NATO’s Tactical Nuclear Dilemmas

06/12/2011
By Richard Weitz 06/12/2011 - The role of nuclear weapons in NATO’s defense and deterrence policies is clearly declining. The alliance’s Strategic Concept adopted last November clearly states that NATO will retain nuclear weapons as long as they exist, and that NATO wants its nuclear deterrent to be credible and…

The Dynamics of Change in the Middle East

06/10/2011
An Interview with Gilles Kepel (Credit: http://gilleskepel.weebly.com/) 06/09/2011 - Second Line of Defense’ Robbin Laird sat down with Gilles Kepel in Paris and had a wide-ranging discussion on trends in the Middle East.  At the heart of the discussion was a clear argument that any simplistic assumption that there is…

Finding the Exit Door in Afghanistan

06/09/2011
06/09/2011 Earlier this year we published a key interview with a French officer with extensive Afghan experience. His discussion and formulas remain compelling. https://www.sldinfo.com/?p=16559 An excerpt from the interview underscores what recent reports about the Afghan situation issued by the U.S .government simply highlight; investing in a country without a…

Listening to General Moseley at the Fisher Institute Air Power Conference

06/07/2011
[caption id="attachment_19932" align="alignleft" width="168" caption="General Moseley as Chief of Staff of the USAF (Credit: USAF)"][/caption] 06/07/2011 - General Moseley is a widely respected as an airpower thinker, leader and commander in Israel.  His years of service dealing with the Middle East are recognized for what they are, practical experiences in…

The Future of the People’s Republic of China (II)

06/07/2011
Have We Experienced the Dawn of the Chinese Century? By the Hon. Bill Anderson [caption id="attachment_19514" align="alignleft" width="231"] China as Epicenter of the Globe? (Credit: Bigstock)[/caption] 06/07/2011 - As Second Line of Defense completes its first issues forum, I offer a final thought from a different perspective on Chinese influence…both…