On Tuesday, February 27, 2024, the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies welcomed 18 students from the Defense Security Cooperation University’s (DSCU) seven-week Security Cooperation Organization (SCO) Operations Course. Academic Dean Roger Kangas, supported by Assistant Professor Jeffrey Payne, Dr. Michael Sharnoff, Professor Richard Wiersema, and Associate Dean Charles Marks, briefed the Read More >
J5 ACADEMIC PAPERS Author: Lt Col, Michael Redding, USAF, USA 18 February 2024 Iran’s Gray Zone Strategy Iran is running the world’s most effective gray zone campaign and hardly anyone has noticed. By combining a punishment strategy covered in plausible deniability with an influence strategy under the threshold of conflict, Iran is quietly reclaiming its Read More >
CSAG STRATEGY PAPER By: MAJ Felix Badut, ROMANIAN ARMY (CSAG/CCJ5) 20 February 2024 Overview: In 2014, Houthi rebels overtook Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, in a push for increased military and political power, starting Yemen’s long-lasting civil war. The chaos created by the Houthi insurgents jeopardized the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) ambition for Read More >
CSAG STRATEGY PAPER By: LTC René Berendsen, NLD Army (CSAG/CCJ5) 02 February 2024 Overview: Shaped by the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the Iranian political landscape uniquely blends democratic and theocratic elements. The 12th parliamentary elections, the 6th Assembly of Experts elections on March 1, 2024, and the presidential elections in 2025 are playing pivotal roles Read More >
On 14 February 2024, the NESA Center for Strategic Studies held a Washington Seminar Discussion at the Army-Navy Club in Washington, D.C. Dr. Michael Sharnoff moderated a conversation between Hanin Ghaddar and David Makovsky, both policy scholars at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The afternoon ended with a question-and-answer session with 32 participants Read More >
From 28 January–2 February 2024, Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies Professors Mark Bibbey and David Des Roches, supported by Matthew Holbert, NESA Program Manager, and Thomas Wagstaff, Academic Advisor, delivered the one-week Saudi War Course Strategy Module, to support the Saudi Armed Forces Command and Staff College in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Read More >
From 28 January – 1 February 2024, the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies hosted a program in Kathmandu, Nepal, titled “Countering Violent Extremism and the Role of Community Policing: Best Practices.” The seminar was designed to help participants evaluate and analyze the nature and dynamics of significant community policing challenges, especially in the realm of violent extremism, and deliberate Read More >
On 6 February 2024, five NESA Center faculty members held a seminar discussion at NESA Center offices in Washington, D.C., with two faculty members and twelve students from the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) regarding current and emergent policy issues in South Asia and the Indian Ocean littoral. Adjunct Professor John (Jack) Gill opened the seminar Read More >
CSAG STRATEGY PAPER By: LTC Kashif Ehtisham, Pakistan Army (CSAG/CCJ5);CDR Hubert Mroz, Poland Navy (CSAG/CCJ5); and MAJ Ibrahim Elveren, Turkish Army (CSAG/CCJ5) 29 January 2024 Overview: The Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October has affected not only the political and security dynamics in the ME region but also the world at large. This Read More >
From 21- 23 January 2024, the NESA Center Professional Military Education (PME) Team enabled the delivery of three subject matter expert (SME) lectures to students and faculty at the Royal Jordanian National Defense College (RJNDC) outside Amman, Jordan. Over the course of three days, students at the RJNDC attended a series of seminars and Read More >