A Better Peace: The War Room Podcast

In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the “One Belt, One Road” strategy as a national effort ostensibly to improve the economic integration and regional security of the Eurasian landmass. Also known as the “Belt and Road Initiative,” the strategy emphasizes development projects within underdeveloped east European and Asian nations. However, critics question both the motivations of the Chinese and the potentially low returns on investment. So why are the Chinese pursuing this? Join the podcast as Rakesh Kapoor and Paul Kan explore this question.

The defense acquisition system has been the subject of much controversy and criticism. From the “Sisyphus Paradox” to more recent studies on defense acquisition reform, critics have complained about the process of acquisition being too slow and cumbersome. But far less attention has been given to the strategy of acquisition. How should defense leaders make investment choices that address shorter-term needs while preserving long-term opportunities? Mark Kappelmann and Andrew Hill provide analysis and offer ideas and recommendations in this War Room Podcast. Watch Colonel Mark Kappelmann in a panel discussion on military innovation at the Center for New American Security.

In this War Room Podcast, Jamaican Defense Force Colonel Jaimie Ogilvie discusses with U.S. Army War College faculty member Dr. Paul Kan the challenges of foreign fighters operating within the Caribbean, the “third border” of the U.S. as named by former President G. W. Bush. By foreign fighters, Colonel Ogilvie refers to the David Malet's definition from his book Foreign Fighters: Transnational Identity in Civic Conflicts, "a non-citizen of a state experiencing civil conflict or arrives from another state to join a civil insurgency." This definition differs from more common usage which treats foreign fighters as a type of terrorist. They explore the broad range of reasons why individuals become foreign fighters; the impact of foreign fighters on the economically fragile states in the Caribbean, particularly on tourism; and the potential expansion of violent extremist organizations into the region. They also discuss why the U.S. should be concerned about the presence and activities of foreign fighters so close to its homeland, and that the U.S. should assist its Caribbean partners as many lack the resources to deal with the problem themselves. Colonel Ogilvie is Jamaican’s first officer to attend the U.S. Army War College, and the podcast is based on his strategy research project in satisfaction of resident program requirements.  Each year, the U.S. Army War College resident class includes over 75 international officers from 70 different partner nations all over the globe.