J. Matthew McInnis, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of the new monograph, “The Future of Iran’s Security Policy,” discusses Iran’s use of cost-imposing strategies when deciding where to get militarily involved. His report was launched at AEI headquarters in Washington on May 30, 2017.
In his new monograph entitled “The Future of Iran’s Security Policy: Inside Tehran’s Strategic Thinking,” J. Matthew McInnis, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, attempts to break down the Islamic Republic of Iran’s views of and approaches to things like military force, strategy, decision-making and more in order to bust the myth that the country’s security policy is beyond the scope of reason. “The Iranian leadership can be considered ‘logical’ if its decision-making patterns and worldview are well understood (as much as we oppose that worldview),” McInnis writes. “Western policymakers’ failure to understand this is the primary source of poor US strategy in the region since 1979. Hopefully, this monograph will lift the shroud on Iranian strategic thinking and guide better paths to a more stable Middle East.”
“In the past decade, tensions in Asia have risen as Beijing has become more assertive in maritime disputes with its neighbors and the United States,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies writes of its new report, “Countering Coercion in Maritime Asia: The Theory and Practice of Gray Zone Deterrence,” co-authored by Michael Green, Kathleen Hicks, Zack Cooper, PhD, John Schaus and Jake Douglas. “This study reviews deterrence literature and nine case studies of coercion to develop recommendations for how the United States and its allies and partners could counter gray zone activity.”
Zack Cooper, PhD, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Asian Center, discusses “Countering Coercion in Maritime Asia: The Theory and Practice of Gray Zone Deterrence,” a new report he co-authored with CSIS’ Mike Green, Kathleen Hicks, PhD, John Schaus and Jake Douglas. The interview was held at the think tank’s Washington headquarters on May 25, 2017.
In a new report from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, co-authors Hal Brands and Eric Edelman attempt to break down the politics of a new political age, marked by the conclusion of “the post-Cold War era.” “The core characteristics of the emerging era are the gradual but unmistakable erosion of U.S. and Western primacy, the return of sharp great-power competition across all three key regions of Eurasia, the revival of global ideological struggle, and the empowerment of the agents of international strife and disorder,” CSBA writes in a press release about the report. “Moreover, the impact of these forces is magnified by growing uncertainty about whether the traditional defenders of the post-Cold War system will be able and willing to play that role in the future.
In “The Afghan War: Key Developments and Metrics,” Anthony Cordesman, Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, examines the ongoing entanglement through the lens of data. “The report provides a survey of the metrics on several key aspects of the Afghan war,” CSIS writes. “These include the cost of the war, the trends in the fighting, the nature of the U.S. train and assist mission, the progress and problems shaping Afghan security forces, the lack of resources for civil-military operations, and the problems in Afghan governance, corruption, and popular support.” It also looks at the impact of socioeconomic and sociocultural factors on the engagement. Learn more about the report here.
On the Memorial Day episode of the Defense & Aerospace Report, we discuss President Donald Trump’s trip to Brussels and NATO, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s comments regarding Europe’s relationship with the US, Trump’s proposed FY18 federal budget and more. The Defense & Aerospace Business Report is sponsored by Bell Helicopter, a Textron Company.
This week’s guests include:
• Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group
• Ron Epstein of Bank of America Merrill Lynch • Steve Grundman of the Atlantic Council
• Todd Harrison of the Center for Strategic and International Studies
Donna Kocak, president of the Marine Technology Society and a senior systems engineer for advanced programs at Harris, discusses MTS’ history, work, strategic priorities and its potential future role in maritime technology standardization with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian on May 24, 2017. The interview was conducted after a panel discussion on US Coast Guard innovation hosted by MTS at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Arlington, Va.
Andrew Hunter, Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group director and International Security Program senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, discusses President Donald Trump’s FY18 budget request with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian at CSIS’ Washington headquarters on May 25, 2017.
Les Campbell, the regional director for the Middle East at the National Democratic Institute, discusses the results of a recent poll of Iraqi citizens on ISIS and security — commissioned by NDI — as well as recommendations for US strategy in the country with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. The interview was conducted at the US Capitol after a May. 25, 2017, Congressional Iraq Caucus meeting where Campbell and NDI Chairman Madeleine Albright briefed lawmakers.