U.S.-Canada Arctic Strategy

Strategic cooperation in the Arctic is an important issue for U.S.-Canada relations.  The region is a vital source of natural ocean resources and global transportation, one that is often contentious for the complicated international interests in its strategic potential.  Managing these contentious issues is the subject of a new, excellent report by the Center of Strategic and International Studies, A New Security Architecture for the Arctic.

The National Strategy Forum Review published an issue dedicated to the U.S.-Canada relationship in the Summer of 2010.  The publication covers a number of U.S.-Canada security issues, but two articles in particular addressed the Arctic.  To read this issue, visit Canada: The Other Special Relationship.

The Iranian Nuclear Crisis and American Leadership

The case for American leadership in the Iran nuclear crisis has gained focus lately.  It is becoming clearer that strong U.S. leadership is the predicate for coordinated multilateral engagement on the Iranian nuclear issue.  An effective sanctions campaign against Iran’s nuclear program has been impeded in the past by lack of strategic focus and the complexity international relations.  This is not time for the U.S. to lead from behind.

A member of the NSF Editorial Board, recently published a commentary on the subject at The American Spectator.

The American Spectator: Don’t Waste Another Crisis, Mr. President

By Frank Schell

The U.S.-China Relationship

The U.S.-China relationship is the most important international relationship today.  Our countries are linked economically and the security and stability of the international system depends on actions that we take collectively or unilaterally.  However, greater friction is occurring today as a result of China’s rise and the decrease of U.S. supremacy abroad.  Neither sees eye to eye on many important international issues, and the prospects for cooperation and rapprochement are strained.

The National Strategy Forum Review has published a report about the status of the U.S.-China relationship.  We compiled a series of interviews with our contacts in Beijing and Shanghai, and have synthesized the substance of these discussions into a report about China’s strategic objectives and the means to improve the U.S.-China relationship.  This report serves as a baseline for ongoing discussions with our Chinese counterparts on how to guide the U.S. and China through tense diplomatic waters.  Cooperation is not a foregone conclusion, but the U.S. and China must first understand what each other wants before we can accommodate cooperation that is mutually beneficial.  We argue that the U.S. and China are bound to compete for influence in the Asia-Pacific, but this competition can be directed in constructive ways if the interactions are based upon established rules of the game.  The report, “The U.S.-China Relationship: Building Constructive Competition,” is now available online.

In addition to the report, we asked Drs. Bernard Cole and Cynthia Watson from the National Defense University to discuss China’s military modernization and strategic objectives in East Asia.  Their insights are unique and valuable contributions to the discussion.  Finally, Mr. Mark Frazzetto wrote a review of Joel Brenner’s new book on cyber security titled, America the Vulnerable.

These articles and the entire issue of the National Strategy Forum Review: Fall 2011, Volume 20, Issue 4  are now available online.

NATO Strike in Pakistan: Lifting the Fog of War

The NATO strike in Pakistan on November 26, 2011 left twenty four soldiers dead and many more wounded.  The tragedy has created a schism between the U.S. and Pakistan, a strategic relationship to the U.S. in the war on terror and an important pillar to U.S. objectives in the Middle East, but one that has been chaotic over the past decade.  The political damage from the incident has been great and many observers wonder if the rift can be repaired.  Both sides blame the other, and it is difficult to see how the two sides can come to grips with this tragedy.  Discerning the truth of what happened and why is paramount, but confusion on the ground obscures this goal.

Richard Friedman proposes a novel approach for establishing justice and restoring peace amidst the crisis.  It will not be easy, for the truth sometimes is not, but it is worth considering if it will help to heal the wounds of a nation.  To read the article, click the link below.

Lifting the Fog of War

By Richard E. Friedman

US-Cambodia Policy

Most of the time most nations are insignificant to the interests of the United States.  However, from time to time one such insignificant nation seems to step into the limelight of American interests and the crossfire of history.  Cambodia once occupied the latter and now enjoys the tranquility of the former.  Nevertheless, it remains a part of the complex international system and will play an important role in American policy objectives in Southeast Asia.

What are the critical issues facing the United States?  How does Cambodia play a role in those issues?  What policies does that role call for?  What developments are likely or possible within Cambodia and the international system that will affect U.S. policy with Cambodia?

To read this NSFR Special Report, click below:

U.S.-Cambodia Policy: Probabilities and Possibilities

By Ed Bacharach

The U.S.-Canada National Security Relationship

Canada and the U.S. operate in a rapid and continuously changing threat environment ­– acts of terrorism, economics and finance, natural disasters, pandemics, and catastrophic terrorism.  National security involves all of these events supplemented by notions of history, culture, and tradition, public diplomacy, and military concerns.  Although Canada’s population is substantially smaller than the U.S., Canada is a full partner of the U.S.  After a recent visit to Colorado Springs to visit the U.S.-Canada Tri-Command at Peterson AFB and Cheyenne Mountain, Richard Friedman shares his insights into this important security relationship.  To read the article, click on the link below.

The U.S.-Canada National Security Relationship

By Richard E. Friedman

A Maritime Model for Cyberspace Governance

Cyberspace is a unique realm where traditional concepts of law, governance, and international relations are difficult to define and more difficult to put into practice.  Meanwhile, cyber threats and cyber crime are on the rise and governments are scrambling to find legal ways to detect, apprehend, and prosecute perpetrators.  How can governments agree on acceptable legal norms?  What is the incentive to cooperate in apprehending cyber criminals? How can states form multilateral legal institutions and practices that address this challenges of cyberspace?

Mark Frazzetto’s article, A Maritime Model for Cyberspace Legal Governance, offers one view on this issue.  He argues that cyberspace be defined as an international common area and that legal arguments for governing such a space could gain insight from traditional laws of the sea.

A Maritime Model for Cyberspace Legal Governance

By Mark Frazzetto

U.S. Strategy in South Asia

Illinois Senator Mark Kirk recently issued a statement about his strategy for U.S. aid in Pakistan.  He commented that “In such an environment, and with our deficits and debt, aid to Pakistan seems naive at best and counter-productive at worst. I am seriously reconsidering and rethinking how well aid to Pakistan served us.”  The day after, the Chicago-Sun Times ran an editorial suggesting that the U.S. should pull out of Afghanistan and allow India to become the natural leader of the region.

Whatever the merits, these policy positions have important implications that must be seriously considered by national security policymakers.  Richard E. Friedman has provided an analysis of these policy proposals in his new article titled “Toward a Complementary Strategy for the U.S. in South Asia.”  He warns that eliminating U.S. aid to Pakistan and allowing India to become the regional leader may destabilize the region and lead to outcomes counter to U.S. objectives in South Asia.  For a deeper look at the potential consequences of these proposals, and for an alternative U.S. strategy, click on the link below to read Mr. Friedman’s new commentary.

Toward a Complementary Strategy for the U.S. in South Asia

By Richard E. Friedman

Why Taiwan Matters

U.S.-PRC-ROC relations are heating up, with rumors of a proposed F-16 fighter jet sale to Taiwan being debated in Washington.  Taiwan, also called the Republic of China (ROC), punches above its weight class in many respects.  For example, it is the world’s 19th largest economy, and one of the largest trading partners of the U.S. and PRC, despite being roughly the size of Maryland and Delaware combined.  However, Cross-Strait relations between the PRC and ROC have wide ranging implication for global politics, and particularly U.S. national security strategy.

Professor Shelley Rigger’s new book, Why Taiwan Matters: Small Island, Global Powerhouse, is an insightful look at this disproportionate impact this tiny island has on world politics.  For a book review and summary on this topic, please click here.

Breeding Grounds for Terrorism and Transnational Crime

As the U.S. is withdrawing from Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Department of Defense and Pentagon are cutting excess programs, security analysts are faced with the challenge of doing more with less.  How can the U.S. best use its resources, military, and intelligence tools to focus in on the major threats to U.S. national security?

Fine tuning what too look for and where to look for it is key to this process.  A team of analysts at Syracuse University’s Global Black Spots—Mapping Global Insecurity Project (GBS-MGI) is developing a new research methodology that goes beyond the traditional state level analysis to find “Black Spots,” or areas of insecurity that are beyond government control.  The team probes the local-level characteristics of a region using open source information to determine where terrorism and transnational crime may develop in the future.  Their findings provide a map of global insecurity that is being applied by U.S. intelligence agencies.

The Summer 2011 issue of the National Strategy Forum Review shares this process with our readers.  The case studies below are a sample of the estimated 600+ Black Spots operating around the globe.  This unique research demonstrates that traditional security analysis must add a deeper, more local component to the search for future security threats.