Author Archives: War Room

THE ADMINISTRATION’S TOP FOREIGN POLICY PRIORITY (A WHITEBOARD)

For this Whiteboard we reached out again to several scholars with the following prompt: What should be the Biden administration’s top foreign policy priority? Readers are invited to make their own contributions in the comments section. DEMOCRACY AT HOME MUST BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF FOREIGN POLICY 1. Dr. Carrie A. Lee, Assistant Professor, Department of […]

WAR ROOM INDEX — 2020 ANNUAL COLLECTION OF ARTICLES AND FEATURES

We know that many of you have time on your hands due to the pandemic lockdowns across the country and around the world. To help our readers and listeners occupy their time productively and to continue the thoughtful discourse we strive for, we’ve created an annual index of our offerings. You probably know that we already […]

THE 2020 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

We know that holiday celebrations are looking a little different this year. The weather and decorations might make it look and feel like the season we know and love, but there’s something not quite right. Kind of like an under inflated candy cane balloon in the socially-distanced, one-block Thanksgiving Day parade. And that’s why it’s […]

AFTER 2020, WHAT’S NEXT? (A WHITEBOARD)

Managing homeland security challenges requires practitioners to engage in a discursive space that regularly increases in complexity and scope. For this Whiteboard we reached out to several skilled practitioners in collaboration with the Homeland Security Experts Group (HSEG) with the following prompt: What do you envision as the greatest challenges facing homeland security and domestic […]

WOODROW WILSON: THANKSGIVING 1918

Complete victory has brought us, not peace alone, but the confident promise of a new day as well in which justice shall replace force and jealous intrigue among the nations.   This Thanksgiving we’ve selected President Woodrow Wilson’s proclamation of 1918 to prompt thinking about our own time. As the world continues to deal with […]

IMAGINING OVERMATCH: CRITICAL DOMAINS IN THE NEXT WAR (A WHITEBOARD)

As global politics and the international order destabilize, planners, strategists, and warfighters the world over are reminded that the threat of armed, large-scale conflict is a central feature in the histories of states. Recent conflict between China and India in the Galwan Valley and ongoing military buildups in that region testify to this fact. While […]

THAT ONE MOST IMPORTANT THING: (A WHITEBOARD)

War College students are at a point of significant departure in their careers, as their post-study assignments will generally put them in rapid-paced, constantly shifting circumstances.   For this Whiteboard we reached out again to several scholars with the following prompt: What is the most important thing a war college student should learn in their year […]

SHALL WE PLAY A GAME? (WARGAMING ROOM)

All games can be used to understand how humans make decisions in environments shaped by competition. While this is a Whiteboard post we thought it would be a great way to introduce our readers to the Wargaming Room, a new recurring series focused on the design, development, and playing of wargames. The articles and podcast […]

WAR(GAMING) WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? (A WHITEBOARD)

Wargames may not predict the future, but a well-designed and well-executed wargame can better equip both analysts and practitioners in facing an uncertain future – filled with unknown dangers.   [UPDATED 29 May 2020 for a late entry] For this Whiteboard we reached out again to several scholars with the following prompt: How can wargaming improve […]

LEADERSHIP ROLE MODELS IN FICTION REVISITED: (A WHITEBOARD)

[Darth] Vader has many admirable qualities; he did not rise to the level of Sith Lord without ability. He possesses incredible personal will, is a skilled warrior, is not afraid to put himself in harm’s way, and he has a great eye for talent. We had a great response to our December Whiteboard post so we […]

WHAT GOOD IS GRAND STRATEGY? (A WHITEBOARD)

A grand strategy defines a country’s interests, the threats to those interests and the policies as well as the military forces to defend them. For this Whiteboard we reached out again to several scholars at the Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University. We sent them the following prompt: What good is grand […]

THE UNITED NATIONS’ GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: (A WHITEBOARD)

26 COUNTRIES SIGNED THE DECLARATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS ON 1 JANUARY 1942 THAT SUBSCRIBED TO THE PRINCIPLES OF THE 1941 US-UK ATLANTIC CHARTER. For this Whiteboard we reached out again to several scholars with the following prompt: What has been the United Nations’ greatest accomplishment since its founding? Readers are invited to make their own […]

DENNIS SHOWALTER: IN MEMORIAM

Dennis Showalter In Memoriam In the waning days of 2019, word passed among military historians quickly: one of the giants in the field, Dr. Dennis Showalter, had died. Almost immediately, memories and tributes and reminiscences began to appear. The WAR ROOM editorial team reached out to some of those influenced by Dennis Showalter, personally and […]

SIR MICHAEL ELIOT HOWARD: IN MEMORIAM

Sir Michael Eliot Howard OM CH CBE MC FBA FRHistS, In Memoriam To say that the fields of war studies and military history would not exist as we know them today without the contributions of Sir Michael Howard would be true, but it does not do justice to the man as a scholar or mentor. While other venues […]