Small Wars Journal

Journal

Journal Articles are typically longer works with more more analysis than the news and short commentary in the SWJ Blog.

We accept contributed content from serious voices across the small wars community, then publish it here as quickly as we can, per our Editorial Policy, to help fuel timely, thoughtful, and unvarnished discussion of the diverse and complex issues inherent in small wars.

by Evan Kalikow | Sat, 12/21/2013 - 11:12am | 3 comments

Book Review - Dr. Brian Glyn William Predators: The CIA’s Drone War on al Qaeda.

by John P. Sullivan, by Khirin A. Bunker, by Robert Bunker | Fri, 12/20/2013 - 9:53am | 0 comments

“Narco Cultura,” a documentary by Israeli photojournalist Saul Schwarz, is billed on as “an explosive look at Mexican drug cartels’ cultural influence on both sides of the border.”

by Alex Calvo | Sun, 12/15/2013 - 3:29pm | 8 comments

The problem can be summarized as follows: allied troops are better trained and equipped, while local forces enjoy a greater familiarity with the terrain, including above all the population.

by Wouter van Acker | Fri, 12/13/2013 - 9:45am | 0 comments

The effectiveness and efficiency of foreign policies depends on a great number of factors, and not in the slightest on the initial design of those policies.

by Max Massa | Wed, 12/11/2013 - 9:42am | 8 comments

The COIN Manual is being re-written and it is important to define Rule of Law if it is to be included or rejected from counterinsurgency doctrine.

by Chris Ince | Tue, 12/10/2013 - 12:03pm | 1 comment

President Enrique Peña Nieto is rapidly approaching a defining moment in his Presidency.

by Jephias Andrew Dzimbanhete | Tue, 12/10/2013 - 4:01am | 127 comments

Drawing Lessons from Zimbabwe's War of Liberation: Efficacious Use of Propaganda and Violence.

by Scott Nestler | Mon, 12/09/2013 - 1:56pm | 31 comments

This essay attempts to provide one perspective on how, in a time of war, many contribute to the mission in ways other directly engaging the enemy.

by Octavian Manea | Sun, 12/08/2013 - 7:58pm | 0 comments

Strategy and Choices for the Next QDR: SWJ Interview with Shawn Brimley.

by Chris Elliott | Mon, 12/02/2013 - 10:36am | 2 comments

Understanding the Dialectic of Nomad and State: The Tectonics of Conflict, Trade and Modes of Living in Afghanistan.

by Robert Bunker, by Anikh Wadhawan, by David Kuhn | Sat, 11/30/2013 - 1:27pm | 0 comments

Up until recently, weapons that provide for armor and bunker defeat capability at the levels that the RPG-29 is capable of, have not been seen in the hands of the Mexican cartels.

by Scott F. Mann | Fri, 11/29/2013 - 1:47pm | 1 comment

The rivalry between Kenya and al-Shabaab is not new. Kenya has long been active in Somalia’s internal politics, sponsoring a peace process that yielded the Transitional Federal Government.

by John P. Sullivan | Wed, 11/27/2013 - 12:29pm | 0 comments

Acronyms and Translations of Security and Government Agencies in Mexico’s Drug War.

by Becky Kohler da Cruz, by José de Arimatéia da Cruz | Tue, 11/26/2013 - 2:38pm | 1 comment

Within the realm of Latin America, one country that that has been particularly impacted by gangs and transnational organized crime is Brazil.

by Octavian Manea | Mon, 11/25/2013 - 11:43am | 5 comments

SWJ Discussion with Dr. David Kilcullen on his recently released book “Out of the Mountains. The Coming Age of the Urban Guerrilla”.

by Grant M. Martin | Mon, 11/25/2013 - 5:54am | 57 comments

Special Operations Forces have a problem: in order to be more effective in the “human domain” we have to paradoxically dump the concept.

by Adam Elkus, by John P. Sullivan | Sun, 11/24/2013 - 2:51am | 5 comments

It’s been about two months since al-Shabaab gunmen employed the new playbook.

by Njdeh Asisian | Sat, 11/23/2013 - 3:17pm | 2 comments

The relationship between Russia and Iran since the collapse of the Soviet Union forms a necessary and essential aspect of international relations.

by Robert Feldman | Wed, 11/20/2013 - 3:06pm | 7 comments

A close analysis reveals the Peace Corps is an important contributor to our national security.

by Shane Drennan | Wed, 11/20/2013 - 1:56pm | 15 comments

Al-Qaeda’s plan to cripple the U.S. through a series of proxy wars: an integral – and currently the most pertinent – component of its aggregate strategy.

by Matthew Stein | Wed, 11/20/2013 - 1:10pm | 0 comments

The June 2010 violence that took place in  Kyrgyzstan caused a significant number of deaths, injuries, displaced persons, property damage, and general unease among the people.

by Zayn Knaub | Tue, 11/19/2013 - 12:32pm | 2 comments

Hezbollah prides itself as being a Lebanese liberation force committed to defending the Shi’a in Lebanon. But Hezbollah is fighting in Syria against the Sunni opposition.

by Alex Calvo | Mon, 11/18/2013 - 2:45pm | 0 comments

From ‘Three Blocks’ to ‘Three Islands’: The Thin Line Between Police and Military Operations in Contested Maritime Spaces.

by James K. Greer | Mon, 11/18/2013 - 2:34am | 2 comments

Before Gustavus Adolphus revolutionized warfare, most armies were composed of groups of uncoordinated mercenaries, with little overall organization or chain of command.

by Stan Wiechnik | Sun, 11/17/2013 - 9:07pm | 0 comments

The US Army Counterinsurgency manual touts the importance of legitimacy yet it provides a limited explanation of what legitimacy is and where it comes from.

by Jeong Lee | Thu, 11/14/2013 - 12:05pm | 70 comments

It seems that many of my strident critics tend to focus on the operational and tactical minutiae and quaint service traditions when advocating the need for maintaining two separate ground forces.

by Jeffrey Starke, by Erin Mauldin, by Andrew Pfluger, by Adam Brady | Tue, 11/12/2013 - 3:43pm | 4 comments

Providing Basic Sanitation: A Means to Achieving the Military’s Strategic Objectives During Stability Operations

by John A. Bertetto | Mon, 11/11/2013 - 6:47am | 2 comments

SWJ would like to thank the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board's Executive Institute for allowing us to republish this article.

by DB Subedi | Sat, 11/09/2013 - 11:41pm | 0 comments

Since 2006, Nepal is on transition from armed conflict to peace. However, in the last six years, Nepal’s peace process is in deep crisis.

by Bryan Dailey, by Ian Davis, by Julius Tancred G. Managuelod | Thu, 11/07/2013 - 11:55pm | 7 comments

Optimizing Foreign Internal Defense to Counter Dark Networks: Direct and Indirect Approaches for Security and Development Efforts.

by Steven Rotkoff | Thu, 11/07/2013 - 11:25pm | 4 comments

The Army has had a program operating since 2006 (University of Foreign Military and Cultural Studies) aimed at better understanding the human domain in support of decision making.

by Octavian Manea | Thu, 11/07/2013 - 7:27am | 2 comments

The Role of an Air Sea Battle-Centric Posture in Strategic Reassurance: SWJ Interview with Elbridge Colby by Octavian Manea.

by Jason M. Bender | Tue, 11/05/2013 - 12:18pm | 7 comments

The Cyberspace Operations Planner: Challenges to Education and Understanding of Offensive Cyberspace Operations.

by Joseph J. Collins | Mon, 11/04/2013 - 1:26pm | 45 comments

Peter Mansoor’s book, Surge: My Journey with General David Petraeus and the Remaking of the Iraq War adds to the list of impressive works about the Surge.  

by John P. Sullivan | Mon, 11/04/2013 - 9:10am | 0 comments

SWJ's Spanish version of Criminal Insurgency: Narcocultura, Social Banditry, and Information Operations.

by Major Crispin Burke, Major James King, and Lieutenant Colonel Niel Smith | Fri, 11/01/2013 - 10:44am | 9 comments

While programs like DCGS-A, CPOF, and MTS may be capable, troops generally deride their atrocious user interface, and poor, almost non-existent interoperability.

by Robert Jordan Prescott | Fri, 11/01/2013 - 10:09am | 3 comments

Book Reviews: Wrong Turn: America's Deadly Embrace of Counterinsurgency and Cyber War Will Not Take Place.

by David S. Maxwell | Thu, 10/31/2013 - 3:44pm | 90 comments

Thoughts on the Future of Special Operations: A Return to the Roots - Adapted for the Future.

by Brian C. Collins | Thu, 10/31/2013 - 3:17pm | 0 comments

One danger of increased proliferation could well be the commencement of an accelerated race to go nuclear across the Middle East.

by Stephen J. Fallon | Wed, 10/30/2013 - 8:02pm | 2 comments

The French government’s weak commitment to maintaining the rule of law and her tradition of civil liberties cost her public support.

by Daniel M. Frickenschmidt | Wed, 10/30/2013 - 5:18pm | 0 comments

Only ninety miles from Florida, America’s entry into the age of Irregular Warfare had arrived and would find a permanent place in strategic policy, planning and funding.

by Joseph Royo | Wed, 10/30/2013 - 7:39am | 0 comments

In 1970 Secretary of Defense, Melvin R. Laird, proposed a defense strategy to President Nixon. This strategy sought to shift the defense focus from war to peace.

by Terry McDonald | Tue, 10/29/2013 - 7:07pm | 0 comments

The use of the center of gravity construct allows for stability centric problems to be understood in an environment which military forces may not be used to.

by Ruben Stewart | Tue, 10/29/2013 - 3:52pm | 0 comments

The recent development and adoption of population centric counterinsurgency (COIN) doctrine and tools has led to an ongoing and important debate about the utility of this type of COIN.

by Andrew Marvin | Tue, 10/29/2013 - 6:05am | 6 comments

In the pursuit of high-quality political or intelligence analysis, analysts need to be aware of lazy narratives that might encounter.

by John Maier | Sun, 10/27/2013 - 10:23pm | 9 comments

There comes a time when action must be taken.  The Mexican Drug War has become an untenable threat to the government of Mexico and a humanitarian crisis to the World.

by José de Arimatéia da Cruz | Sun, 10/27/2013 - 5:17pm | 0 comments

The argument put forward here is based on the transformation thesis which argues that cyber terrorism is “criminal or harmful activities that are informational, global, and networked".

by Jason Thomas | Fri, 10/25/2013 - 12:57pm | 1 comment

On 16 January 2013 the BP and Statoil ASA In Amenas gas facility in Algeria was attacked by al Qaeda linked terrorists resulting in the deaths of 40 workers.

by Gary Anderson | Wed, 10/23/2013 - 7:24pm | 24 comments

A quarter of a century ago four Marine Corps officers and a civilian military analyst wrote a piece for the Marine Corps Gazette on something they called Fourth Generation Warfare.

by Keith Nightingale | Wed, 10/23/2013 - 6:40pm | 1 comment

The unmatched military capabilities we enjoy today, not to be confused with strategic shortfalls, were shaped by the failure of the Iran Rescue and the confusion surrounding the invasion of Grenada.