An Iran Primer

July 2019 No Comments

“An Iran Primer“ Speaker: Liebl, V. (Center for Advanced Culture Learning (CAOCL)) Date: 12 July 2019 Speaker Session Preview SMA hosted a speaker session presented by Mr. Vern Liebl (Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning (CAOCL)) as a part of its SMA CENTCOM Speaker Series. Mr. Liebl began by stating that Iran does not present a large military threat to the US. Moreover, Iran’s military capabilities are fairly […]

Continue Reading

Interrogating Tensions in the Persian Gulf: Iran, the US and the GCC

July 2019 No Comments

“Interrogating Tensions in the Persian Gulf: Iran, the US and the GCC“ Speaker: Mabon, S. (University of Leicester) Date: 9 July 2019 Speaker Session Preview SMA hosted a speaker session presented by Dr. Simon Mabon (Lancaster University) as a part of its SMA CENTCOM Speaker Series. During this presentation, Dr. Mabon discussed the complexity of the broader competition in the Persian Gulf, posed a […]

Continue Reading

SMA’s Future of Global Competition & Conflict (GCC) China Panel Discussion

June 2019 No Comments

Future of Global Competition & Conflict (GCC) China Panel Discussion Author | Editor: Jafri, A. (NSI, Inc.) Discussion Details On 27 February 2019, the Strategic Multilayer Assessment (SMA, Joint Staff, J39) office—with the support of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and National Defense University (NDU) – convened a panel discussion on China in support […]

Continue Reading

Systemic Shift and the Middle East

April 2019 No Comments

“Systemic Shift and the Middle East” Speaker: Ehteshami, A. (Durham University) Date: 25 April 2019 Speaker Session Preview SMA hosted a speaker session presented by Dr. Anoush Ehteshami (Durham University) as a part of its Future of Global Competition & Conflict Speaker Series. To begin, Dr. Ehteshami stated that the Middle East seems to sit at the center of […]

Continue Reading

The Gallup World Poll: A Listening Machine for the World

March 2019 No Comments

“The Gallup World Poll: A Listening Machine for the World“ Speaker: Hansen, J. (Gallup) Date: 13 March 2019 Speaker Session Preview SMA hosted a speaker session presented by Mr. Jerry Hansen (Gallup) as a part of its SMA General Speaker Series. During his presentation, Mr. Hansen discussed Gallup’s ongoing work and highlighted its World Poll initiative. He first […]

Continue Reading

Iran’s Relationship to Yemeni Zayidis

March 2019 No Comments

Iran’s Relationship to Yemeni Zayidis Authors | Editors: Vern Liebl (Marine Corps Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning). Executive Summary Question 10: Do views of the Velayat-i-Faqih (in Yemen) present challenges to Iranian influences among holders of Zayid views? Question 11: Do divergent religious views/practices present challenges among the Iranian populace in relation to presentation […]

Continue Reading

Negotiated Settlement in Afghanistan: Elements of a Grand Bargain

January 2019 No Comments

Negotiated Settlement in Afghanistan: Elements of a Grand Bargain Authors | Editors: Ahmadzai, S. (University of Nebraska, Omaha); Bolger, D. (North Carolina State University); Kaltenthaler, K. (Case Western Reserve University & University of Akron); Liebl, V. (US Marine Corps University, Center for Advanced Operational and Culture Learning); Pantucci, R. (Royal United Services Institute); Rubin, B. (New […]

Continue Reading

Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower

January 2019 No Comments

Speaker: Beckley, M. (Tufts University) Date: 11 January 2019 Speaker Session Preview SMA hosted a speaker session presented by Dr. Michael Beckley (Tufts University) as a part of its Future of Great Power Competition & Conflict Speaker Series. Dr. Beckley began his presentation by stating that the US’s economic lead over China is actually larger than most estimates display. He […]

Continue Reading

A Win-Win Strategy to Transform North Korea

No Comments

Speaker: Jiang, M. (Creighton University) Date: 9 January 2019 Speaker Session Preview SMA hosted a speaker session presented by Dr. Maorong Jiang (Creighton University) as a part of its SMA STRATCOM Academic Alliance Speaker Series. Dr. Jiang elaborated on his contributions to the NSI Virtual Think Tank (ViTTa®) report entitled “Is There a Win-Win Scenario for the Key Actors Concerned […]

Continue Reading

Media Narrative Analysis: Iranian, Russian, and Chinese News Coverage of the Future of Afghanistan

December 2018 No Comments

Media Narrative Analysis: Iranian, Russian, and Chinese News Coverage of the Future of Afghanistan Contributors: Cooley, S.C. (Oklahoma State University) & Hinck, R. S. (Monmouth College) Executive Summary This project analyzed Chinese, Russian, and Iranian media narratives concerning interests in, and future prospects of, Afghanistan stability through three phases: Phase I (May-June, 2018; 79 articles), […]

Continue Reading