Several publications published by the U.S. Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute address issues relating to regional security, international relations, political science, and foreign policy in the Middle East and Central Asia.
The Resurgence of Al-Qaeda in Syria and Iraq by Azeem Ibrahim
This text takes a look at Al-Qaeda’s loss of leadership and prominence as it pivoted from Afghanistan to Syria as well as the origins of ISIS in Syria. With ISIS holding strong in Syria, Al-Qaeda moved to Iraq for a resurgence in power until it met ISIS forces.
ISIS forces emerged in April 2013 under the leadership of Al-Baghdadi, who played a key role in establishing the Al NusrahFront and converging it with what later became the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Al-Baghadadi, who claims to be a descendent of the Prophet Muhammad, has been described as a “philosopher jihadi”—something quite different from other al-Qaeda leaders.
The Saudi-Iranian Rivalry and the Future of Middle East Security by W. Andrew Terrill
Our allies within Saudi Arabia play a key role to the stability of the Gulf states and the Middle East writ large. In this effort, Saudi Arabia has its challenges with neighboring Iran. Saudi Arabia is a conservative Sunni Muslim Arab state while Iran is the leading Shi’ite state. The rivalry between Riyadh and Tehran is reflected in how the two powers exercise political influence and defend their interests in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Bahrain, and beyond. The 2011 wave of pro-democracy and anti-regime protests, known as the “Arab Spring,” introduced new considerations for both Saudi Arabia and Iran within the framework of their regional priorities. The Saudi-Iranian rivalry therefore is likely to intensify as a central feature in the Middle Eastern security landscape, expanding into both the Gulf region and the Arab-Israeli theater.
Turkey’s New Regional Security Role: Implications for the United States by Richard Weitz
This book provides a historical view of the U.S.-Turkey bilateral relationship. America keeps a watchful eye on Turkey and its dealings in Iran’s nuclear position, Israeli-Palestine relations, and trade agreements between both countries.
All of these books may appeal to political scientists, and students writing research papers for public policy, history, military science, international relations, and global studies classes at the high-school level and above.
How do I obtain these publications?
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- Click here to purchase The Resurgence of Al-Qaeda in Syria and Iraq
- Click here to purchase The Saudi-Iranian Rivalry and the Future of Middle East Security
- Click here to purchase Turkey’s New Regional Security Role: Implications for the United States
- Click here to purchase Moving Beyond Pretense: Nuclear Power and Nonproliferation
- Click here to purchase Russian Military Transformation: Goal in Sight?
- Click here to purchase A New Type of Great Power Relationship Between the United States and China: the Military Dimension
- Click here to purchase Distinguishing Acts of War in Cyberspace: Assessment Criteria, Policy Considerations, and Response Implications
- Click here to shop our Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) collection
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Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.
About the author: This week’s blog contributor is Maureen Whelan, Senior Marketing Team Leader for GPO’s Publication and Information Sales program office in Washington, DC. Maureen oversees print and digital content dissemination strategy and manages third party free and paid content distribution through platforms and vendors, such as Apple iBookstore, Barnes and Noble.com, Google Play eBookstore, Ebscohost databases, Overdrive, and more.
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Trudy Hawkins
Government Book Talk 