GHOSTARMY.ORG

May 20, 2013

"The Art of Warfare"

Boston Globe

By Juliette Kayyem, Lecturer in Public Policy

"...World War II's Ghost Army, a unit of handpicked G.I.s whose sole function was to deceive the Germans about the strength of America's military presence. Using rubber tanks, sound effects, and illusions of manpower, this group of young magicians tricked the Germans into believing they knew America's true plans."

AP Photo

May 2013

"North Korea's Nuclear Weapons: Future Strategy and Doctrine"

By Terence Roehrig, Research Fellow, International Security Program/Project on Managing the Atom

A nuclear North Korea makes it crucial that all countries in Northeast Asia work hard at maintaining a stable security environment that avoids the dangers of a crisis while encouraging North Korea to adopt a nuclear strategy that retains its "no first use" pledge, a strong command and control system, and a stable nuclear weapons posture. Given its relationship with North Korea, China is best positioned to encourage DPRK leaders in these directions.

AP Photo

May 9, 2013

"Options for Action in Syria"

Los Angeles Times

By Chuck Freilich, Senior Fellow, International Security Program

"...[E]ven the limited use of chemical weapons violates a fundamental international norm and an American failure to respond would create another North Korea–like precedent that would be a source of deep encouragement for the Assads of the world: WMD buys even a heinous regime immunity from international retaliation. Iran is no doubt watching in the wings, deriving its own conclusions regarding what the U.S. defines as unacceptable behavior."

May 8, 2013

"Born Yesterday"

The Huffington Post

By Charles G. Cogan, Associate, International Security Program

"...[T]here are many downsides to what has happened in Afghanistan. In my  view, we should have stopped hostilities in Afghanistan when bin Laden and his al-Qaeda followers escaped into Pakistan in late 2001. But it is now more than 11 years later and way past time to get out."

May 2, 2013

"Why Maliki Must Go"

New York Times

By Nussaibah Younis, Research Fellow, International Security Program

"...Mr. Maliki, who took office in 2006, had a successful first term, he has squandered the opportunity to heal the nation in his second term, which began in 2010. He has taken a hard sectarian line on security and political challenges. He has resisted integrating Sunnis into the army. He has accused senior Sunni politicians of being terrorists, hounded them from power and lost the cooperation of the Sunni community. The result: the political bargain that had sustained the fragile Iraqi state broke down."

April 21, 2013

"Nation's Challenge: Terrorist Next Door"

Philadelphia Inquirer

By Marisa L. Porges, Research Fellow, International Security Program

"Active support from and cooperation with American Muslims will be one of the most effective ways to thwart future terrorist attacks. As Saudi counterterrorism officials continually remind me, the friends and family of potential jihadists are the best form of defense against radicalization. This approach works in America, too."

Ed Wray - AP Images

February 2013

Wartime Sexual Violence: Misconceptions, Implications, and Ways Forward

By Dara Kay Cohen, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School, Amelia Hoover Green and Elisabeth Jean Wood

Wartime rape is neither ubiquitous nor inevitable. The level of sexual violence differs significantly across countries, conflicts, and particularly armed groups. Some armed groups can and do prohibit sexual violence. Such variation suggests that policy interventions should also be focused on armed groups, and that commanders in effective control of their troops are legally liable for patterns of sexual violence they fail or refuse to prevent.

September 2012

Liberating Kosovo: Coercive Diplomacy and U.S. Intervention

By David L. Phillips, Former Non-Resident Fellow, The Future of Diplomacy Project

In Liberating Kosovo, David Phillips offers a compelling account of the negotiations and military actions that culminated in Kosovo's independence. Drawing on his own participation in the diplomatic process and interviews with leading participants, Phillips chronicles Slobodan Milosevic's rise to power, the sufferings of the Kosovars, and the events that led to the disintegration of Yugoslavia. He analyzes how NATO, the United Nations, and the United States employed diplomacy, aerial bombing, and peacekeeping forces to set in motion the process that led to independence for Kosovo.