Our Mission

To enhance security in the Near East and South Asia by building sustained, mutually beneficial relationships; fostering regional cooperation on security issues; and promoting effective communications and strategic capacity through free and candid interaction in an academic environment.

GEN Petraeus to CENTCOM GEN Odierno to be Commander of MNF-I The White House has nominated GEN David H. Petraeus, USA, currently commander of Multinational Force Iraq (MNF-I), to be the next U.S. Central Command commander.  Defense Secretary Robert Gates also announced that GEN Raymond T. Odierno, who commanded Multinational Corps Iraq until just two months ago, will take command of MNF-I.  In addition, LTG Peter Chiarelli, USA, currently Gates’ senior military advisor, has been nominated for a fourth star and will serve as the Army vice chief of staff. Petraeus-Crocker Hearings GEN David Petraeus, commander of MNF-I and newly-nominated commander of USCENTCOM, testified to Congress along with Amb. Ryan Crocker during the week of 7 April.  They discussed the security situation in Iraq and evaluated the effects of the "surge."  See their testimony and slides here (Petraeus/Crocker/ slides). Shortly after their testimony, President George W. Bush announced that he was halting the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq for the time being (The Way Forward in Iraq).  See also the 11th Congressionally-mandated report on Iraq, Measuring Security and Stability in Iraq (March 2008). New U.S. Government Reports Iraq Reconstruction Reports (Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction--SIGIR)  **Also in Arabic** NEW!!!Country Reports on Terrorism 2007 (State Department) Agency Stovepipes vs Strategic Agility: Lessons We Need to Learn from Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq and Afghanistan (House Armed Services Committee) Combating Terrorism:  The United States Lacks Comprehensive Plan to Destroy the Terrorist Threat and Close the Safe Haven in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Government Accountability Office)   Choosing War: The Decision to Invade Iraq and Its Aftermath (National Defense University, Institute for National Strategic Studies)   The Power of Truth: Understanding Part 1 of Zawahiri's Press Conference (West Point Combating Terrorism Center--CTC) CTC's latest edition of The Sentinel United States Intelligence Community Information Sharing Strategy (Office of the Director of National Intelligence)

New from the NESA Center NEW!! Alumni Reunion in Athens The NESA Center just held its second regionwide alumni reunion in Athens, Greece (6-9 April).  Almost 40 alumni spanning our region got together for 3 days of substantive policy discussions as well as time to catch up with old friends.  We plan to make these reunions a regular addition to our programming. NESA Center Director on Afghanistan Listen to the NESA Center Director, Lt. General David W. Barno, USA (Ret.), discuss "A Fork in the Road in Afghanistan" on a Council on Foreign Relations Podcast. The Center's Director testified on 2 April to the House Foreign Affairs Sub- committee on Middle East and South Asia.   He discussed the situation in Afghanistan and its region, commenting bluntly that "we cannot afford to fail in the region."  Read his testimony here and that of the other witnesses here. New Director's Message for 2008 “Sustaining a strong personal connection to our alumni will remain a cornerstone of the NESA experience.”  Read the full Director’s Message for 2008 for all our friends and alumni across the NESA region and elsewhere.  Combating Terrorism Seminar Begins On 29 April, the NESA Center started its second CT Executive Seminar for FY 2008.  This course is designed for colonels (0-6) and above and their civilian equivalents.  More than 30 participants from 20 countries will attend this senior level course for CT practioners.  The Course Director, Dr. Roger Kangas, was formerly at the Marshall Center in Germany. Pew Global Attitudes Report A recent Pew report, All the World's a Stage:  America's Image in the Muslim World, states bluntly that "America’s image in much of the Muslim world remains abysmal...[although] America seems to be winning the battle of ideas on some important fronts." Get a Snapshot of the Center See our trifold brochure explaining who we are and what we do.

Building Relationships -- Enhancing Security Last Updated: 8 May 2008