Home › Topics › Terrorism, Irregular Warfare and Crime
Syndicate content
 

Terrorism, Irregular Warfare and Crime

Terrorism & Irregular Warfare

CNAS explores  strategies for combating  terrorism, violent extremism, and various approaches for tackling the significant challenges posed by insurgencies and irregular warfare in Iraq, Afghanistan and across the globe.

Related Content

  • Crime Wars: Gangs, Cartels and U.S. National Security
    Crime Wars: Gangs, Cartels and U.S. National Security
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 09/28/2010

    As illustrated by the unprecedented violence in Mexico, drug trafficking groups have evolved to not only pose significant challenges to that country, but to governments and societies across the Western Hemisphere, including the United States. Crime Wars: Gangs, Cartels and U.S. National Security surveys organized crime throughout the Western Hemisphere, analyzes the challenges it poses for the region and recommends the United States replace the "war on drugs" paradigm with comprehensive domestic and foreign policies to confront the interrelated challenges of drug trafficking and violence ranging from the Andean Ridge to American streets.

    | more |
  • Fueling the Future Force: Preparing the Department of Defense for a Post-Petrole
    Fueling the Future Force: Preparing the Department of Defense for a Post-Petroleum Era
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 09/27/2010

    This report argues that the Department of Defense (DOD) must prepare to transition smoothly to a future in which it does not depend on petroleum – no small task given that 77 percent of DOD’s energy needs depend on petroleum for fuel. Authors Christine Parthemore and John Nagl offer 12 specific guiding principles that map a path forward for the Department, helping to ensure that DOD can weather change, protect its own interests, reduce its vulnerability to extreme price spikes and – most importantly – ensure that it can meet its mandate to protect the nation’s security.

    | more |
  • An Indispensable Force: Investing in America’s National Guard and Reserves
    An Indispensable Force: Investing in America’s National Guard and Reserves
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 09/21/2010

    This report argues that the United States must undertake a number of initiatives to ensure that the National Guard and Reserves remain an indispensable force capable of defending the American homeland and protecting U.S. security interests around the world.

    | more |
  • Download the full report (PDF)
    South Asia’s Geography of Conflict
    Author(s): Robert Kaplan
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 09/08/2010

    September 8, 2010 - In South Asia’s Geography of Conflict, CNAS Senior Fellow and acclaimed author Robert D. Kaplan provides a detailed analysis of South Asia's history and geography including the broad arc of territory from Afghanistan southeastward into northern India and highlights India’s pivotal role in the region. Watch a CNAS exclusive interview with Bob Kaplan on South Asia’s Geography of Conflict here.

    | more |
  • Perspectives on Reconciliation Options in Afghanistan
    Type of Publication: Congressional Testimony
    Date: 07/27/2010

    CNAS Non-Resident Senior Fellow David Kilcullen testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on the options for reconciliation in Afghanistan. Kilcullen’s testimony focused on stabilization issues within Afghanistan, including corruption, international aid and the drug trade.

    | more |
  • Recommendations for Congress – Contracting in Conflicts: The Path to Reform
    Recommendations for Congress – Contracting in Conflicts: The Path to Reform
    Type of Publication: Factsheet
    Date: 07/15/2010

    Recent congressional hearings on government contractors in conflict zones illustrate the acute awareness on Capitol Hill and across all branches of government of the urgent need for contracting reform. This factsheet details specific policy recommendations for Congress as laid out in the CNAS report Contracting in Conflicts: The Path to Reform.

    | more |
  • 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.

    | more |
  • 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.

    | more |
  • 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.

    | more |
  • 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.

    | more |
  • Afghan military attacks on foreign troops undermine west's mission
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Guardian

    August 21, 2012 — CNAS Senior Fellow Andrew Exum analyzes the political impact of the green-on-blue attacks in Afghanistan in The Guardian.

    | more |
  • Yochi Dreazen on NPR's Diane Rehm Show
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Diane Rehm Show - National Public Radio

    August 20, 2012 — CNAS Writer-In-Residence Yochi Dreazen discusses this week's top international stories, including Russia, Syria, Iran, and Afghanistan on NPR's Diane Rehm Show. 

    | more |
  • Infiltration or bad blood behind Afghan attacks?
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Associated Press

    August 20, 2012 — CNAS Senior Fellow Andrew Exum comments on the recent upsurge in attacks by Afghan security forces on U.S. military trainers in the Associated Press.

    | more |
  • Betting Against a Drone Arms Race
    Type: News Item
    Source: Time

    August 13, 2012 — In an op-ed for TIME.com's Battleland blog, CNAS Researcher Joseph Singh argues that predictions of a drones arms race ignore fundamental principles of military deterrence. 

    | more |
  • Plots Are Tied to Shadow War of Israel and Iran
    Type: News Item
    Source: The New York Times

    August 9, 2012 — In The New York Times, Senior Fellow Dr. Andrew Exum analyzes the recent string of terrorist plots targetting Israel and its allies abroad and how they signal an evolving shadow war between Israel, Iran and Hezbollah. 

    | more |
  • Syria military launches assault on key district in Aleppo
    Type: News Item
    Source: Los Angeles Times

    August 8, 2012 — In the Los Angeles Times, Senior Fellow Dr. Andrew Exum discusses the Syrian military's recent assault on rebels in Aleppo, highlighting the strategic importance of the northern city to the regime. 

    | more |
  • Abu Muqawama in World Politics Review
    Type: News Item
    Source: World Politics Review

    August 8, 2012 — Senior Fellow Dr. Andrew Exum discusses how a Romney administration would likely craft a policy towards Afghanistan in his column for World Politics Review. 

    | more |
  • Andrew Exum Discusses War on Terror on France 24
    Type: News Item
    Source: France 24

    August 1, 2012 — Senior Fellow Dr. Andrew Exum discusses U.S. military interventions over the last decade and explains the war on terror from the frontline on France 24. 

    | more |
  • Renewed Violence in Iraq
    Type: News Item
    Source: C-SPAN

    July 30, 2012 — On C-SPAN, Deputy Director of Studies Dr. Nora Bensahel dissects the recent string of bombings that have taken place in Iraq, dicussing who may be behind the increase in violence and what this means for political stability in the country.

    | more |
  • 5 big questions for U.S. strategy
    Type: News Item
    Source: CNN.com

    July 17, 2012 — In an op-ed for CNN.com, CNAS President Richard Fontaine and Executive Vice President Kristin Lord argue that in a transformed domestic and international environment, both presidential candidates must confront five key questions about U.S. national security policy when articulating their visions of U.S. grand strategy.

    | more |
  • Book Discussion: The New Counterinsurgency Era
    September 11, 2009 - 12:00pm - 1:30pm
    Center for a New American Security
    Washington, District of Columbia

    The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) held a discussion with author David Ucko on his recent book The New Counterinsurgency Era with press and national security experts. John Nagl, president of CNAS and author of the book’s foreword, gave a brief introduction.

    | more |
  • Sarah Chayes
    Voices from the Field: A Discussion with Sarah Chayes
    July 28, 2009 - 11:45am - 1:00pm
    Center for a New American Security
    Washington, District of Columbia

    CNAS hosted Sarah Chayes, special advisor to GEN Stanley McChrystal, for an off-the-record staff briefing on Afghanistan. Chayes, who arrived in Afghanistan in 2001, serves an essential role in U.S. efforts in Afghanistan and offered unparalleled insight and perspective on the security situation in the country.

    | more |
  • U.S.-Pakistan Congressional Hearing
    From Strategy to Implementation: Strengthening U.S.-Pakistan Relations
    July 7, 2009 - 2:30pm - 4:00pm
    342 Dirksen Senate Office Building
    Washington, District of Columbia

    Center for a New American Security’s Chief Executive Officer Nathaniel C. Fick testified July 7, 2009, at a congressional hearing on U.S.-Pakistan relations. The hearing has been called by Sen. Tom Carper, D-DE, chairman of a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. You can view the full video here.

    | more |
  • General David Petraeus
    Striking a Balance: A New American Security
    June 11, 2009 - 7:45am - 7:00pm
    Willard InterContinental Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    Striking a Balance: A New American Security was an all-day CNAS conference highlighting the major foreign policy and national security challenges facing our nation in the critical time ahead.

    | more |
  • Book Discussion: The Defense of Jisr al-Doreaa
    April 24, 2009 - 12:00pm - 1:30pm
    Center for a New American Security
    Washington, District of Columbia

    Authors Michael L. Burgoyne and Albert J. Marckwardt, both Majors in the United States Army, discussed their book on counterinsurgency in Iraq, The Defense of Jisr al-Doreaa, with press and national security experts at the Center for a New American Security.

    | more |
  • Robert D. Kaplan
    The Revenge of Geography: Press Briefing with Robert D. Kaplan
    April 15, 2009 - 12:30pm - 2:00pm
    Center for a New American Security
    Washington, District of Columbia

    The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) was pleased to host an exclusive press briefing of Robert Kaplan's article in Foreign Policy magazine entitled "The Revenge of Geography" on April 15, 2009.

    | more |
  • The Accidental Guerrilla
    CNAS Book Discussion with David Kilcullen on New Book The Accidental Guerrilla
    April 1, 2009 - 6:00pm - 9:00pm
    Willard InterContinental Hotel's Crystal Room
    Washington, District of Columbia

    The Center for a New American Security was honored to host the launch event for CNAS Senior Fellow and counterinsurgency expert David Kilcullen on his new book The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One, a book that takes an infinitely complicated situation like global terrorism and localized guerrilla warfare within the larger framework of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and makes them both understandable and interesting.

    | more |
  • David Sanger Launches New Book- The Inheritance
    January 15, 2009 - 6:00pm - 9:00pm
    Willard Intercontinental Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    January 15, 2009--The Center for a New American Security was pleased to host a book launch of The Inheritance: The World Obama Confronts and the Challenges to American Power, by David E. Sanger, Chief Washington Correspondent of The New York Times.

    | more |
  • Project Base Camp: Assessing Alternative Paths to the Nuclear-Free Mountaintop
    December 10, 2008 - 6:00pm - December 11, 2008 - 4:00pm
    St. Regis Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On December 10th and 11th 2008, the Center for A New American Security and the Nuclear Threat Initiative co-hosted a dinner and conference for Project Base Camp: Assessing Alternative Paths to the Nuclear-Free Mountaintop.

    | more |
  • Robert Kaplan Discusses Trouble in the Other Middle East
    December 9, 2008 - 12:00pm
    CNAS Conference Room
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On December 9th 2008, Senior Fellow Robert Kaplan discussed his most recent assignment in India.

    | more |
  • Command Post, cyber security
    Command Post: "Who Are the Real Cyber-Warriors?"
    Date: 08/26/2011
    Media: Video

    National-security debates used to be a lot easier when it took a nation-state to raise an army and build an arsenal. To hear some cyber-defense experts tell it, today a cyberwar can be launched by a couple of bored teen-age hackers in one of their basements. While that's a stretch, what about criminal cybergangs? Or nation-states? Or, most insidiously, nation-states that hire such underlings to carry out cyber attacks? John Nagl of the Center for a New American Security and I chat about the vexatious challenge with James Lewis, a cyber-warfare expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Kristin Lord, who recently oversaw a CNAS examination into the issue.

    | more |
  • Command Post, cyber security
    Command Post: "Cyber War: Fact or Fiction?"
    Date: 08/25/2011
    Media: Video

    Defending against the invisible menace of online cyber-attacks has become one of the Pentagon's biggest growth areas. But should it be? Kristin Lord of the Center for a New American Security, who recently led a study into the issue, discusses the balancing act associated with this new way of war. She's joined by colleague John Nagl, cyber expert James Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and yours truly.

    | more |
  • Command Post, cyber security
    Command Post: "How Vulnerable Is Our Infrastructure to Cyber Attack?"
    Date: 08/24/2011
    Media: Video

    The folks who get paid to stay up at night worrying about cyber-security are always telling us that our basic infrastructure -- the online computer networks that run our water, electricity, banking and other vital systems -- are big fat targets just waiting to be taken down by skilled hackers. Well, it hasn't happened yet. Are we just lucky -- or just whistling past the graveyard? John Nagl, of the Center for a New American Security, and your Battleland scribe ruminate on the topic with James Lewis, a cyber-security expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Kristin Lord, a security analyst who just wrapped up work on a major CNAS study into the topic.

    | more |
  • Command Post, cyber security
    Command Post: "How Tough Is It to Tell Who Launched a Cyber Attack?"
    Date: 08/23/2011
    Media: Video

    The word attribution always crops up when experts debate the challenges of deterring a cyber attack. It simply means determining just who is responsible for nefarious acts online -- where anonymity has long been a prized asset. Here, I discuss the challenge of finding such digital fingerprints with James Lewis, a cyberwar expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Kristin Lord, who recently edited a Center for a New American Security study on U.S. cyber-vulnerabilities, and John Nagl, CNAS's president and a member of the Pentagon's independent Defense Policy Board.

    | more |
  • Command Post, cyber security
    Command Post: "Is a Cyber Pearl Harbor on the Horizon?"
    Date: 08/22/2011
    Media: Video

    This week on Command Post, John Nagl of the Center for a New American Security and I discuss the potential horror -- and the potential hype -- of cyber war with James Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Kristin Lord of CNAS. Key question: now that the Cold War has melted into history, is the possibility of an Internet war real -- or simply a way for the military-industrial complex to shift to a more target-rich environment?

    | more |
  • Operation New Dawn: Bridge to an Enduring Partnership
    MG Jeffrey Buchanan, USA Discussion on Operation New Dawn: Bridge to an Enduring Partnership - Photos
    Date: 08/18/2011
    Media: Photo

    Iraq has the potential to become a pivotal strategic partner for the United States and its allies in the region. But Iraq is also undergoing its democratic transition and its security situation remains complex and challenging. 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 the Center for a New American Security 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. View photos from the event here.

    | more |
  • MG Buchanan, Iraq
    MG Jeffrey Buchanan, USA Discussion on Operation New Dawn: Bridge to an Enduring Partnership - Audio
    Date: 08/18/2011
    Media: Audio

    Iraq has the potential to become a pivotal strategic partner for the United States and its allies in the region. But Iraq is also undergoing its democratic transition and its security situation remains complex and challenging. 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 the Center for a New American Security 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. Listen to the audio from the event here.

    | more |
  • Special Forces
    Elite Forces in Afghanistan
    Date: 08/11/2011
    Media: Audio

    Yesterday, U.S. military officials claimed to have killed Taliban militants responsible for last weekend’s takedown of a Chinook helicopter that killed 38 people, including twenty-two Navy Seals. Matthew Irvine of the Center for New American Security discusses the latest news out of Afghanistan, and the way in which special forces are taking on more military duties as the US prepares to pull troops.

    | more |
  • Will Rogers On New CNAS Report "Blinded"
    Date: 08/09/2011
    Media: Audio

    According to the newly released Center for a New American Security (CNAS) report, "Blinded: The Decline of U.S. Earth Monitoring Capabilities and Its Consequences for National Security," “By 2016, only seven of NASA’s current 13 earth monitoring satellites are expected to be operational, leaving a crucial information gap that will hinder national security planning.”

    | more |
  • Command Post, World, Police, TIME, Center for a New American Security
    Command Post: "Should The U.S. Military Be the World's Cop?"
    Date: 07/29/2011
    Media: Video

    Following World War II, perhaps it was inevitable that the U.S. military would be consigned to walking beats around the world like a neighborhood cop -- from Europe to Asia -- especially as the Cold War heated up. But now that the Cold War has been over for a generation, does it still fall to the U.S. to patrol the world's hotspots -- especially when that means that other, just as wealthy nations, might be getting a free ride? Your Battleland trooper debates the topic with John Nagl of the Center for a New American Security, along with Nora Bensahel, a military strategist now at CNAS, and retired Army lieutenant general Dave Barno.

    | more |
  • David Barno
    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.

    | Read Full Bio |
  • 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.

    | Read Full Bio |
  • Dr. Patrick M. Cronin
    Senior Advisor and Senior Director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program

    Patrick M. 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 a nearly 30-year career inside government and academic research centers, spanning defense affairs, foreign policy, and development assistance.

    | Read Full Bio |
  • Robert Leslie Deak
    Robert Leslie Deak
    Board of Directors, National Defense University

    Robert Leslie Deak is President and Chief Executive Officer of Bittachon Holdings, Inc, a firm based out of Rye, New York, that develops and manages companies in the United States and the broader Middle East. Previously, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American National Bank of New York from 1985 to 1991 and before that was President and CEO of Deak-Perera US, Inc., from 1973 to 1985.

    | Read Full Bio |
  • Peter deNeufville
    Peter B. deNeufville
    Chairman, Voltaix, LLC

    Peter deNeufville serves as Chairman of Voltaix, L.L.C., a manufacturer of chemical-vapor-deposition materials for the semiconductor and thin-film photovoltaic industries.  He is also a partner in DNAC, a New York-based merchant advisory firm.  He has helped finance and served as a director for a number of early-stage technology companies. 

    Mr. deNeufville is also active in national security and environmental issues.  He is a reserve officer in the U.S.

    | Read Full Bio |
  • Lieutenant General David A. Deptula (Ret.)
    Lieutenant General David A. Deptula, USAF (Ret.)
    President and Chief Executive Officer, The Deptula Group, LLC

    Lieutenant General David A. Deptula (Ret.) is a highly decorated military leader who transitioned from the U.S.

    | Read Full Bio |
  • Major General Charles Dunlap, USAF (Ret.)
    Associate Director, Duke University School of Law Center on Law, Ethics, and National Security

    Prior to his retirement on 1 June 2010, Major General Dunlap served as Deputy Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Air Force.  In that position he assisted in the professional oversight of more than 2,200 judge advocates, 350 civilian attorneys, 1,400 enlisted paralegals and 500 civilians assigned worldwide.  In addition to overseeing an array of military justice, operational, international and civil law functions, General Dunlap provided legal advice to the Air Staff and commanders at all levels.

    | Read Full Bio |
  • David Finkel
    David Finkel
    Writer in Residence

    David Finkel is the author of The Good Soldiers, a ground-level account of the U.S. "surge" into the Iraq war, published in 2009 by Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux. An editor and writer for The Washington Post, Finkel has reported from Africa, Asia, Central America, Europe, and across the United States, and was part of the Post’s war coverage in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. He was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting in 2006 for a series of stories about U.S.

    | Read Full Bio |
  • Dr. Colin H. Kahl
    Dr. Colin H. Kahl
    Senior Fellow

    Dr. Colin H. Kahl is a Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) focusing on Middle East security and defense policy and an associate professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.

    | Read Full Bio |
  • Dr. David Kilcullen
    President and CEO, Caerus Associates

    Dr. David Kilcullen is a former Non-Resident Senior Fellow and Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security. Dr. Kilcullen was also a Non-Resident Senior Fellow with CNAS in 2007 and collaborated with CNAS on Iraq and Afghanistan reports, as well as violent extremism and grand strategy Solarium projects in 2007 and 2008.  

    | Read Full Bio |