On 17 July 2014 in Donetsk Oblast near the Russian border, Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was hit by a surface-to-air missile at an altitude of 10,000 meters (33,000 ft) and crashed. A Dutchled international investigation concluded in the fall of 2016 that the missile that shot down MH17 was a Russian “Buk” model; the truck carrying the Buk weapons system was seen entering Ukraine over the Russian border the night before and returning to Russia that night. CNN reported a recording that day by pro-Russian separatists gleefully reporting that they had destroyed their target. The recording soon disappeared, once it became clear what the “target” turned out to be: a civilian airliner, and not a Ukrainian fighter jet.

This case study explores the arguments made by each side of the Boko Haram FTO designation debate to illustrate the challenges involved in effectively countering violent extremist organizations (VEOs).

This is a concept paper.  Its overall purpose is to discuss the viability and potential of the author’s War to Sustainable Positive Peace analytical framework for better understanding the elements and dynamics of a peace and stability operation environment, and preparing leadership and personnel for related planning, decision making, and engagement.  The data shown is real data from the author’s Bosnia in-country field-testing (2009) of the framework.

The Mass Atrocity Response Operations (MARO) Project seeks to enable the United States and the international community to stop genocide and mass atrocity as part of a broader integrated strategy by explaining key relevant military concepts and planning considerations. The MARO Project is based on the insight that the failure to act in the face of mass killings of civilians is not simply a function of political will or legal authority; the failure also reflects a lack of thinking about how military forces might respond. States and regional and international organizations must better understand and prepare for the unique operational and moral challenges that military forces would face in a MARO.

In this guide, the authors provide a set of principles and operational guidelines for peacekeepers to help the country restore public infrastructure and services. The extent to which public sector reconstruction takes place is a function of the mission, the level of resources, expertise of the troops, and the host country context. The guide provides courses of action to both planners and practitioners in executing these operations and supplements existing and emerging documents. The material here draws from both theoretical and analytical frameworks as well as from the experience and lessons learned from practitioners.

The manual focuses on host nation outcomes, not programmatic inputs or outputs. It is focused primarily on what the host nation and international actors are trying to achieve, not how they are trying to achieve it at the tactical level. It is not about how to conduct an election or disarm warring parties—it is about the outcomes that these activities support. Excellent “how-to” guides already exist across the U.S. government and partner institutions. These should be accessed regularly and used diligently in the conduct of these missions.

This guide focuses on the military’s role in rebuilding and establishing a functional, effective, and legitimate nation-state; one that can assure security and stability for its citizens, defend its borders, deliver services effectively for its populace, and is responsible and accountable to its citizens. Neither a handbook nor a checklist, the document provides a comprehensive approach to planning and implementing a program to rebuild governance by U.S. peacekeeping forces during stability operations.

This publication updates the Institute’s highly successful Guide to IGOs, NGOs, and the Military in Peace and Relief Operations, which was based on peace operations in the Balkans following the Cold War. This edition reflects the operations that have occurred since 2000, particularly those in Iraq and Afghanistan and the response to the 2004 Asian tsunami. Its purpose is to help military and civilian personnel understand peace, stability, and relief operations so they can work more effectively.

Foreword by Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster (USA) Director, Army Capabilities Integration Center and Deputy Commanding General, Futures, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.

The case studies and analyses in this volume make clear that understanding the dynamics associated with illicit power and state weakness is essential to preventing or resolving armed conflict. These case studies also point out that confronting illicit power requires coping with political and human dynamics in complex, uncertain environments. People fight today for the same fundamental reasons the Greek historian Thucydides identified nearly 2,500 years ago: fear, honor and interests.By Edited by Michael Miklaucic and Michelle Hughes

The Protection of Civilians (PoC) Military Reference Guide is primarily intended for military commanders and staffs who must consider PoC during armed conflict, multidimensional peace operations, or other military operations, particularly when PoC is an operational or strategic objective. It is designed as a supplement to existing doctrine and other relevant guidance so that military forces can meet their obligations to protect civilians. The reference guide may also be used as a textbook for PoC training.