BELFER CENTER STUDIES IN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
September, 2003
Countering Terrorism: Dimensions of Preparedness
Book
By Robyn Pangi, Former Research Specialist, Executive Session on Domestic Preparedness, International Security Program and Arnold Howitt, Executive Director, Ash Institute
The United States now knows that it is vulnerable to terrorist attacks. In Countering Terrorism, experts from such disparate fields as medicine, law, public policy, and international security discuss institutional changes the country must make to protect against future attacks. In these essays, they argue that terrorism preparedness is not just a federal concern, but one that requires integrated efforts across federal, state, and local governments.
July, 2003
Comrades No More: The Seeds of Change in Eastern Europe
Book
By Renee de Nevers, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 1995-1998
In 1989, Soviet control over Eastern Europe ended when the communist regimes of the Warsaw Pact collapsed. These momentous and largely bloodless events set the stage for the end of the Cold War and ushered in a new era in international politics. Why did communism collapse relatively peacefully in Eastern Europe? Why did these changes occur in 1989, after more than four decades of communist rule? Why did this upheaval happen almost simultaneously in most of the Warsaw Pact?
July 2002
Borders and Brethren: Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijani Identity
Book
By Brenda Shaffer, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 1999–2007; Former Research Director, Caspian Studies Program, 2000–2005; Former Research Director, Caspian Studies Project, 2005–2007
The Azerbaijani people have been divided between Iran and the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan for more than 150 years, yet they have retained their ethnic identity. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of an independent Azerbaijan have only served to reinforce their collective identity.
March, 2002
The Middle East Military Balance 2001-2002
Book
By Shlomo Brom and Yiftah Shapir
The explosion of violence between Israelis and Palestinians that began in late 2000 is a tragic number of the potential for armed conflict in the Middle East. Although many developments in the 1990s appeared to have reduced the likelihood of war in the region, stability between Israel and its Arab neighbors remains tenuous. Security in the Persian Gulf also remains uncertain, as Iran and Iraq have continued their pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. Understanding the dynamics of security in the Middle East requires detailed information on the military capabilities of the region's countries.
October, 2001
Soldiers and Civilians: The Civil-Military Gap and American National Security
Book
By Peter D. Feaver, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 1985-1987; Editorial Board Member, Quarterly Journal: International Security and Richard H. Kohn
Many commentators have pointed to an emerging civil-military "gap" in the United States. Former Secretary of Defense William Cohen declared that a "chasm" is opening between the military and civilian worlds. Some claim that America's armed forces and its civilians no longer share the same values and understanding of the role of the military. Others go so far as to suggest that the U.S. military is becoming less willing to accept civilian direction.
July, 2001
The Bush Administration and Nonproliferation: Skeptics at the Helm
Magazine or Newspaper Article, PIR Center Arms Control Letters, (Moscow),
By Matthew Bunn, Associate Professor of Public Policy; Co-Principal Investigator, Project on Managing the Atom
May 2001
Keeping the Edge: Managing Defense for the Future
Book
By Ashton B. Carter, Former Co-Director, Preventive Defense Project, Harvard & Stanford Universities and John P. White, Member of the Board, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Most national security debates concern the outcomes of policies, neglecting the means by which those policies are implemented. This book argues that although the US military is the finest fighting force in the world, the system that supports it is in disrepair. Operating with Cold War-era structures and practices, it is subject to managerial and organizational problems that increasingly threaten our military's effectiveness.
March, 2001
The Middle East Military Balance 2000-2001
Book
By Yiftah Shapir and Shai Feldman, Member of the Board, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Although Israel and its Arab neighbors have taken many steps toward peace in recent years, the Middle East remains an uncertain and volatile region. Stretching from Morocco to Iran, the area has seen numerous international and internal conflicts in recent decades. Understanding the dynamics of these conflicts requires detailed information on the military capabilities of the region's countries.
February, 2001
Bridges and Boundaries: Historians, Political Scientists, and the Study of International Relations
Book
By Miriam Elman, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 1993-1994, 1995-1996, 1999-2001 and Colin Elman, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 1998-2001
Bridges and Boundaries offers a conversation between what might loosely be described as traditionalist diplomatic and military historians, and political scientists who employ qualitative case study methods to examine international relations. The book opens with a series of chapters discussing differences, commonalities, and opportunities for cross-fertilization between the two disciplines.
Bridges and Boundaries explores how historians and political scientists can learn from one another and illustrates the possibilities that arise when open-minded scholars from different disciplines sit down to talk.
January, 2001
Holding the Line: U.S. Defense Alternatives for the Early 21st Century
Book
By Cindy Williams, Editorial Board Member, Quarterly Journal: International Security
Since the end of the Cold War, the US military has reduced its combat forces by 40 percent, closed about 20 percent of its bases, and withdrawn from many overseas posts. Even after these changes, the US military is by far the strongest in the world, with huge advantages in training, equipment, and technology. Despite cutting its annual spending by about 30 percent, the United States spends more than the countries with the six next-largest military budgets combined.
