Publications

This policy brief looks at Taiwan’s aggressively pursued rapprochement with mainland China and gives recommendations for how the US policy should adapt to this rapidly changing cross-Strait environmen...chevron_right

This short policy brief looks at five key questions that are likely to be posed during the congressional testimony of the US administration’s national security team on Afghanistan in December 2009.chevron_right

This paper examines US Special Operations Forces (SOF) and their role in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It discusses in detail the unintentional difficulties that flow from the current list of SOF ...chevron_right

This paper examines the role of military contractors in wars involving the US. The authors argue that because of changes in business practices, the provision of government service, and the character o...chevron_right

This policy brief outlines the severity of Yemen's internal security challenges and offers several policy recommendations to improve regional stability and reduce the threat to US national interests. ...chevron_right

CNAS Vice President for Studies Dr. Kristin Lord testified before the US House Armed Services Committee on whether the branding of US foreign assistance has the potential to push back against violent ...chevron_right

This report analyzes the negotiations between the US and North Korea over the last 15 years and draws out lessons for future negotiators. To illuminate these lessons, the authors interviewed a diverse...chevron_right

This brief presents three scenarios for Afghanistan following the contested presidential election and the ongoing policy review by the Obama administration. Three possible scenarios for Afghanistan's ...chevron_right

CNAS President Dr. John Nagl testified before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on September 16, 2009, to discuss US strategy in Afghanistan. He argued that achieving an outcome advantageous t...chevron_right

This report presents a nuanced strategic framework to manage the US-China relationship. The different authors offer a multi-layered understanding of how various bilateral challenges — ranging from arm...chevron_right

In this paper, CNAS CEO Nathaniel Fick recommends a shift in the approach to the military and political aspects of the US-Pakistan relationship in testimony before the US Senate Committee on Homeland ...chevron_right

This publication analyzes US objectives in Iraq and offers a new approach to achieving them. The authors argue that Iraq still faces many significant challenges. They address the US' willingness to im...chevron_right

This essay is a first person in-depth review offered by a US battalion commander about post-invasion operations in Iraq. The author portrays himself as a fairly conventional commander seeking, as he p...chevron_right

This paper discusses natural security challenges for the US in the 21st century. The author defines the concept of natural security and explores two broad categories of consideration: consumption of n...chevron_right

This paper provides major findings from the climate change war game, and background information on how CNAS developed the "2015 World" in which the scenario was set. The war game was conducted as a fu...chevron_right