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Institute for the Study of War

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The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is an American nonprofit research group and advocacy think tank founded in 2007 by military historian Kimberly Kagan and headquartered in Washington, D.C.[1][2] ISW provides research and analysis of modern armed conflicts and foreign affairs. It has produced reports on the Syrian civil war, the War in Afghanistan, and the Iraq War, "focusing on military operations, enemy threats, and political trends in diverse conflict zones".[3][4] ISW currently publishes daily updates on the Russian invasion of Ukraine[5][6] and the Israel–Hamas war. ISW also published daily updates on Mahsa Amini protests in Iran.

Institute for the Study of War
AbbreviationISW
Formation2007; 17 years ago (2007)
TypePublic policy think tank
Legal status501(c)(3)
Headquarters1400 16th St NW
Location
President
Kimberly Kagan
Websiteunderstandingwar.org
www.iswresearch.org

ISW was founded in response to the stagnation of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and core funding to the group is provided by US military contractors.[2]

Political stance and influence

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Journalists for Politico,[7] Time,[8] Wired,[9] Vox[10] and The Guardian[11] have described the group's orientation as "hawkish", while writers for NPR described its position as "sometimes hawkish".[12] Writers for Business Day,[13] The Nation,[14][15] Arab Studies Quarterly,[16] Strategic Studies Quarterly,[17] The Hankyoreh[18] and Foreign Policy[19] have described ISW as neoconservative. James A Russell, writing in Small Wars & Insurgencies, described the think tank as neoconservative and right wing, comparing the organization to The Heritage Foundation and The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.[20] The Washington Post has described the group as favoring an "aggressive foreign policy".[21] Writing for The Intercept, journalist Robert Wright described the think tank as "ultra-hawkish" and its objectivity as "dubious".[22]

ISW criticized both the Obama and first Trump administration policies on the Syrian conflict, advocating a more hawkish approach. In 2013, Kagan called for arms and equipment to be supplied to "moderate" rebels, with the hope that a state "friendly to the United States [would emerge] in the wake of Assad."[23] In 2017, ISW analyst Christopher Kozak praised president Donald Trump for the Shayrat missile strike but advocated further attacks, stating that "deterrence is a persistent condition, not a one hour strike package."[24] In 2018, ISW analyst Jennifer Cafarella published an article calling for the use of offensive military force against the Assad government.[25]

Personnel

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Governance

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The ISW board includes General Jack Keane, Kimberly Kagan, former US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft, William Kristol, Kevin Mandia, Jack D. McCarthy, Jr., Bruce Mosler, General David Petraeus, Warren Phillips, William Roberti, Hudson La Force, and Jennifer London.[26]

ISW maintains close ties with the United States military and the defense industry,[9][2] and major contributors to the think tank have included General Dynamics, Raytheon, CACI and DynCorp.[17] ISW founder Kimberly Kagan participated formally on the Joint Campaign Plan Assessment Team for Multi-National Force – Iraq U.S. Mission – Iraq in October 2008, and as part of the Civilian Advisory Team for the CENTCOM strategic review in January 2009.[27] Kagan served in Kabul as a member of General Stanley McChrystal's strategic assessment team, composed of civilian experts, during his strategic review in June and July 2009. She and her husband Frederick Kagan returned to Afghanistan in the summer of 2010 to assist General David Petraeus with key transition tasks following his assumption of command in Afghanistan.[21]

Research

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Afghanistan Project

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The ISW's Afghanistan Project monitors and analyzes the effectiveness of Afghan and Coalition operations to disrupt enemy networks and secure the population, while also evaluating the results of Afghanistan's 2010 Presidential election.[28]

The Afghanistan Project remains focused on the main enemy groups in Afghanistan, specifically: the Quetta Shura Taliban, the Haqqani network, and Hizb-i Islami Gulbuddin.[28] Specific attention is paid to understanding the ethnic, tribal, and political dynamics within these areas and how these factors are manipulated by the enemy and misunderstood by the Coalition.

In 2010, ISW researchers testified before the United States Congress in regards to understanding the problems of corruption and use of local powerbrokers in ISAF's Afghanistan strategy.[29]

Iraq Project

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Kimberly Kagan in Iraq, 2008

The Iraq Project at the ISW produces reports about the security and political dynamics within Iraq.[citation needed]

The Surge: The Untold Story

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ISW president Kagan supported "the Surge" strategy in Iraq and argued for a restructured American military strategy more generally. The Surge: The Untold Story, co-produced by ISW provides an historical account of U.S. military operations in Iraq during the Surge of forces in 2007 and 2008. The documentary tells the story of the Surge in Iraq, as told by U.S. military commanders and diplomats as well as Iraqis.[30]

The video documented the Iraq Surge as part of a population-centric counterinsurgency approach and features many of the top commanders and others responsible for its implementation—including Gen. Jack Keane (Ret.), Gen. David Petraeus, Amb. Ryan Crocker, Gen. Raymond Odierno, Gen. Nasier Abadi (Iraq), Col. Peter Mansoor (Ret.), Col. J.B. Burton, Col. Ricky Gibbs, Col. Bryan Roberts, Col. Sean MacFarland, Col. James Hickey, Col. David Sutherland, Col. Steven Townsend, Lt.-Col. James Crider, and Lt. James Danly (Ret.)[31]

The Surge: The Untold Story was nominated for several awards and in 2010 was a winner of a Special Jury Award at the WorldFest film festival in Houston.[32] It also won honors as the best documentary part of the Military Channel's Documentary Series at the GI Film Festival in Washington, D.C.[33]

Middle East Security Project

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The Institute for the Study of War launched its Middle East Security Project in November 2011. The project seeks: to study the national security challenges and opportunities emerging from the Persian Gulf and wider Arab World; to identify ways the United States and Gulf States can check Iran's growing influence and contain the threat posed by its nuclear ambitions; to explain the shifting balance of power within the Middle East caused by recent upheaval, and assess the responses of the United States and Arab States to address these changes as they emerge. The Project currently is focused on Syria and Iran and also produced a series of reports during the Libyan Revolution.[citation needed]

Syria

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ISW has chronicled the resistance to President Bashar al-Assad through a number of reports, including:

  • The Struggle for Syria in 2011
  • Syria's Armed Opposition
  • Syria's Political Opposition
  • Syria's Maturing Insurgency[citation needed]

Libya

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ISW released four reports on the conflict that overthrew Muammar Gaddafi between September 19, 2011, and December 6, 2011. The series was entitled "The Libyan Revolution" with each of the four parts focused on different stages in the struggle in order to chronicle the revolution from start to finish.[citation needed]

Iran

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The Middle East Security Project has released reports on the status of the Iranian military as well as the influence that Iran has on its neighbors in the region. These reports include "Iran's Two Navies" and "Iranian Influence in the Levant, Egypt, Iraq, and Afghanistan" which was co-written with the American Enterprise Institute.[citation needed]

Ukraine Project

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The ISW has reported on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, starting with Russian activities in the War in Donbas and the later buildup of Russian forces for the invasion.[34]

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment

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The ISW has also published daily updates on the war in Ukraine since the invasion in the form of their Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment where they disseminate reports from open sources. ISW's maps of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine have been republished by Reuters,[35] the Financial Times,[36] the BBC,[37] The Guardian,[38] The New York Times,[39] The Washington Post,[40] and The Independent.[41]

References

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  1. ^ "About". Right Web. June 2010. Archived from the original on October 31, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c Urrutia, Olivier (September 2013). "The Role of Think Tanks in the Definition and Application of Defence Policies and Strategies". Journal of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies. 2: 26–27. ISSN 2255-3479. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  3. ^ "About Us". Institute for the Study of War. December 2010. Archived from the original on October 7, 2010. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  4. ^ "Kimberly Kagan". Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  5. ^ "Ukraine Project". Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on August 5, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  6. ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  7. ^ Bender, Bryan (March 17, 2017). "Trump's Mideast surge has Pentagon debating 'mission creep'". Politico. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  8. ^ Newton-Small, Jay (September 17, 2013). "The Rise and Fall of Elizabeth O'Bagy". Time. Archived from the original on October 1, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  9. ^ a b Ackerman, Spencer (March 6, 2012). "Why One Tech-Savvy Aid Worker Had to Flee Afghanistan". Wired. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  10. ^ Matthews, Dylan (April 6, 2016). "Elizabeth Warren exposed a shocking instance of how money corrupts DC think tanks". Vox.
  11. ^ Ackerman, Spencer; Lewis, Paul (August 29, 2012). "Obama strike would not weaken Assad's military strength, experts warn". The Guardian. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  12. ^ Bowman, Tom; Fordham, Alice; Meuse, Alison (March 23, 2017). "Big Changes And Major Dilemmas Loom In Next Phase Of ISIS War In Syria". NPR. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  13. ^ Taylor, Tristen (October 27, 2022). "Neoconservatism and the Institute for the Study of War". Business Day.
  14. ^ Fang, Lee (September 16, 2014). "Who's Paying the Pro-War Pundits?". The Nation. ISSN 0027-8378. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  15. ^ Carden, James (October 5, 2015). "'The Washington Post' Finally Finds a War It Won't Cheer". The Nation. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  16. ^ Petranek, Liana M. (Summer–Fall 2022). "Dancing on the edge of oblivion". Arab Studies Quarterly. 44 (3/4). JSTOR 48696273.
  17. ^ a b Ulrich, Marybeth Peterson (Fall 2015). ""Cashing In" Stars: Does the Professional Ethic Apply in Retirement?". Strategic Studies Quarterly. 9 (3): 102–125. JSTOR 26271521.
  18. ^ Jung, E-gil (March 20, 2024). "Korea's predicament in the wake of Nuland's retirement". The Hankyoreh. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  19. ^ Walt, Stephen M. (June 20, 2014). "Being a Neocon Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  20. ^ Russell, James A. (January 2, 2014). "Counterinsurgency American style: Considering David Petraeus and twenty-first century irregular war". Small Wars & Insurgencies. 25 (1): 69–90. doi:10.1080/09592318.2014.893956. hdl:10.1080/09592318.2014.893956. ISSN 0959-2318.
  21. ^ a b Chandrasekaran, Rajiv (May 19, 2023). "Civilian analysts gained Petraeus's ear while he was commander in Afghanistan". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  22. ^ Wright, Robert (March 17, 2018). "How The New York Times Is Making War With Iran More Likely". The Intercept. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  23. ^ "The Smart and Right Thing in Syria". Hoover Institution. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  24. ^ "ISW Analysts React to the U.S.'s Anti-Assad Strike in Syria". Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  25. ^ Cafarella, Jennifer (February 22, 2018). "US passivity in the face of Syrian atrocities is hurting our global interests". Fox News. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  26. ^ "Who We Are". Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  27. ^ "Staff Bios". Institute for the Study of War. November 2010. Archived from the original on November 5, 2010. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  28. ^ a b "Afghanistan Project". Institute for the Study of War. November 2010. Archived from the original on January 6, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  29. ^ "Testimony". C-SPAN. June 22, 2010. Archived from the original on April 10, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  30. ^ "'The Surge: the Untold Story' (never-before-seen interviews)". ISW. October 28, 2009. Archived from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  31. ^ "The Surge: The Untold Story". Small Wars Journal. November 2009. Archived from the original on January 7, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
  32. ^ "World Fest". WorldFest. June 2010. Archived from the original on February 25, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  33. ^ "G.I. Film Festival 2010 Announces Winning Films - GI Film Festival | Reel Stories! Real Heroes!". July 27, 2011. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved December 26, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  34. ^ "Publications". Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  35. ^ "Maps: Tracking the Russian invasion of Ukraine". Reuters. Archived from the original on March 6, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  36. ^ "Russia's invasion of Ukraine in maps — latest updates". Financial Times. March 25, 2022. Archived from the original on March 28, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  37. ^ The Visual Journalism Team (March 29, 2022). "Ukraine war in maps: Tracking the Russian invasion". BBC. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  38. ^ "Institute for Study of War says Russians unable to secure Kyiv attack positions – as it happened". the Guardian. March 27, 2022. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  39. ^ Levenson, Michael; Santora, Marc; Hopkins, Valerie (March 19, 2022). "What Happened on Day 24 of Russia's Invasion of Ukraine". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  40. ^ Morris, Loveday (March 20, 2022). "Russia tells Mariupol to surrender, but Ukrainian official is defiant". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  41. ^ "Dozens in Mariupol maternity hospital 'deported' - live". The Independent. March 29, 2022. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
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