FPRI Featured Articles

The McChrystal Affair And U.S. Civil-Military Relations

By Mackubin T. Owens

Writing before the 2008 election, Richard Kohn, the eminent historian and student of US civil-military relations, predicted that "the new administration, like its predecessors, will wonder to what extent it can exercise civilian 'control.' If the historical pattern holds, the administration will do something clumsy or overreact, provoking even more distrust simply in the process of establishing its own authority." Recent events demonstrate that he was correct.

In late June of this year, it was reported that Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top US military commander in Afghanistan, and members of his staff had criticized top Obama administration officials. The story, published in Rolling Stone, quoted officers on McChrystal's staff making disparaging remarks about the vice president, the national security adviser, and the president himself. Gen. McChrystal was summoned to Washington D.C., where he offered his resignation, which the president accepted. Read “The McChrystal Affair And U.S. Civil-Military Relations” »

Additional Articles on Civil Military Relations

Ancient And Modern Nation Building: The Biblical Model For The American Experience

By Dov S. Zakheim

Nation building has become a highly salient issue in U.S. political and international life. We Americans are in the midst of two major nation building projects, in Iraq and Afghanistan, whose outcomes are far from certain. We continue to be involved in others: Bosnia and Kosovo, and, to a lesser extent Haiti.

Nation building is hardly a recent phenomenon, however. In the cases of both the Jewish people in the Bible, and that of the United States, "nation building" accurately describes what took place. Read “Ancient And Modern Nation Building: The Biblical Model For The American Experience” »

The Role Of The Military In America's (Domestic) History

Why The Military Makes Public Health A Priority

By Sanders Marble

The military is involved in public health because diseases do not respect a uniform. The mosquito cannot tell whether the arm is in a uniform or not. The military has to protect itself—campaigns have been affected (even lost) because a force was unhealthy due to communicable disease. Read “Why The Military Makes Public Health A Priority” »

The U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers In American History

By Todd Shallat

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is America's oldest and largest engineering organization. It is also the most controversial. Since 1802, when Congress created the Corps within the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the army engineers have brought science into government and extended the federal responsibility for natural resources. As the construction arm of Congress, the engineers managed some of the world's most monumental construction. As the nation's premier builders of water projects-dams, dikes, canals, harbors, hydro facilities, and navigation channels-the Corps promoted a systems approach that standardized construction, elevated the power of Congress, and professionalized public works. Read “The U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers In American History” »

Nation Building

Dominic Tierney, Assistant Professor Of Political Science, Swarthmore College, And Senior Fellow, FPRI

April 11, 2010 / Wheaton, Illinois

This presentation was part of The Role Of The Military In America's (Domestic) History: A History Institute for Teachers, presented by FPRI’s Wachman Center and the Cantigny First Division Foundation.

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FPRI Featured Articles Summer 2010

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Featured Video: James Mattis on Joint Warfare in the 21st Century

Joint Warfare in the 21st Century

James Mattis

February 12, 2009 / Washington, DC

James Mattis, the newly nominated commander of U.S. Central Command, spoke on Joint Warfare in the 21st Century.

This presentation was the keynote address at a February 2009 conference on National Security Challenges for the Obama Administration.

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Additional papers and videos from this conference are available.

FPRI Featured Orbis Articles

Change and the American Security Paradigm

By Kenneth Allard

While we have always assumed a neat institutional distinction between the United States’ internal defenses and the military power mobilized to protect its international interests, are porous borders and trans-national syndicates blurring those boundaries? Read Change and the American Security Paradigm » PDF

How the U.S. Lost the Naval War of 2015

By James Kraska

Coupling its new asymmetric naval force to visionary maritime strategy and oceans policy, China ensured that all elements of national power promoted its goal of dominating the East China Sea. The United States, in contrast, had a declining naval force, maritime strategy focused on lower order partnerships, and a national oceans policy that devalued strategic interests in freedom of navigation. Read How the U.S. Lost the Naval War of 2015 » PDF

FPRI Featured Footnotes May 2010

Shiism: What Students Need to Know

By John Calvert

Shiism is the second-largest denomination of Islam, after Sunni Islam. Today, the Shia comprise about 10 percent of the total population of Muslims in the world. Read “Shiism: What Students Need to Know” »

Sunni Islam: What Students Need to Know

By John Calvert

It is the mark of a great world religion to accommodate different outlooks and sensibilities. According to the majority Sunni view, the Prophet Muhammad died in 632 C.E. without naming a successor. If Muhammad had had a son, the Muslims at Medina might easily have settled the issue of the succession, but the one son born to the Prophet died in infancy. Read “Sunni Islam: What Students Need to Know” »

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About FPRI

Founded in 1955, the Foreign Policy Research Institute is an independent, nonprofit organization based in Philadelphia, devoted to advanced research and public education on international affairs. [About FPRI]