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Terrorism, Irregular Warfare and Crime

Terrorism, Irregular Warfare and Crime

The close relationship between crime and terrorist activities is well-documented. Criminal ventures have long financed organized violence against nation states. As globalization facilitates the increased flow of people, capital, and information, we see a concomitant increase in these activities across the world. 

This project examines the nexus of terrorism, irregular warfare and crime and has included work on: the implications of drug cartels, crime and gangs in Mexico and South America affect U.S. national security, coercive economic statecraft, and other types of irregular warfare.

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  • In Winding Down War, a Fundamentally Different Challenge in Afghanistan than in Iraq
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Washington Post

    February 2, 2012 — In The Washington Post, CNAS Senior Advisor LTG David Barno, USA (Ret.) and Senior Fellow Andrew Exum comment on the uncertain outcome in Afghanistan as U.S. troops transfer the bulk of the country's security to local forces.

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  • With More Details Coming, Analysts Split on New DOD Strategy
    Type: News Item
    Source: Stars and Stripes

    January 25, 2012 — CNAS Senior Advisor LTG David Barno, USA (Ret.) is interviewed in Stars and Stripes, discussing the shift in the Obama Administration's defense strategy from a robust military force abroad towards a growing focus on special operations and counterterrorism.

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  • For Somalia Rescue, Look to Legacy of Iran
    Type: News Item
    Source: BBC News

    January 25, 2012 — In light of the recent rescue mission in Somalia, CNAS Senior Fellow Andrew Exum writes in BBC News on the U.S. military's investment on special forces capabilities.

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  • Amid COIN Debate, U.S. Army Struggles to Find Its Way
    Type: News Item
    Source: World Politics Review

    January 24, 2012 — CNAS Senior Fellow Andrew Exum writes an op-ed in the World Politics Review, discussing the future role of the U.S. army in the country's defense strategy.

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  • Taliban Leader's Grip on Insurgency Weakens
    Type: News Item
    Source: USA Today

    January 24, 2012 — In USA Today, CNAS Senior Advisor LTG David Barno comments on the effect of growing discord among the Taliban ranks.

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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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  • 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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  • Both Sides of the COIN
    Type: News Item
    Source: Foreign Affairs

    January 1, 2012 — CNAS Visiting Fellow MAJ Fernando Lujan, USA writes in Foreign Affairs on a need to institutionalize the adaptations of the past decade and increase the U.S. military's capabilities in smaller-scale counterinsurgency and stabilization efforts.

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  • Mexico's cartels build own national radio system
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Associated Press

    December 26, 2011 — CNAS expert Colonel Robert Killebrew, USA (Ret.) talks with the Associated Press about the Mexican Zetas drug cartel's increasingly sophisticated forms of communication.

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  • New Afghanistan Plan: Less U.S. Fighting, More Training
    Type: News Item
    Source: Wired - Danger Room

    December 14, 2011 — On Wired's Danger Room blog, Spencer Ackerman links the U.S. shift in Afghan strategy to a recent CNAS policy brief.

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  • suicide, military, iraq, afghanistan, veterans, chiarelli, cnas, joining forces
    Photos - Losing the Battle: The Challenge of Military Suicide
    Date: 11/01/2011
    Media: Photo

    The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) held an event, Losing the Battle, on November 1, 2011, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., to discuss the issue of suicide in the U.S. military with a distinguished panel of experts, including the author of the CNAS report, Losing the Battle: The Challenge of Military Suicide, Dr. Margaret Harrell, who is a Senior Fellow at CNAS and Director of the Joining Forces Initiative; General Peter Chiarelli, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army; Juliette Kayyem, national security columnist for The Boston Globe and a lecturer in public policy at Harvard University; and Dr. Jan Kemp, National Mental Health Program Director for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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  • suicide, military, iraq, afghanistan, veterans, chiarelli, cnas, joining forces
    Video - Losing the Battle: The Challenge of Military Suicide (Panel Discussion)
    Date: 11/01/2011
    Media: Video

    The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) held an event, Losing the Battle, on November 1, 2011, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., to discuss the issue of suicide in the U.S. military with a distinguished panel of experts, including the author of the CNAS report, Losing the Battle: The Challenge of Military Suicide, Dr. Margaret Harrell, who is a Senior Fellow at CNAS and Director of the Joining Forces Initiative; General Peter Chiarelli, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army; Juliette Kayyem, national security columnist for The Boston Globe and a lecturer in public policy at Harvard University; and Dr. Jan Kemp, National Mental Health Program Director for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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  • Command Post, Afghanistan
    Command Post: "Are U.S. Troops Leaving Afghanistan Prematurely?"
    Date: 10/18/2011
    Media: Video

    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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  • hard choices, defense budget, military, spending, cut, veterans, cnas
    Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity - Audio
    Date: 10/12/2011
    Media: Audio

    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. Listen to the audio here.

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  • defense budget, cuts, pentagon, cnas, hard choices, barno, newsuem
    Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity - Photos
    Date: 10/12/2011
    Media: Photo

    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. View the photo slideshow here.

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  • Command Post, 9/11, U.S. military, national security
    Command Post: The Human Toll Taken by a Decade of War
    Date: 09/15/2011
    Media: Video

    Just how worn out are our troops because of non-stop combat since 9/11? To what degree has that contributed to problems like PTSD, family breakups and suicide in the ranks?  This week, on Command Post, we discuss the tenacity of U.S. troops, as well as the cracks that can appear after a decade of fighting. Margaret Harrell, a military manpower expert at the Center for a New American Security, and Eric Schmitt of the New York Times -- co-author of Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America's Secret Campaign Against al Qaeda, tackle these tough issues. Joining me is John Nagl, CNAS president and retired Army officer.

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  • Command Post, Counterstrike, U.S. military, veterans, 9/11
    Command Post: "How Did the U.S. Military Retool Itself Post-9/11?"
    Date: 09/13/2011
    Media: Video

    In the decade after 9/11, just how much did the U.S. military have to recalibrate to fight the wars it found itself launching in Afghanistan and, 18 months later, in Iraq? This week, on Command Post, we discuss the retooling of the American armed forces with Eric Schmitt of the New York Times -- co-author of Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America's Secret Campaign Against al Qaeda -- and Margaret Harrell, a military manpower expert with the Center for a New American Security. I'm joined, as usual, by CNAS president John Nagl.

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  • Command Post, Counterstrike, national security, terrorism, 9/11
    Command Post: "Did the U.S. Overreact to 9/11?"
    Date: 09/08/2011
    Media: Video

    It's a fair question as the 10th anniversary of the horrific attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon looms. After all, it was the most shocking macro-event most Americans alive have experienced. It changed our way of life, or at least our way of living. It also triggered two costly and continuing wars. If we did overreact, how should we recalibrate? This week, on Command Post, we're looking into the post-9/11 U.S. national-security mindset with Eric Schmitt of the New York Times --  co-author of Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America's Secret Campaign Against al Qaeda -- and Margaret Harrell, a military manpower expert with the Center for a New American Security. I'm joined by fellow questioner John Nagl, CNAS's president.

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  • U.S. military in Iraq after 2011, CNAS
    Dispute brewing over Iraq troop withdrawal
    Date: 09/08/2011
    Media: Audio

    Senior Fellow Tom Ricks discusses significant factors shaping the debate over a U.S. military presence in Iraq after 2011 on WTOP Radio.

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  • counterstrike, 9/11, al qaeda, terrorism, cnas
    Counterstrike: The Untold Story Of America's Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda - Audio
    Date: 09/08/2011
    Media: Audio

    On September 8, 2011, CNAS held an inaugural book release party at the Willard InterContinental Hotel for Counterstrike. At the release event, Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker offered the audience an insider’s look at how the U.S. government has adapted its strategy for fighting terrorism since 2001.

    Listen to audio of the event here.

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  • David Asher
    Dr. David Asher
    Non-Resident Senior Fellow

    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. Patrick Cronin
    Senior Advisor and Senior Director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program

    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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  • Andrew Exum
    Dr. Andrew M. Exum
    Senior Fellow

    Andrew Exum is a Senior Fellow with the Center for a New American Security. A native of East Tennessee, Exum was educated in Philadelphia, Beirut and London.

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  • Matthew Irvine
    Matthew Irvine
    Research Associate

    Matthew Irvine is a Research Associate at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Mr. Irvine’s primary research focus is on defense policy and transnational threats, including terrorism, narcotics and insurgency. Previously, he was the Writers-in-Residence intern at CNAS working with Thom Shanker and Eric Schmitt of The New York Times, as well as with Senior Fellow Thomas Ricks.

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  • Robert Killebrew
    Colonel Robert Killebrew, USA (Ret.)
    Non-Resident Senior Fellow

    Colonel (USA ret) Bob Killebrew writes and consults on national defense issues as a Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security.  Prior to his retirement from active duty he served for thirty years in a variety of Special Forces, infantry and staff duties.  His assignments ranged included duty in Vietnam with MACVSOG, the Vietnamese Airborne Division, command in mechanized, air assault and airborne units, and staff positions in the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force, as director of plans, XVIII Airborne Corps, special assistant to the Chief of Staff of the Army, command

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  • Marc Lynch
    Dr. Marc Lynch
    Non-Resident Senior Fellow

    Dr. Marc Lynch is Associate Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Institute for Middle East Studies at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. He received his B.A. in political science from Duke University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in government from Cornell University.

    | Read Full Bio |