Policy
Policy A plan or course of action, as of a government, political party, or business, intended to influence and determine decisions, actions, and other matter
2023 Air Command and Staff College Seminar
On 12 July 2023, the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NESA Center) hosted approximately 90 students and faculty from the Air Command and Staff College. The group was briefed at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. by NESA Center Professor Dr. Gawdat Bahgat onsecurity challenges in...
2023 Air War College International Officer Seminar
On 23 June 2023, the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NESA Center) hosted 54 international fellows and faculty from the Air War College. The students were briefed at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. by NESA Center Academic Dean Dr. Roger Kangas on theSecurity Implications of...
2023 Dynamics of Countering Human Trafficking in South Asia and the Gulf Seminar
From22– 25 May 2023, the NESA Center conducted a seminar titled “Dynamics of Countering Human Trafficking in South Asia and the Gulf.” The four-day seminar was held in Muscat, Oman. It was designed to help participants assess, analyze, and identify opportunities to effectively counter human...
2023 Eastern Mediterranean Security Roundtable
The Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies, in partnership with theTurkish Asian Center for Strategic Studies(TASAM), a leading Turkish think-tank, held a roundtable discussion in Istanbul, Türkiye, from 17–19 July 2023. Scholars from Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon,...
2023 Indian Ocean Island Forum
From 10–12 May 2023, the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies conducted a forum in Bangkok, Thailand with its partners on environmental security challenges throughout the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). With a particular focus on the specific challenges facing Indian Ocean...
2023 Lebanese Armed Forces Seminar
From April 10–14, 2023, the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies hosted a seminar titled “An Evolving World Order” at National Defense University (NDU) in Washington, DC. The program was designed to provide an academic setting in which these officers could examine ideas...
2023 NESA-AFRICOM Changing Nature of Security, Capacity, and Institutions Workshop
From 11–16 June 2023, the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies conducted, in partnership with U.S. Africa Command, the “NESA-AFRICOM Changing Nature of Security, Capacity, and Institutions Workshop” in Casablanca, Morocco. Security discussions on capacity building and the...
2023 NESA-IISS South Asia Security Forum
From 10–12 March 2023, the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies and its partner, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), co-hosted the 7th annual South Asia Security Forum in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.The NESA Center team Distinguished Professor Hassan Abbas,...
2023 Qatar Joint Staff College Washington Study-NESA Center Program
From 29 April–10 May 2023, the NESA Center hosted the Washington Study Program of Qatar’s Joaan bin Jassim Command and Staff College Senior Officer Program in Washington, D.C. The 38 participants included senior military officers and senior leaders from various Qatari government agencies. This...
2024 Eastern Mediterranean Security Roundtable
The Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies, in partnership withSETA, a prominent Turkish think tank, held a roundtable discussion in Istanbul, Türkiye, from 15–17 July 2024. The event brought together ten ambassadors and scholars from think tanks from Morocco, Egypt, Türkiye...
2024 Iraqi General Officer Capstone Seminar
The Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies hosted the annual IraqCapstoneevent in Washington, D.C., from 22 July – 2 August 2024. A senior delegation of representatives from the Iraq interagency participated in a robust program comprised of best practices from senior United...
2024 Lebanese Armed Forces Seminar
From 15–19 April 2024, the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies hosted a seminar titled "The United States and the Middle East in 2025" at the National Defense University (NDU) in Washington, D.C. The program was designed to provide an academic setting in which officers...
2025 Lebanese Armed Forces Seminar
From 7–11 April 2025, the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies hosted a seminar titled “The United States, Lebanon, and Security Challenges and Opportunities” at National Defense University (NDU) in Washington, D.C. The program was designed to provide an academic setting in...
2025 Tunisian National Defense Institute Security Seminar
From 9–16 April 2025, Professor Anne Moisan from the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies, in partnership with U.S. Africa Command, led the annual Tunisian National Defense Institute (TNDI) National Security Seminar for 52 Ministry of Defense senior government officials...
2nd San Diego Process: The Quad Critical & Emerging Technology Forum
From 19–21 August 2024, the University of Tokyo hosted the second “San Diego Process” (SDP) in Tokyo, Japan with representatives of the Quadrilateral states for a discussion of critical and emerging technologies. Partners in the effort included the National Security College of the Australian...
A Health Security Pandemic Checklist for Developing Nations and Donors
“A Health Security Pandemic Checklist for Developing Nations and Donors in the Pacific (and Elsewhere)” is a new OpEd coauthored by DKI APCSS professor Dr. Deon Canyon and Research Analyst at the University of California San Francisco Dr. Sebastian Kevany, for Security Nexus. In this paper,...
ACSS Welcomes Delegation from the International War College of Yaounde
As part of a two week visit to the United States, a delegation of faculty and students from Cameroon's International War College visited the Africa Center for a day of discussions on a variety of topics on June 13, 2016. Led by the Commandant of the War College, Major General Esaie NGAMBOU,...
Air War College Seminar – Washington Program
On 23 June 2022, the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NESA Center) hosted 52 international fellows and faculty from the Air War College at Fort McNair in Washington, DC. The students were briefed by NESA Center Professor Dr. Gawdat Bahgat and NESA Center Academic Dean Dr....
Armenian National Defense Research University Strategy Seminar
From 11–14 April 2022, NESA Center Academic Dean Dr. Roger Kangas, NESA Center Professor Dr. Gawdat Bahgat, and NESA Center Professor Richard Wiersema conducted a Strategy Seminar with thirty members of leadership and faculty at the Armenian National Defense Research University (NDRU) in...
As India enters 2021, Narendra Modi’s Hindutva project is on a roll
Prof Shyam Tekwani's latest article in the South China Morning Post. 'As India enters 2021, Narendra Modi’s Hindutva Project is on a roll' Excerpt:Like most countries in a pandemic year, India underPrime Minister Narendra Modihas had an unusual year. Book-ended by two leaderless mass...
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Defense Policy and Reforms in Bulgaria since the End of the Cold War: A Critical Analysis
After the disintegration of the communist system in Eastern Europe the former communist countries had to make an unprecedented transition to a “normal” society. Having been diverted from their natural path of development, with limited private property and political rights, these countries had to...
The Challenge of Sustaining US Influence in Latin America in the 21st Century
Influential international affairs author Robert Kaplan postulated during a recent speech in Washington DC that the contemporary effects of advanced technology and other factors of globalization does not change the world’s geography, "but has intensified it." Kaplan also noted the aftershocks of the...
ASEAN @50 Southeast Asia @ Risk: What should be done?
In October 2017, the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies co-hosted a workshop on “ASEAN @50, Southeast Asia @ Risk: What should be done?” The result of the two days of Australia-Singapore-US policy trialogue is a new publication outlining the group’s recommendations. The...
Origins of US Foreign Policy
This article provides a broad summary of USforeign policy by examining its historical philosophical beginnings and how those have evolved over the 241 years of the nation’s history. It exam-ines the Founders'intentions and concerns for their new system of government. Included in that is the...
Defense Institution Building from Above? Lessons from the Baltic Experience
Defense institution building seeks to create the means and mechanisms that enable effective capability aggregation within NATO. Can external assistance with DIB help states become suitable NATO members? We discuss the post-Cold War experience of the Baltic States to understand the role of external...
The Intent and Impact of US Sanctions on Cuba and Venezuela
National governments and international bodies like the United Nations (UN) and the European Union impose economic sanctions to force changes in behavior, whether that is through coercion, deterrence, punishment or shame to the countries, entities and individuals that endanger their interests or...
Role of PfP Consortium and NATO in Defense Education Enhancement Program (DEEP). FALL 2012
The Fall 2012 issue ofConnections: The Quarterly Journalis dedicated to defense education reform in partner countries and the role the PfP Consortium and NATO play through the Defense Education Enhancement Program. It covers requirements to modern professional military education and the way...
Central Asia, Asymmetric Warfare, NATO's Energy Security Policy, Missile Defense in Poland, Afghan Security Forces. SPRING 2013
The Spring 2013 issue addresses potential roles of Central Asian states post-2014; the topics of strategic communication; asymmetric warfare as seen by deployed military personnel; the roles of armed forces in civil security, with details on the experience of Italy; NATO's energy security policy...
Cyber Space, Cyber Engagement Between NATO US and Russia, Transparency vs. Confidentiality, Energy Security. FALL 2013
Two of the papers in the Fall 2013 issue of Connections look into the legitimacy in the use of force in cyber space in three recent cyber attacks and the engagement between NATO/U.S. and Russia in the cyber domain. Another article treats the dilemma of transparency vs. confidentiality in the...
Syrian Crisis, US Pivot to Asia, Concept of Sovereignty in the South Caucasus, Bulgaria's Post-Cold War Defense Policy, Key References on Afghanistan. SPRING 2014
The lead article in the Spring 2014 issue of Connections looks into the interplay of incentives and requirements for NATO membership from the point of view of an aspirant country, Georgia. Other papers question the effectiveness of the UN Security Council vis-a-vis the Syrian crisis, the US pivot...
Conflicts in Kosovo and Libya, Military Security and Police Institutions, Language Integrated Learning in Polish HME. SUMMER 2014
The Summer 2014 Connections focuses on military operations and looks into lessons learned from conflicts in Kosovo and Libya; also, it providesa comprehensive view on the language integrated learning in Polish higher educational institutions. Another article looks at Kosovo model as a precedent for...
Strengthening of Reaction Capability of European Union. Challenges and Perspectives of Western Balkans. FALL 2014
The Fall 2014 issue of Connections presents ideas on the strengthening of the rapid reaction capability of the European Union and ways and means by which regional alliances may effectively confront hostile regional powers. It provides insight into the challenges and perspectives of the economic...
China's Rise, Russia and Color Revolutions, Central Asian Power Transfer, Ukraine and its Impact on the Security of Russia and Europe. WINTER 2014
European and Eurasian Security: Viewpoints from Russia Connectionspresents diverse views on defense and security by authors from NATO and partner countries from the Partnership for Peace and beyond. For this particular issue we invited authors from universities and research centers of the...
Russia and South Caucasus. Russia vs. US/EU through Georgia and Ukraine. SPRING 2015
The Spring 2015issue of Connections presents several independent opinions on the Russia - South Caucasus relationship andhighlights difficulties of integration inthe case of South Ossetia and Abkhazia; other contributions examine Russia vs. EU/US through Georgia and Ukraine case and look into...
Russia and Crimea, Terrorism in Russia, Crisis in Ukraine, the Independence of Kosovo. FALL 2015
The Fall 2015 issue of Connections: The Quarterly Journal addresses two main themes: (1) how the Ukraine crisis is perceived in Central Asia, and (2) can the NATO campaignagainst Milosevic in 1999 and the independence of Kosovo, declared several years later, serve as precedent, and justification,...
Russia's hybrid warfare, crisis in Ukraine, programs in intelligence studies in Germany. WINTER 2016
The Winter 2016 issue of Connections presents original articles on Russia's hybrid warfare toolset and its Soviet predecessors, the crisis in Ukraine, caused by the annexation of Crimea and the Kremlin-backed separatist forces in South-Eastern Ukraine, the enduring validity of Clausewitz's "On War...
Emerging Security Challenges. SPRING 2016
Advances in sensors, communications, computing, nano- and bio-technologies, along with new strategies and operational concepts, challenge our policy-making capacity. The Spring 2016 issue of Connections presents the Emerging Security Challenges Working Group of the PfP Consortium and reflections of...