Understanding Regional Actors: A Case Study

Abstract

Since WWII the U.S. has been involved in many regional conflicts in which U.S. leaders have failed to anticipate the actions of regional actors. These failures resulted in some measure from an inability to appreciate the target states' values, priorities, and thought processes. It is possible the estimation process could improve if greater attention was given to the interests, challenges, and opportunities of the regional actors involved, rather than concentrating on U.S. interests. This research project applies the U.S. Army War College Strategic Appraisal process, examining the 1973 Arab-Israeli War from the Egyptian perspective. Using this method would yield a better understanding of factors affecting regional actors, and hence produces superior insight into their actions. To use this method most effectively, the U.S. intelligence community should gather teams of regional experts tasked to analyze the world environment from the perspective of key regional actors. The understanding gleaned by this approach could improve the ability of the government to predict and respond to diplomatic and military events affecting U.S. national interests.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 09, 2002
Accession Number
ADA401903

Entities

People

  • James D. Harden

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Defense
  • Air Force
  • Air Power
  • Case Studies
  • Chemical Weapons
  • Cold War
  • Deception
  • Environment
  • Governments
  • Military Strategy
  • National Security
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Political Systems
  • Suez Canal
  • War Colleges
  • Weapons
  • Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Organizational Process Management (OPM).