Publications

Zhari and Panjwai

December 1, 2009 - Institute for the Study of War

For more information on the Zhari and Panjwai districts in Afghanistan, see Afghanistan Report #3: The Taliban's Campaign for Kandahar, by Carl Forsberg.

Winning Battles, Losing Wars

December 2, 2014 - LTG James M. Dubik (U.S. Army, Ret.)

Col. Harry G. Summers Jr. begins his book, On Strategy: The Vietnam War in Context, by relaying the following conversation: “‘You know you never defeated us on the battlefield,’ said the American colonel. The North Vietnamese colonel pondered this remark a moment. ‘That may be so,’ he replied, ‘but it is also irrelevant.’” As much as we may not want to admit it, in this sense, our current war against al Qaeda and their ilk resembles that of Vietnam. In fighting our post- 9/11 wars, we have won nearly every battle but are far from winning the war. How can this be? The answer lies largely in the civil military nexus that underpins how America wages war.

Will the Marines Push into Northern Helmand?

June 10, 2010

Northern Helmand may be the next focal point of U.S. and British efforts in the province, just four months after U.S. Marines launched the massive Operation Moshtarak in central Helmand.

Wilayat Sinai Likely Preparing for Car Bomb Campaign

March 12, 2015

Key Take-away: The threat of large-scale attacks in North Sinai by ISIS’s Wilayat Sinai is elevated as of March 12, 2015, but this threat is not assessed to directly target the upcoming Egypt Economic Development Conference in Sharm al-Sheikh scheduled for March 13-15, 2015 due to heightened security in South Sinai. Wilayat Sinai may, however, conduct attacks elsewhere during the conference in order to portray instability and derail economic and political opportunities for the government of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Why U.S. troops must stay in Afghanistan

November 24, 2012 - Kimberly Kagan

Will the United States continue to conduct counterterrorism operations in South Asia? That question is central to any discussion about U.S. troop presence and mission in Afghanistan.

Why the Taliban Are Winning--for Now

August 11, 2009 - Kimberly Kagan

ISW President Kimberly Kagan's latest opinion piece about the Afghanistan counterinsurgency the front page of Foreign Policy.

Why the Most Dangerous Group in Syria Isn’t ISIS

February 26, 2016 - Jennifer Cafarella

(CNN) Hardly a day goes by without news of the progress being made in the war on ISIS in Iraq and Syria. In recent months, American-backed forces have secured much of the Syrian-Turkish border, recaptured Ramadi, and stemmed the flow of fighters and supplies to the terror group's capital cities of Raqqa and Mosul.

Why Russia's Elections Matter to Putin

March 17, 2018 - ISW Press

If Putin's March 2018 election fails to meet the Russian president's own standards for success, it may cause reverberations in his foreign and domestic policies. U.S. decision-makers must therefore focus on the nuance behind the "election" results, Nataliya Bugayova writes in an essay for Fox News.

Why ISIS is So Successful

March 11, 2016 - Harleen Gambhir

ISIS’s messaging is incredibly effective, largely due to its strategic emphasis on hybridized digital warfare. The organization fully coordinates its military and messaging campaigns with the support of a robust media bureaucracy.

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