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Middle East

Despite the drawdown of U.S. forces from Iraq and Afghanistan, and desires to “rebalance” to Asia, the Middle East continues to dominate the U.S. national security agenda. CNAS conducts cutting-edge research on the most pressing issues in this turbulent region, including responses to the challenges posed by Iranian nuclearization, the Arab Spring, Syria and Iraq.

 

 

 

 

 

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  • Contracting in Combat Zones: Who Are Our Subcontractors?
    Contracting in Combat Zones: Who Are Our Subcontractors?
    Author(s): Richard Fontaine
    Type of Publication: Congressional Testimony
    Date: 06/29/2010

    CNAS Senior Fellow Richard Fontaine testified on the problems associated with contracting in conflicts and areas for reform before the U.S. Congressional Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

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  • Are Private Security Contractors Performing Inherently Governmental Functions?
    Are Private Security Contractors Performing Inherently Governmental Functions?
    Author(s): Dr. John A. Nagl
    Type of Publication: Congressional Testimony
    Date: 06/18/2010

    CNAS President Dr. John Nagl testified before the federal Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan on the proper role and oversight of security contractors supporting U.S. operations in Southwest Asia.

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  • Contracting In Conflicts: The Path to Reform
    Contracting In Conflicts: The Path to Reform
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 06/07/2010

    In both Iraq and Afghanistan, there are currently more private contractors than U.S. troops on the ground. This report calls for the U.S. government to embark on a path of ambitious reform that will increase federal oversight and better protect U.S. taxpayer dollars from potential waste, fraud and abuse.

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  • Restraint: Recalibrating American Strategy
    Restraint: Recalibrating American Strategy
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 06/06/2010

    Faced with a shifting and complex global environment, this report calls for a recalibration of American strategy, noting, "The United States can best pursue a protracted period of global order by resisting the temptation to solve all the world’s problems.

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  • Rhetoric and Reality: Countering Terrorism in the Age of Obama
    Rhetoric and Reality: Countering Terrorism in the Age of Obama
    Author(s): Dr. Marc Lynch
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 06/05/2010

    President Barack Obama took office determined to fight terrorist networks more effectively by moving away from the rhetorical framework of former President George W. Bush’s “Global War on Terror.” This report from Marc Lynch examines the rhetoric of the Administration against the reality of its policies.

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  • America’s Extended Hand: Assessing the Obama's Global Engagement Strategy
    America’s Extended Hand: Assessing the Obama Administration’s Global Engagement Strategy
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 05/19/2010

    This report offers an assessment of the Obama Administration's public engagement strategy by analyzing the public engagement dimension of key foreign policy areas and in countries of strategic importance - including Iran, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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  • Broadening Horizons: Climate Change and the U.S. Armed Forces
    Broadening Horizons: Climate Change and the U.S. Armed Forces
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 04/28/2010

    Broadening Horizons is an edited volume featuring four chapters and a capstone piece that explores the dual pressures of climate change and energy on each U.S. military service and combatant command and offers a road ahead to improve the country's ability to promote national security in the face of a changing climate.

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  • Making America Grand Again
    Making America Grand Again: Toward a New Grand Strategy
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 06/11/2008

    Years of debate over the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and the so-called “war on terror” have prevented Americans from grappling with the deeper challenges posed by changes in the international system.  Beyond the threats posed by terrorism, new great powers such as India and China are rising, the process of globalization is accelerating, and the challenges of climate change and energy security grow more ominous by the day. The absence of an overarching strategic framework beyond simple debates over wartime tactics has contributed to an erosion of America’s position in the world. The authors of Making America Grand Again argue that America’s leaders must broaden their strategic aperture and recognize the value in renewing their commitment to sustaining the pillars of the global system – common global goods such as stability in key regions, a vibrant global economy, and fair access to the global commons. Arguing that America’s Cold War strategy consisted of two parts – containing the Soviet Union while building and sustaining a resilient international system – the authors lay out a case for why sustaining America’s power and influence in the 21st century requires reinvesting in, and innovating within, the very global architecture that helped make America a superpower. 

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  • Finding Our Way
    Finding Our Way: Debating American Grand Strategy
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 06/11/2008

    In a critical election year, the debate over America’s national security strategy has been overwhelmed by a persistent focus on essentially tactical issues such as: the number of troops in Iraq; whether or not America should engage in diplomacy with Iran; and the status of the search for Osama Bin Laden. Important as such issues are, they do not address the more critical and fundamental arguments over America’s purpose and place in the world. Finding Our Way attempts to bridge the gap in the current national security debate by bringing together ideas from across the academic and policy spectrums in one accessible volume. Edited by Michèle Flournoy and Shawn Brimley, and including contributions from Robert Art, G. John Ikenberry, Barry Posen, Frederick Kagan, and Sarah Sewall, Finding Our Way provides a compelling and accessible snapshot of the current grand strategy debate. Readers will find essays advocating contrasting ideas on vital U.S. interests, key threats facing America, the utility of international partnerships and alliances, the use of military force, the implications of Iraq on American strategy, and the need to restore a positive view of American power. This volume is an ideal primer for scholars and students interested in the contemporary debate over American power and purpose in a changing world.

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  • Unfinished Business: U.S. Overseas Military Presence in the 21st Century
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 06/11/2008

    The next American president will inherit an overseas military base realignment process begun in the first term of the George W. Bush administration. This realignment, guided by an effort known as the Global Posture Review (GPR), was perhaps former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld s chief intellectual and policy accomplishment during his six-year tenure at the Pentagon. Unlike his likely warfighting legacy, particularly in regard to Iraq, the GPR is on generally sound conceptual foundations. But a successful outcome for the Global Posture Review, roughly halfway implemented as of early 2008, will depend on the next U.S. administration refining numerous rough edges of the current plan and redefining the broader national security policy context in which any base realignment will inevitably be viewed.

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  • Lessons from a Syria wargame
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Best Defense (Foreign Policy)

    July 10, 2012 — CNAS Deputy Director of Studies Dr. Nora Bensahel reports in Foreign Policy's Best Defense blog on her participation in a recent wargame concerning the regional effects of the Syrian conflict and what her observations say about the prospects of a near-term resolution.

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  • The Arab Spring's Second Bloom
    Type: News Item
    Source: The National Interest

    June 19, 2012 — Researcher John Dana Stuster argues in The National Interest that a "second bloom" of the Arab Spring is in season, noting that true stability will only result from reforms that address underlying economic deprivation and political disaffection.

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  • Ahead Of Moscow Talks, U.S. Options On Iran
    Type: News Item
    Source: NPR

    June 12, 2012 — On NPR, CNAS Board Member Michèle Flournoy discusses U.S. policy options for dealing with Iran and offers projections on possible outcomes of upcoming diplomatic talks in Moscow.

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  • Is Syria reaching its tipping point?
    Type: News Item
    Source: Andrea Mitchell Reports

    June 12, 2012 — CNAS Board Member Michèle Flournoy discusses the escalating violence in Syria and efforts to engineer a political transition there on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports.

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  • What the Hell Should We Do About Syria?
    Type: News Item
    Source: Foreign Policy

    May 30, 2012 — CNAS Senior Fellow Andrew Exum weighs in on the Syria debate in Foreign Policy, emphasizing the need to halt the movement of chemical and biological weapons outside of Syria.

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  • NATO considers future of Afghanistan
    Type: News Item
    Source: Deutsche Welle

    May 20, 2012 — LTG David Barno, USA (Ret.), Andrew Exum and Matthew Irvine's 2011 policy brief "The Next Fight," in which the authors argued that Afghan forces were perhaps far from prepared to take over the war by 2014, was cited by Deutsche Welle ahead of the NATO summit.

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  • Internet Freedom Is a Human Right
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Huffington Post

    May 10, 2012 — Senator Chris Coons highlights today's CNAS global internet freedom event and the bipartisan effort to secure digital freedom around the world in a commentary for The Huffington Post.

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  • Hope Springs Eternal
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Economist

    April 21, 2012 — The Economist reviews CNAS Non Resident Senior Fellow Marc Lynch's new book, The Arab Uprising: The Unfinished Revolutions of the New Middle East.

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  • Syria Rebels "Rebound" - But Will Arming Them Spark Civil Slaughter?
    Type: News Item
    Source: AOL Defense

    April 11, 2012 — CNAS Senior Fellow Andrew Exum speaks about the Free Syrian Army and if the U.S. should arm the fighters in AOL Defense.

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  • Paintball Journalism? Former Ranger, Journalists Trade Shots With Hezbollah
    Type: News Item
    Source: NPR

    April 10, 2012 — CNAS Senior Fellow Andrew Exum discusses his attempt to understand Hizballah on an unofficial level with Steve Inskeep on NPR's Morning Edition. To listen to the full interview, click here.

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  • Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, USA
    National Security Leaders' Forum with General Raymond T. Odiernio, USA
    April 5, 2013 - 12:00pm - 1:30pm
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) hosted a discussion featuring current Army Chief of Staff General Raymond Odierno on Friday, April 5, 2013. GEN Odierno discussed how the Army is restructuring itself to meet today's security environment while facing the challenges associated with budget cuts and drawdown from two overseas wars.

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  • A Conversation with the Honorable Leon Panetta
    A Conversation with the Honorable Leon Panetta
    November 20, 2012 - 6:45pm - 7:30pm
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    The Center for a New American Security hosted "A Conversation with the Honorable Leon Panetta, U.S. Secretary of Defense" on November 20, 2012. Secretary Panetta discussed U.S. national security and defense priorities. The event featured an introduction by The Honorable Michele Flournoy, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and member of the CNAS Board of Directors.

    Click Here to View Event Photos

    Click Here to View Event Video

    Click Here to Read the Event Transcript

    Click Here to Listen to the Event Audio

    Click Here to View Video Highlights from the Event

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  • Election 2012 - The Global Challenge for the Next President
    Election 2012 - Informing the National Security Agenda Event Series
    October 10, 2012 - 1:00pm - 2:30pm
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    The Center for a New American Security, the American Enterprise Institute and the New America Foundation are pleased to introduce Election 2012: Informing the National Security Agenda to this presidential campaign season. The most recent event in the series took place in Washington, DC on October 10.

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  • CNAS 2012 Annual Conference
    CNAS 2012 Annual Conference
    June 13, 2012 - 8:45am - 6:00pm
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    The Center for a New American Security's 2012 annual conference, "Rethinking U.S. Security: Navigating a World in Transition," took place in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, June 13, 2012.

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  • The Arab Uprising, Marc Lynch, Center for a New American Security
    The Arab Uprising: The Unfinished Revolutions of the New Middle East
    March 27, 2012 - 5:30pm - 8:30pm
    The W Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On March 27, 2012, the Center for a New American Security hosted the book launch for The Arab Uprising: The Unfinished Revolutions of the New Middle East by Dr. Marc Lynch, Non-Resident Senior Fellow at CNAS and Director of the Institute for Middle East Studies at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.

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  • responsible defense, david barno, defense budget, cnas, senate, testimony
    Perspectives on the President’s Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Defense
    March 6, 2012 - 10:00am - 12:00pm
    608 Dirksen Senate Office Building
    Washington, District of Columbia

    CNAS Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow LTG David Barno, USA (Ret.) testifies before the Senate Budget Committee in an open hearing on President Obama's FY 2013 budget request for the U.S. Department of Defense.

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  • colin kahl, center for a new american security, cnas, iran, wmd, israel
    The Iranian Nuclear Dilemma: Risk of an Iraq Sequel?
    February 21, 2012 - 10:45am - 12:00pm
    Rayburn House Office Building
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On February 21, CNAS Senior Fellow Colin Kahl participated in a panel discussion hosted by the National Iranian American Council on the status of the Iranian nuclear program. Dr. Kahl indicated that there are a number of differences between the current situation in Iran and the lead-up to the war in Iraq, and addressed the possibility of an Israeli airstrike on Iranian facilities.

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  • Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro
    Roundtable Discussion with Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro
    September 27, 2011 - 4:00pm - 5:30pm
    Center for a New American Security
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On September 27th, the Center for a New American Security hosted a roundtable conversation with Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro to discuss the future of United States security assistance efforts, the lessons learned from recent events, and the case for establishing the new Fund.

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  • Dr. Kemal Kerkuki, Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament
    Roundtable Discussion with Dr. Kemal Kerkuki, Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament
    September 20, 2011 - 4:00pm - 5:00pm
    Center for a New American Security
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On September 20, the Center for a New American Security hosted a roundtable discussion with Dr. Kemal Kerkuki and a number of his colleagues on critical issues in the U.S.-Iraqi relationship, along with the Kurdistan regional government’s relationship with the wider world.

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  • Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic
    Roundtable Discussion with NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Ambassador Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic
    September 16, 2011 - 2:30pm - 3:30pm
    Center for a New American Security
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On September 16, the Center for a New American Security hosted a roundtable discussion with NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Ambassador Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic on the key themes that will shape NATO's spring 2012 summit.

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  • Dr. Nora Bensahel
    Dr. Nora Bensahel
    Deputy Director of Studies and Senior Fellow

    Dr. Nora Bensahel is Deputy Director of Studies and a Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security.  She recently co-authored Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity, and Sustainable Pre-eminence: Reforming the U.S. Military at a Time of Strategic Change. Her other research interests include stability operations, counterinsurgency, civilian capacity for operations abroad, and coalition and alliance operations. She is also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Security Studies Program at the Edmund A.

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