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Regional Security Challenges

The United States is confronting a dynamic and complex strategic environment that defies neat categorization. Non-state or sub-state actors may be using conventional weapons to achieve their goals, and rising state powers may be turning to non-conventional means. The relationships between allies, friends, partners, and adversaries are fluid.  The United States has the opportunity to shape this environment to promote the nation’s security, but also must be prepared to react to changing circumstances.  CNAS will focus on immediate threats and long-term security challenges in the following regions: Afghanistan, Asia, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and the Middle East.

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  • The Devil in the Deep Blue Detail
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Economist

    February 4, 2012 — The Economist's Banyan column cites the recent CNAS report, "Cooperation from Strength: the U.S., China and the South China Sea," discussing the use of the sea as an argument for a naval build-up in the region.

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  • Iran Well Prepared for the Worst
    Type: News Item
    Source: Asia Times

    January 31, 2012 — In Asia Times, Patrick Cronin, the CNAS Senior Director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program, comments on the possibility of closing the Strait of Hormuz and its consequences on the global economy.

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  • Experts Divided on Pentagon's Proposed Cuts
    Type: News Item
    Source: CNN

    January 27, 2012 — Patrick Cronin, the Senior Director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at CNAS, talks to CNN about a declining U.S. military presence and its possible transformation into a minor middle power.

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  • U.S. Must Ensure Relations with India don’t Fracture over Iran
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Diplomat

    January 26, 2012 — In an op-ed for The Diplomat, CNAS Senior Advisor Richard Fontaine writes that the U.S. and India urgently need to seek ways to bridge their differences over Iran.

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  • Supremely Irrelevant
    Type: News Item
    Source: Foreign Policy

    January 25, 2012 — CNAS Senior Fellow Colin Kahl writes in Foreign Policy about how Iran failed to take advantage of the Arab Spring.

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  • U.S. in the South China Sea
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Diplomat - Editor's Blog

    January 21, 2012 — The Editor of the The Diplomat discusses the significance of CNAS's recent report on the South China Sea.

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  • Four Reasons Why U.S. Military Intervention in Syria is Unlikely
    Type: News Item
    Source: U.S. News

    January 20, 2012 — CNAS Senior Fellow Andrew Exum comments in U.S. News on why Syria poses challenges to intervention different from those seen in Libya.

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  • Battle for control of Asia's seas goes underwater
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Associated Press

    January 19, 2012 — The Associated Press quotes CNAS's recent report on the South China Sea to highlight the geostrategic significance of the region.

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  • U.S. acts quickly to tamp down Afghan video scandal
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Washington post

    January 12, 2012 — CNAS Senior Fellow Andrew Exum comments in The Washington Post on the recent video of Marines desecrating corpses in Afghanistan.

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  • How Will Marines Video Affect Relations Between U.S., Afghanistan, Taliban?
    Type: News Item
    Source: PBS NewsHour

    January 12, 2012 — On the PBS NewsHour, CNAS Senior Fellow Andrew Exum discusses how recent Marine incident in Afghanistan will affect negotiation prospects. 

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  • India, relations, cnas, richard fontaine, global swing states
    India as a Global Power: Contending Views from India
    January 23, 2012 - 9:00am - 4:45pm
    City View Room
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On January 23, the Center for a New American Security, in partnership with The George Washington University's Rising Powers Initiative, hosted "India as a Global Power: Contending Views from India". The conference featured Nathaniel Fick, CEO of CNAS, and Richard Fontaine, Senior Advisor at CNAS, as well as leading Indian national security and foreign policy scholars and officials, and a keynote address by Indian Ambassador to the United States Nirupama Rao.

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  • Cooperation from Strength: The United States, China and the South China Sea
    Cooperation from Strength: The United States, China and the South China Sea
    January 10, 2012 - 9:00am - 11:30am
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    At an event on January 10, 2012, from 9:00-11:30 a.m., the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) will release a report by CNAS experts Dr. Patrick Cronin and Robert D. Kaplan titled Cooperation from Strength: The United States, China and the South China Sea, which examines the future of U.S. strategy in the South China Sea. The event will feature a keynote address by Admiral Jonathan Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations. RSVP here or call (202) 457-9427.

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  • The Partnership
    The Partnership: Five Cold Warriors and Their Quest to Ban the Bomb
    January 4, 2012 - 5:30pm - 8:30pm
    The W Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) cordially invites you to the book launch for The Partnership: Five Cold Warriors and Their Quest to Ban the Bomb by award-winning New York Times journalist Philip Taubman. RSVP here or call (202) 457-9427.

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    Roundtable Discussion with Lieutenant General Mark P. Hertling
    October 11, 2011 - 12:30pm - 2:00pm
    Center for a New American Security
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On October 11, the Center for a New American Security hosted a roundtable discussion with Lieutenant General Mark P. Hertling, Commander of U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army.  LTG Hertling discussed the U.S.’s ongoing strategic interests in Europe and the resources required to successfully secure those interests.

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  • Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity
    October 7, 2011 - 8:30am - 10:30am
    The Newseum's Knight Conference Center
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On October 7, 2011, CNAS released Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity at an event featuring a discussion with the report authors - LTG David W. Barno, USA (Ret.), Dr. Nora Bensahel and Travis Sharp - and leading defense and budget experts Gordon Adams and Tom Donnelly.

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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
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    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
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    September 16, 2011 - 2:30pm - 3:30pm
    Center for a New American Security
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    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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  • Counterstrike
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    September 8, 2011 - 5:30pm - 8:00pm
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel's Grand Ball Room
    Washington, District of Columbia

    The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) cordially invites you to the inaugural book release party for COUNTERSTRIKE: The Untold Story of America’s Secret Campaign Against al Qaeda by acclaimed New York Times national security reporters and former CNAS Writers in Residence Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker.

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  • MG Buchanan, CNAS, Iraq, security agreement, Operation New Dawn
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    August 18, 2011 - 11:00am - 12:00pm
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    Washington, District of Columbia

    In light of the impending end of the United States Forces–Iraq mission this December, Major General Jeffrey Buchanan, USA, Director of Strategic Effects for United States Forces-Iraq, visited CNAS to speak about the evolving role of the United States in Iraq and the challenges and opportunities for the future of U.S.-Iraq relations amidst a changed Middle East.

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  • Secretary Panetta
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    August 4, 2011 - 7:45am - 9:15am
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    On August 4, CNAS President John A. Nagl, Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow LTG David Barno, USA (Ret.), and Deputy Director of Studies and Senior Fellow Dr. Nora Bensahel led a roundtable discussion over breakfast addressing the challenges faced by the new U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. 

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  • Evening Lecture Series: Robert Kaplan: The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power
    Date: 01/05/2012
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    At the Naval War College's Evening Lecture Series, CNAS Senior Fellow Robert Kaplan discusses his view on the significance of the Indian Ocean for U.S. power in the twenty-first century.

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    Date: 12/05/2011
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    On December 5, the Center for a New American Security held a press briefing on its recent policy brief, "The Next Fight: Time for a Change of Mission in Afghanistan." Authored by Lieutenant General David W. Barno, USA (Ret.), Dr. Andrew Exum and Matthew Irvine, the brief calls for a change of mission in Afghanistan and offers policy recommendations for the Obama Administration, the ISAF/U.S. Forces Commander, the U.S. Army and Marine Corps and the U.S. Special Operations Command. The authors were joined by CNAS President John Nagl, who offered key takeaways from his recent trip to Afghanistan.

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  • Command Post, Afghanistan
    Command Post: "What Will Afghanistan Be Like in 10 Years?"
    Date: 10/27/2011
    Media: Video

    We know what the past decade has been like in Afghanistan -- 1,822 American troops killed, at a financial cost of a half-trillion dollars. Was it worth it? What will this country look like in a decade? Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and Stephen Biddle, an Afghanistan expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, assay the investment. They're joined by John Nagl, president of the Center for a New American Security, and your Battleland scribe.

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  • Command Post, Afghanistan, foreign aid
    Command Post: "Is All the Money the U.S. is Pouring into Afghanistan Doing More Harm Than Good?"
    Date: 10/25/2011
    Media: Video

    Some 90% of the money in and around Afghanistan is coming from the United States and its allies. Yet this tidal wave of cash is distorting the Afghan economy, breeding corruption, and creating a dependency that may be tough to break. Stephen Biddle, an Afghanistan expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, assess the money flow with John Nagl, president of the Center for a New American Security, and your Battleland scribe.

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  • Command Post, Afghanistan, Pakistan
    Command Post: "Is the U.S. Readying to Strike More Often Inside Pakistan?"
    Date: 10/20/2011
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    Relations between Washington and Islamabad may be at an all-time low. Was the daring SEAL raid into Abbottabad to kill Osama bin Laden nearly six months ago a one-off event? Or, if the U.S. is serious about Afghanistan, does it have to begin routinely attacking the Haqqani network and other trouble-makers inside their Pakistan lairs? Brian Katulis of the Center for American Progress, and Stephen Biddle at the Council on Foreign Relations -- Afghanistan experts, both -- take on the issue with John Nagl, president of the Center for a New American Security, and me.

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  • Command Post, Afghanistan
    Command Post: "Are U.S. Troops Leaving Afghanistan Prematurely?"
    Date: 10/18/2011
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    Or is it about time? That all depends, of course, on what you think the U.S. mission in Afghanistan -- now a decade old -- actually is. We have booted the Taliban from power, and recently killed Osama bin Laden, who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks from inside Afghanistan in a sanctuary the Taliban provided. Now President Obama has begun ordering U.S. troops home, with Afghanistan's government shaky, corruption endemic and the Afghan security forces fledgling, at best. Stephen Biddle, an Afghanistan expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, debate the issue with John Nagl, president of the Center for a New American Security, and your Battleland scribe.

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  • Command Post, China, national security
    Command Post: "Does the U.S. Always Need an Enemy?"
    Date: 09/29/2011
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    Wrapping up our discussion on China, we're wondering if the U.S. has some innate compulsion to find a foe. If so, is it prudence or panic? We tackle the issue with Patrick Cronin, director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, and David Finkelstein, director of China studies at the U.S.-backed Center for Naval Analyses. CNAS president John Nagl joins me in the questioning.

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  • Command Post, China, Western Pacific
    Command Post: "Is China Getting Ready to Try and Kick the U.S. Out of the Western Pacific?"
    Date: 09/27/2011
    Media: Video

    Continuing this week on Command Post, our tour of the national-security challenges associated with the Middle Kingdom. John Nagl, of the Center for a New American Security, and I ask if China, beginning to flex its military muscle, is readying to tell the Pentagon: the western Pacific is ours, so scram! We're joined in the discussion by David Finkelstein, retired Army officer and director of China studies at the U.S.-funded Center for Naval Analyses, and Patrick Cronin, CNAS's director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program and former research chief at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

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  • Command Post, China, national security, economic interdependence
    Command Post: "Does Mutual U.S.-China Economic Dependence Rule Out War?"
    Date: 09/22/2011
    Media: Video

    Continuing our discussion this week on China, we're tackling a corollary of Tom Friedman's McDonald's Rule -- countries with McDonald's restaurants generally don't wage war on one another -- as we weigh the impact of economic ties between Beijing and Washington. Does the immense commerce between the two nations reduce the chances of war between them? We tackle the issue with Patrick Cronin, director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, and David Finkelstein, director of China studies at the U.S.-backed Center for Naval Analyses. CNAS president John Nagl joins me in the questioning.

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  • Command Post, China, national security
    Command Post: "How Big a Threat Does China Pose?"
    Date: 09/20/2011
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    This week on Command Post, John Nagl of the Center for a New American Security and I probe the threat -- or whatever it is -- posed by China. We're joined in the discussion by David Finkelstein, retired Army officer and director of China studies at the Pentagon-funded Center for Naval Analyses, and Patrick Cronin, CNAS's director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program and former research chief at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

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  • General Amos
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    On October 22, 2010 General James F. Amos assumed the duties of Commandant of the Marine Corps. General Amos was born in Wendell, Idaho and is a graduate of the University of Idaho. A Marine Aviator, General Amos has held command at all levels from Lieutenant Colonel to Lieutenant General.  

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  • David Asher
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    Dr. David Asher is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at CNAS, where he specializes in issues related to Asia, economics and security. 

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  • Lieutenant General David W. Barno, USA (Ret.)
    Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow

    General Barno, a highly decorated military officer with over 30 years of service, has served in a variety of command and staff positions in the United States and around the world, to include command at every level. He served many of his early years in special operations forces with Army Ranger battalions, to include combat in both the Grenada and Panama invasions.  In 2003, he was selected to establish a new three-star operational headquarters in Afghanistan and take command of the 20,000 U.S. and Coalition Forces in Operation Enduring Freedom.  For 19 months in this position, he was responsible for the overall military leadership of this complex political-military mission, devising a highly innovative counterinsurgency strategy in close partnership with the U.S. embassy and coalition allies.

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  • Dr. Nora Bensahel
    Dr. Nora Bensahel
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    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.  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. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, where she teaches M.A.

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  • Nancy Berglass
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    Nancy Berglass is a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at CNAS, the Director of the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund, and Principal of Berglass Community Investment Consulting.

    Widely respected as among the nation’s leading strategists for the independent sector, Nancy Berglass has worked for over 25 years to address the needs of families, children, low-income communities, troops and veterans, women and other underserved populations through a variety of leadership positions in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors.

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  • Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski
    Counselor and Trustee, Center for Strategic and International Studies

    Zbigniew Brzezinski served as national security advisor to the president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. In 1981, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his role in the normalization of U.S.

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    In September 2010, Major General Jeffrey S. Buchanan became the Director for Strategic Effects, J9, United States Forces-Iraq in Baghdad, Iraq.  In this capacity, he coordinates and implements political, economic and communications activities on behalf of USF-I.  Major General Buchanan also serves as the USF-I spokesman.  Major General Buchanan’s most recent assignment was as the Deputy Chief of Staff G3/5/7, U.S. Army Reserve Command, from August 2009 to August 2010.

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    Victor Cha was named to the newly created Korea Chair at CSIS in May 2009. He is also a professor of government and director for Asian Studies at Georgetown University. From 2004 to 2007, he was director for Asian affairs at the White House, where he was responsible for coordinating U.S. policy for Japan, the two Koreas, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Island nations. He also served as U.S. deputy head of delegation to the Six-Party Talks and has acted as a senior consultant on East Asian security issues for different branches of the U.S. government.

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  • Steve Coll
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  • Dr. Patrick Cronin
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    Patrick Cronin is a Senior Advisor and Senior Director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).  Previously, he was the Director of the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) at National Defense University and has had a 25-year career inside government and academic research centers, spanning defense affairs, foreign policy, and development assistance.

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