Order, Welfare, and Legitimacy: The Case for Adding OWL to the Strategist's Toolkit

The article explores the implications of Edward A. Kolodziej's Order, Welfare, and Legitimacy (OWL) model for US national security and foreign policy in the era of the global society. Kolodziej's analysis is extended to the emerging policy of the Trump administration and the degree to which the pre-Trump American national security enterprise has been in sync with the OWL approach to resolving inter-state preference conflicts and the pursuit of national interests in the global society. The author is a member of the US Army War College.Ope

Hana Cervinkova, Playing Soldiers in Bohemia: An Ethnography of NATO Membership. Prague Studies in Sociocultural Anthropology 4, 2006, 161 pages.

Hana Cervinkova’s ethnographic portrait of the Czech military in its “post-socialist” moment is a fascinating contribution to the literature on post-communist transitions. Not merely concerned with the provision of several anthropological descriptions of disappearing cultures, such as the obsolescent enlisted ranks and Air Force technicians expert in the mechanics of moth-balled Soviet aircraft, Cervinkova is determined to link the military’s post-socialist story to the Czech state’s own fort..

Ukraine\u27s Military Between East and West

America’s new allies in Central and Eastern Europe have been struggling with defense reform since the end of the Cold War. Only recently since the Orange Revolution has Ukraine’s national political and military leadership seriously engaged the process of radical and comprehensive defense reform. This monograph applies the various roadmaps for reform developed in the post-communist states of Central European states to the emerging Ukrainian case. The author draws upon this mixed picture to suggest a framework focused on key areas in need of reform as well as key conditions that facilitate the achievement of reform objectives. The result is a richly developed monograph revealing Ukraine’s main strengths as well as obstacles limiting the improvement of its military capabilities. Ukraine’s interests in the East and West, along with the reality of its divided society, shape the outcomes to date and constrain the future of its Euro-Atlantic orientation.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1681/thumbnail.jp

Democratization and the post-communist militaries: United States support for democratization in the Czech and Russian militaries

This study focuses on the role of military institutions in the democratic transitions of post-communist states. The main thesis is that political systems matter and are, indeed, determinants of patterns of civil-military relations. Authoritarian and democratic political systems produce different forms of civilian control and military professionalism. Consequently, shifts in political systems necessarily result in changed patterns of civilian control and military professionalism. I argue that concentrating on two critical dimensions of the military democratization problem--democratic political control and democratic military professionalism--will address the democratization needs which transitioning militaries face. I explore these concepts in-depth and identify specific issue areas on which both internal and external policymakers can focus to further the democratization of post-communist militaries. Building these patterns of democratic political control and democratic military professionalism should be the aim of all involved in the military democratization process in post-communist states. Ignoring the process of democratization of military institutions risks the overall process of democratic consolidation within the transitioning state and the protection of the society's democratic gains. The case study method is used to explore the specific problems of military democratization and democratization assistance in Russia and the Czech Republic. The dimensions of the military democratization problem are applied to these post-communist military institutions with the goal of assessing progress made and democratization needs that remain as the transitions progress. An examination of the US military's democratization programs in place in the former Soviet bloc, however, clearly shows that no such understanding of the scope of the military democratization problem exists among US policymakers. Consequently, the contributions that these programs have made toward building patterns of democratic political control and democratic military professionalism has been negligible. Policy recommendations include focusing military to military contacts between consolidated democracies and transitioning states on specific dimensions of the military democratization problem developed in the theoretical chapters. The models developed and conclusions drawn in this endeavor offer some solutions to both theorists and policymakers studying the problem of military democratization in the transitioning states, and consequently, may make some contribution toward their democratic consolidation.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio

"Whither transatlantic cooperation? Where NATO and ESDP collide"

This paper offers a framework for measuring the threat of the emergent European Security and Defense Program (ESDP) to the transatlantic link. There is a range of possible outcomes, outcomes that have varying implications for the U.S. as a global and European power. ESDP will emerge as either a strategic competitor to NATO that negates or significantly diminishes U.S. influence in Europe, or alternatively, ESDP might emerge as a strategic partner to NATO that restores the strategic balance in the Euro-Atlantic partnership with a reinvigorated European pillar. With the concept just a little over a year old, it is still too early to tell exactly how ESDP will mature and what form it will take. As it develops, though, it is useful to have some measures to help evaluate the direction being taken, either continuing toward partnership or diverging toward competition. Three criteria-indivisibility, improvement, and inclusiveness-are useful benchmarks for tracking the future course of Euro-Atlantic relations