Harlan Ullman, Author at Centrul de analiza si studii de securitate

Three big bets to defeat IS
Three big bets to defeat IS

Blogs, General, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues, Terrorism

Three big bets to defeat IS

If the civilized world has any chance of defeating the Islamic State (IS) and other Sunni-based terrorist groups, three big bets must pay-off. And winning each bet is not sufficient. The pay-offs must be sustained for an extended period if this scourge is to be defeated. The first bet is that President Barack Obama has grown in office and has learned from past errors and mistakes. Second is that Secretary of State John Kerry will be given the authority to execute the strategy. And third is that the Iraqi government fully understands that it is in a fight to the death with IS and acts accordingly in reconciling with the [...]

By Harlan Ullman|2014-11-10T20:40:54+02:00October 26th, 2014|Blogs, General, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues, Terrorism|0 Comments

A defining moment in history
A defining moment in history

Blogs, Harlan Ullman., Issues, Orientul Mijlociu, Regions, Terrorism

A defining moment in history

Make no mistake: in taking the fight to the Islamic State (IS or aka the Enemies of Islam), President Barack Obama is at a defining moment for his presidency and probably the future. Perhaps less spectacular than the fall of the Berlin Wall and the implosion of the Soviet Union a quarter of a century ago or September 11th, the decision to catalyze a global fight against Islamic extremism and terrorism could be as far reaching in consequence. Consider the grounds for this conclusion. The accumulating grievances dating back to well before the Sykes-Picot secret treaty of 1916 sliced Mesopotamia into indigestible parts have become irreversible thus forcing religious, ethnic, [...]

By Harlan Ullman|2014-10-12T20:51:51+03:00October 12th, 2014|Blogs, Harlan Ullman., Issues, Orientul Mijlociu, Regions, Terrorism|0 Comments

Big ideas needed now
Big ideas needed now

Blogs, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues, Studies and Analysis, Terrorism

Big ideas needed now

When confronting a big problem, President General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower believed that the best solution could be found by making the problem bigger. What he meant was that in moving from, in military terms, a tactical to a strategic solution the latter would resolve the former. This is what President Barack Obama must do as he confronts a world of volatility and uncertainty perhaps unlike any other period in memory. In fact, today could be an inflection point as great or greater than the end of the Cold War or September 11th. The president’s strategic approach is cautious and restrained yet uses often-excessive rhetoric such as announcing a [...]

By Harlan Ullman|2017-11-14T21:28:02+02:00October 12th, 2014|Blogs, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues, Studies and Analysis, Terrorism|0 Comments

Do not defer action against ISIS!
Do not defer action against ISIS!

Blogs, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues, Orientul Mijlociu, Regions, Terrorism

Do not defer action against ISIS!

While President Barack Obama is contemplating what to do, if anything, about ISIS/L (now called the Islamic State or IS) as well as recovering from the “hug-out (what a ridiculous phrase)” in Martha’s Vineyard with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after her pointed criticism about the White House’s lack of a strategy in Iraq, he ought to consider the consequences, intended or otherwise, of deferring or taking strong action in Iraq. History is full of useful examples that are relevant today to dealing with IS one way or another. Consider 1947, 1948 and 1949. In 1947, Britain granted India independence and partition that created East and West Pakistan. [...]

By Harlan Ullman|2014-10-12T20:52:52+03:00September 4th, 2014|Blogs, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues, Orientul Mijlociu, Regions, Terrorism|0 Comments

The New MAD: An era of assured disruption
The New MAD: An era of assured disruption

Blogs, Global Governance, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues

The New MAD: An era of assured disruption

For much of the cold war, the major strategic and security paradigm between east and west was largely (and misleadingly) defined as an era of mutual assured destruction or MAD. MAD meant both sides could assure the near total destruction and defeat of the other in a nuclear or thermonuclear war. Today, despite the presence weapons of mass destruction, the era of MAD is over. But a new strategic mindset is now needed. The demise of the Soviet Union is one reason. As important is the erosion of the Westphalian system of state-centric politics. Through a combination of the diffusion of all forms of power and globalization, individuals and small [...]