In 1979 the age old struggle for the control of Islam between the Shiite and Sunni sects re-emerged in the Middle East. Four events occurred in 1979 that defined the context of contemporary Middle Eastern politics: the Islamic revolution in Iran,...
This study examines the effects of democratizing Iraq in relation to the stability of the state. The international relations theory of the democratic peace states that democracies do not fight one another. Elements of the theory have been applied...
Hezbollah, a successful and respected terrorist organization, has survived over a 28 year period by creating and extending its mobilization base. Hezbollah’s recruitment process has contributed to its successful growth. However, little is known...
In the past three decades, one country has stood out more than any other in opposing the United States' efforts in the Middle East: Iran. To counter Iranian influences in the Middle East, the United States has adopted a stance of containment...
Weems, Ricardo; Ayala, Richard; Moorehouse, Salina; Rinehart, William; Winters, Steven
With the past historical perspective on terrorism, one can see exactly why it is imperative the United States remain in the Gulf region. With the U.S. military and State Department presence, Iraq has the opportunity to create a representative...
With the U.S. military and State Department presence, Iraq has the opportunity to create a representative government supporting the ideals of freedom and democracy. Over watch is provided in a region historically known for dictator and monarchy...
This paper addresses the Israeli view of the threat posed by various armed factions in southern Lebanon over an 18-year period. This was a period during which Israeli used air strikes, ground invasions, and border operations to contain or defeat...
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...
An examination of ethnic demography, historical governments, political parties, force structure, organization, and partnership efforts within the Iraqi Ministry of Interior includes several recommendations that must be accomplished in order to...
This monograph analyzes the Iran-Iraq War to determine the role of society--the government, the people, and the army--in forming a state's strategy and action in war. It applies the writings of two classical theorists--Clausewitz and Delbruck--to...
This monograph analyzes the Iran-Iraq War from its inception in September of 1980 through the Iranian Faw Counteroffensive of February 1986. It uses the precepts of operational art to examine the performance of the belligerents in this prolonged...
The militant Lebanese Shia Group Hezbollah (Party of God) has evolved into the largest and most professional terrorist groups in the Middle East. The political wing has been successful at placing several representatives in the Lebanese Parliament...
Winning the Counterinsurgency Fight in Iraq: The Role of Political Culture in Counterinsurgency Warfare 2003-2006 in Iraq is written to provide insight into the importance of political culture in relation to developing a counterinsurgency strategy....
This paper provides Iranian considerations for war gaming from the Iranian perspective. The purpose of this paper is to provide the player representing Iran with a national security strategy. To do this, the paper begins with an analysis of Iran's...
The interaction between politics and military professionalism is a delicate balancing act in war. When the politics involves a revolutionary ideology, military professionalism can be subordinated to the point of hurting the war effort. The Iranian...
Ethnic and sectarian conflict is a prevalent form of conflict today. Most of the conflicts on-going today and in occurring the past twenty years have been internal wars between rival groups with ethnic or sectarian identities. Though its causes...
This study examines how Saddam Hussein's past has shaped his political outlook and how he has used power to make that outlook a reality. His past is reviewed in terms of Iraq's social environment during his youth and his early political career to...
This study attempts to determine why the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was successfully overthrown by a religion, Shiite Islam. The investigation is focused on the large and powerful Imperial Iranian Armed Forces, the Shah's political...
DOD Commission on Beirut International Airport Terrorist Act
On 23 October 1983, a truck laden with the equivalent of over 12,000 pounds of TNT crashed through the perimeter of the compound of the U.S. contingent of the Multinational Force at Beirut International Airport, Beirut, Lebanon, penetrated the...