unified democratic nation state with majority and minority leaders working toward common goals. One seemingly unforeseen issue was that primordial nationalism...
This study analyzes the conditions that need to be met in order for Israel to return the Golan Heights to Syria while maintaining its security. Those conditions are: Israel and Syria must overcome history and politics; Israel must get asymmetrical...
This monograph examines the Arab Spring in light of the past half century of efforts in transnational Arab identity formation and thus considers its links to Arab Nationalism and Pan-Islamism. Then, with a focus on Syria and the sectarian nature of...
Islamic fundamentalism and Jihad are terms which have become prominent over the last two decades but are frequently misunderstood as concepts. Fundamentalism essentially means reviving Islam with its original pure principles as outlined by Mohammad...
This thesis examines the British experience in Iraq from 1914-1926. Britain invaded Iraq to secure its oil interests and to protect its lines of communication to India. The British initially defeated Ottoman forces and captured the Basra vilayet...
Since the death of the Prophet Mohammad sectarian violence has existed in the Middle East. This monograph details the history of the Sunni - Shia split and explains the origins of the violence still present today. This conflict presents...
Iraq may well be on a course to becoming the next Iran ' an Islamic republic that tramples on individual liberties in the name of religion. Arguably, the propensity of the predominately Shia country is to develop a government more concerned with...
Reconciliation remains an elusive concept in both domestic and international contexts as well as academic and governmental contexts. The military role in reconciliation remains even more elusive. As such, this monograph seeks to clarify what the...
Coalition forces are faced with many different issues that have arisen since the invasion of Iraq these include religious, and cultural differences. The focus of this article is to outline the cultural and religious differences and the impact they...
Even though the Army continues to repeat itself with the fight against insurgency, all military professionals should study military history because we continue to repeat the same mistakes. There is a wide epidemic among writers and historians who...
In the past decade, it has become apparent that the Iranian Government is not willing to give up its Nuclear Fuel Program. Though it claims that its endeavors are merely the pursuit of making nuclear fuel, the threat of an unsupervised Iranian...
This monograph provides an assessment of Iranian warfighting abilities at the operational level during the eight years of the Iran-Iraq War. It also looks at post-war Iranian arms purchases and training exercises to predict future Iranian...
On Point II: Transition to the New Campaign is the next volume in the US Army's series of studies focused on its operations in Iraq. The first volume, On Point: The United States Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom, showcased Army operations in the...
This document defines a way US military leaders can prepare for and conduct military operations through the lens of cultural awareness. It provides a method for helping military commanders, staffs, and trainers engage successfully in any type of...
This study examines the employment of U.S. Marines in Lebanon from 1982 to 1984 to determine if their use supported stated national objectives, national policy, and political objectives. The movement away from traditional concepts of employment of...
Recent conflicts, such as Operation Iraqi Freedom, have challenged operational commanders to develop skills to manage indigenous population issues. These skills were developed out of necessity after the conflict is over. Dealing with the...
Military operations usually look to previous campaigns for lessons learned to apply to current operations. The Vietnam War shaped the United States military way of thinking for many decades. However, some lessons learned did not work well in Iraq...
When Islamic Jihadists conducted terrorist operations against the United States at the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2001, it shook this nation to its very core. These terrorist actions...