Statelet of Survivors: The Making of a Semi-Autonomous Region in Northeast Syria: US Options in the New Phase of the Syrian Conflict
Speaker: Dr. Amy Austin Holmes (George Washington University) Date: 28 August 2024 Speaker Session Summary The political overtures made by Turkish President Erdogan to normalize relations with the Assad regime are reshaping the dynamics of the Syrian civil war. These overtures have more closely aligned Turkish, Russian, and Iranian interests in the region. As evidence, […]
Continue Reading
A Hotter and Drier Future Ahead – An Assessment of Climate Change in U.S. Central Command
Speakers: Dr. Michelle Miro, Dr. Flannery Dolan, Karen Sudkamp, & Jeffrey Martini (RAND) Date: 9 May 2024 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Michelle Miro, Dr. Flannery Dolan, Karen Sudkamp, & Jeffrey Martini (RAND) as part of its SMA AFOE Phase III Climate Effects Speaker Series. Climate-related stressors present significant risks […]
Continue ReadingAnsar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM) and its Ties to Hamas
Speaker: Dr. Zana Gul (University of Stirling) Date: 7 December 2023 Speaker Session Summary Wilayat Sinai (WS), formerly known as Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM), is an Egyptian-based extremist group that is active in the Sinai Peninsula. The group seeks to influence the region’s politics and establish a state of the Islamic State of Iraq and […]
Continue ReadingThe Minds and Actions of Devoted Actors and the Will to Fight: A Behavioral and Brain Studies Approach to War and Extreme Group Conflict
Speaker: Dr. Scott Atran (University of Michigan) Date: 12 September 2023 Speaker Session Summary What drives warfighters to make costly sacrifices—including their lives—is a long-standing question that military and civilian leaders have tried to answer. Dr. Atran explained that this question can be studied through two different psychological models: 1) rational choice theory and 2) […]
Continue ReadingA New Asian Order is Emerging
Speaker: Mr. Mohammed Soliman (Middle East Institute) Date: 26 July 2023 Speaker Session Summary India’s expanding political influence is altering the current geopolitical order in Asia, with India positioned at its center. India’s growing role in geopolitics will over time take away some of the geopolitical focus on the Asia-Pacific region and place it on […]
Continue ReadingTranscultural Predictors of Will to Fight
Speaker(s): Atran, S. (Co-founder, Artis International; Emeritus Director of Research, France’s National Centre for Scientific Research) Date: 12 October 2022 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Scott Atran (Co-founder, Artis International; Emeritus Director of Research, France’s National Centre for Scientific Research) as part of its SMA General Speaker Session. Combatants’ willingness to fight and […]
Continue ReadingIsrael After Netanyahu: Anchored in a One-State Reality
Speaker(s): Lustick, I. (University of Pennsylvania) Date: 22 July 2021 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Ian Lustick (University of Pennsylvania) as a part of its SMA EUCOM Speaker Series. According to Dr. Lustick, the current dispute over the West Bank and the disputed sovereignty of the Israeli government will not end in an ideal […]
Continue ReadingAssessment of Strategic Implications of Population Dynamics in the Central Region—Integration Report: State-Level Instability in the Gulf and Levant
Authors | Editors: Ali Jafri (NSI, Inc.); Weston Aviles (NSI, Inc.); Sarah Canna (NSI, Inc.); and George Popp (NSI, Inc.) This publication was released as part of the SMA project, “CENTCOM Regional and Population Dynamics in the Central Region.” For more information regarding this project, please click here. Report Preview At the request of United States Central Command […]
Continue Reading
Part 3 Encourage Regional Stability
SMA CENTCOM Reach-back Reports – Part 3: Encouraging Regional Stability. Author | Editor: SMA Program Office. This is Part 3 of a 9 part series of SMA Reach back responses to questions posed by USCENTCOM. Each report contains responses to multiple questions grouped by theme. At the request of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), the […]
Continue Reading
Round 1 Questions Compilation
Compilation of Round 1 Questions. Author | Editor: Rhem, S. (SRC & SMA Team). Round 1 Questions Quick Look What are the factors that could potentially cause behavior changes in Pakistan and how can the US and coalition countries influence those factors? What are the strategic and operational implications of the Turkish Army’s recent intervention […]
Continue Reading