Security

The United States has provided support to political transitions worldwide for many years. But it was just twenty years ago that the US government established an office specifically to respond when regimes or conflicts ended and to maintain momentum...

This study-the result of a collaboration between CSIS and the JICA Research Institute in Japan-reviews U.S. and Japanese public and private approaches to innovation, including building innovation ecosystems and promoting smart cities technology. It also...

In this report, the CSIS Harold Brown Chair in Defense Policy Studies analyzes the types of capabilities necessary across the range of military operations, and compares that with the characteristics of amphibious ships, as well as those in the Combat...

The Center for Strategic and International Studies launched the Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) in 2003 in order to revitalize and strengthen a community of nuclear weapons experts whose training and background increasingly emphasize multidisciplinary...

Myanmar has made important progress toward democratic reform since President Thein Sein's civilian government came to power in early 2011. Significant challenges, however, remain and could scuttle efforts at change. Key among these are the peace process...

Until recently a lack of precision around China's economic size was taken for granted but caused little lost sleep: room to expand and the pace of growth were self-evident, and everything beyond that was academic for most purposes. But today the pace and...

In light of growing discussion about the future of the Korean peninsula, the CSIS Korea Chair held a major conference featuring senior-level policy and scholarly discussions on the topic of unification, and this report provides a record of that...

There is real promise for developing economies in the mobilization of their own domestic resources. For example, in 2010, tax revenue on the Africa continent was eight times larger than the foreign assistance received. And as aid levels from wealthy...

Is Japan capable of grand strategy when it comes to foreign policy? Modern Japan faces challenges on every front: from a rising China and constrained economic growth at home, to an ever-present threat posed by an increasingly unstable North Korea, to an...

The link between economic development and state security has been well documented. As policymakers consider that link, the model for international development in the twenty-first century must include both governments and the private sector. In this new...

The United States faces major challenges in dealing with Iran, the threat of terrorism, and the tide of political instability in the Arabian Peninsula. The presence of some of the world's largest reserves of oil and natural gas, vital shipping lanes, and...

The deadly May 31, 2010 Gaza flotilla incident has been misunderstood. This book explores the incident in more detail than mainstream media coverage has allowed-explaining the background, key players, and the incident itself-enriched by the authors...

Should the United States prevent additional allies from developing atomic weapons? Although preventing U.S. allies and partners from acquiring nuclear weapons was an important part of America's Cold War goals, in the decades since, Washington has mostly...

The CSIS Taiwan-U.S. Policy Program (TUPP) program provides a much-needed opportunity for future leaders to gain a better understanding of Taiwan through first-hand exposure to its politics, culture, and history. The papers in this compendium were...

In this volume, a distinguished group of scholars examine the national experiences of six major twentieth-century powers-- the United States, Japan, Turkey, China, India and Germany-to discern the centuries' legacies for today and the lessons for...

An arc of instability stretching across Africa's Sahel region, an area of strategic interest for the United States and its allies, is plagued by violent extremist organizations (VEOs). These organizations, including Boko Haram, al Qaeda, and other terror...

The goal of Reasoning for Intelligence Analysts is to address the three distinct dimensions of an analyst's thinking: the person of the analyst (their traits), the processes they use (their techniques), and the problems they face (their targets). Based...

China's military development has become a key focus of US security policy as well as that of virtually all Asia-Pacific states. This report from the CSIS Burke Chair in Strategy examines trends in Chinese strategy, military spending, and military forces...

In a time of austerity, the U.S. government's reliance on the private sector for a range of services has declined for two consecutive years. Even so, real services contract spending in 2012 remains more than 80 percent above the level in 2000. The CSIS...

In recent years, it has become increasingly clear to many observers that the Department of Defense must better communicate to the officers at the tactical end of the nuclear mission a rationale for nuclear weapons and deterrence, the critical role that...

The U.S.-India relationship has fluctuated from mutual suspicion to the current high-water mark of cooperation embodied in the seemingly close relationship between U.S. president Barack Obama and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. This study seeks to...

With elections in both the Philippines and the United States in 2016, the future of the alliance must be institutionalized to ensure that it is not diminished by a change of leadership in either country. A new Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement and...

Project Atom is a forward-looking, "blue-sky" review of U.S. nuclear strategy and posture in a 2025-2050 world in which nuclear weapons are still necessary. The report highlights and addresses the current deficit in national security attention...

Is Japan capable of grand strategy when it comes to foreign policy? Modern Japan faces challenges on every front: from a rising China and constrained economic growth at home, to an ever-present threat posed by an increasingly unstable North Korea, to an...

In this report, the CSIS International Security Program analyzes Russian undersea intentions and capabilities in the near to mid-term and the ability of NATO and partner nations to respond effectively. The assessment identifies gaps in current Western...

In 2014, the CSIS Europe and Southeast Asia Programs embarked on a two-year initiative to create a new and enduring EU-U.S. collaborative mechanism to enhance transatlantic Asia-Pacific policy coordination and understanding. This report is the...

Turkey in a Reconnecting Eurasia examines the full scope of Turkish national interests in the South Caucasus and Central Asia and analyzes the broad outlines of Turkish engagement over the coming years. It is part of a six-part CSIS series, "Eurasia...

This report offers a reexamination of U.S. Army posture in Europe amid heightened tensions between the United States and Russia over the geopolitical orientation of Ukraine. This study reviews Russian military capabilities; considers alternative U.S...

The Project on Nuclear Issues 2013 conference series included events at Northrop Grumman in May, Sandia National Laboratory in July, and CSIS in December, before concluding with a Capstone Conference at Offutt Air Force Base, home of the U.S. Strategic...

The U.S. Army is facing a time of great change. The security environment is becoming increasingly complex and uncertain, with defense challenges multiplying. At the same time, the Army is adjusting to rapidly diminishing operational demands, falling...

This book contributes to the ongoing national debate on civil liberties during the war on terrorism by providing easy access to relevant documents from major post-9/11 cases. The book's goal is to give students an opportunity to consider two fundamental...

After war, does truth telling lead to more peaceful attitudes between former enemies? This book is the first to study the over-time effect of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) process on people's attitudes towards peace. Focusing on the Solomon...

This thoughtful book provides a much-needed look at the vulnerabilities and security of our nation's water sources. Written as a result of 9/11 and in response to the critical needs of water/wastewater plant managers, plant engineers, design engineers,...

At a time of geopolitical tension and mutual distrust, the United States and Russia must work together in those areas where coordination is critical to global security, both to help stabilize the relationship and to buffer against conflict in the future...

The United States faces major challenges in dealing with Iran, the threat of terrorism, and the tide of political instability in the Arabian Peninsula. The presence of some of the world's largest reserves of oil and natural gas, vital shipping lanes, and...

Analysis of the FY 2021 Defense Budget from the CSIS Defense Budget Analysis program provides an in-depth assessment of the Trump administration's request for national defense funding in FY 2021. The analysis addresses overall trends in the defense...

Constructive Conflicts explains how large-scale conflicts-such as clashes between different ideological, religious, ethnic, and racial groups; civil wars; labor-management struggles; and public policy disputes-can be waged more constructively, with more...

The United States is at risk of finding its nuclear weapons capabilities severely weakened by the absence of an available capability to enrich uranium. International legal obligations prohibit the United States from using, for military purposes,...

The unsustainable federal budget outlook will inevitably push entitlement reform to the forefront of the national policy debate. As America's leaders consider reform options, they will have much to learn from the experience of other developed countries,...

This report analyzes four key aspects of US and Iranian strategic competition--sanctions, energy, arms control, and regime change. Its primary focus is on the ways in which the sanctions applied to Iran have changed US and Iranian competition since the...