The National Strategy Forum’s quarterly publication, the National Strategy Forum Review, continues to receive acclaim for its thematic coverage and distinguished authors. Our unique outline of current geopolitical trends and surveys of regional politics and events (Strategy Watch), reviews of major books on international affairs, and reports on new research in strategic studies provide balanced reporting of current issues affecting US national strategy.

Summer 2007, Volume 16, Issue 3

Asymmetry: Strategies for Adapting to Contemporary Security Threats

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Developing Irregular Warfare Leaders for the 21st Century
David L. Grange

Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and explosively formed projectiles (EFPs) continue to be the biggest killers of American troops in Iraq. Why? Because our technical countermeasures cannot keep up with the enemy's state-of-the-art, high-tech triggering devices.

Strategies for Asymmetric Threats to US National Security
Steven Metz

Today, all agree that asymmetric threats will predominate the foreseeable future. The high-tech, rapid conventional warfighting that the U.S. military has mastered suddenly seems of secondary strategic importance. Are the changes of the past six years enough to confront the current asymmetric threat?

Seeking Symmetry on the Information Front: Confronting Global Jihad on the Internet
K.A. Taipale

The militant global insurgency inspired by Al Qa'ida has recognized and availed itself of technology-enabled opportunities to further its ambitions, but counter-forces have yet to develop a fully comprehensive (or effective) strategic response. It is imperative to develop a comprehensive strategy to counter the terrorist's use of the Internet.

A Year in Iraq: A Military Commander's Perspective on Irregular Warfare and Counterinsurgency
Kevin W. Farrell

Over the past four years, the United States, the government of Iraq, and their allies have struggled with the challenges posed by irregular warfare in Iraq. As months have turned into years without a clear resolution, the armed resistance and violence in Iraq has been described as a last-ditch resistance by elements of the former regime, an insurgency with varying objectives, and civil war.  This article is based on Kevin Farrell's observations and personal experience in Iraq as a US Army Commander.

Understanding Asymmetric Warfare: Threats and Responses
John Allen Williams

Advanced technological societies have entered an era in which they are vulnerable to unanticipated and deadly attacks from opponents weaker in traditional measures of military power.  A solid understanding of forces confronting the US and creative ideas on how to deal with them are essential for minimizing the number of such attacks and reducing the severity of their consequences.

The Lethality of Improvised Weaponry in Irregular Warfare
T.X. Hammes

The convergence of open source information, loyalty to radical causes and a desire to make a major impact in a strategic communications campaign have increased the probability that a small group will conduct a WMD-like attack on the United States. The key factor in evaluating potential threats to the United States is not the level of technology and enemy controls, but the creativity the enemy has demonstrated.

Science and Technology Strategies against Asymmetric Warfare and Terrorism
Eugene B. Skolnikoff

The scientific and technological capabilities of the US industry, universities, and government constitute one of the nation's greatest assets in confronting asymmetric warfare and terrorism. They cannot provide a perfect counter - nothing can. But wisely deployed, they can help to redress the imbalance.

Book Review: Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America and the Middle East: 1776 to the Present
By Michael Oren
Reviewed by Richard E. Friedman