Saturday February 11, 2012

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RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioMilitary Contractors in Afghanistan

Vanda Felbab-Brown, September 10, 2008, Federal News Radio

Vanda Felbab-Brown joined Federal News Radio to discuss the use of private military contractors in Afganistan. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioOutsourcing the Fight

Peter W. Singer, June 05, 2008, Forbes

Peter W. Singer writes about the increased reliance on and the weaknesses of private military contractors. He believes that the U.S. military needs to re-assess which jobs are appropriate to outsource and which are not as well as increase regulation in the contractor market. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioContracting Out Iraqi Army Advising

Peter W. Singer, May 12, 2008, The Brookings Institution

Peter Singer writes that the Pentagon is now seeking to hire contractors that will train and advise Iraq's army. He believes this task, determined as "essential to our successful war effort," should not be outsourced and that the military should learn from contracting mistakes of the past. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioBlackwater: The Roger Clemens of War

Peter W. Singer, December 14, 2007, Wired.com

Peter Singer discusses a lawsuit against Blackwater USA that claims employees in the field have used steroids and other "judgment-altering substances." Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioOutlook: Break the Blackwater Habit

Peter W. Singer, October 08, 2007, Washington Post Online

Peter Singer answers readers' questions online regarding his Washington Post article listing the myriad ways he sees military outsourcing hampering U.S. efforts in Iraq. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioSure, He's Got Guns for Hire. But They're Just Not Worth It.

Peter W. Singer, October 07, 2007, The Washington Post

Peter Singer advises Defense Secretary Gates that, "on balance, for all the important jobs that contractors are doing, Blackwater and its kin have harmed, rather than helped, our troops' counterinsurgency efforts." Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioBlackwater Hearings Ain't No Superbad

Peter W. Singer, October 03, 2007, Wired

Peter Singer discusses his perceptions of the October 2 Congressional hearings on private security contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe Dark Truth about Blackwater

Peter W. Singer, October 02, 2007, Salon.com

Outsourcing the war to private military contractors such as Blackwater has shattered the United States' moral authority and its ability to win wars like that in Iraq. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioSeven Questions: The Hired Guns of Iraq

Peter W. Singer, October 2007, Foreign Policy Web Exclusive

Peter Singer discusses why he believes the Blackwater Scandal won’t prompt the U.S. to stop outsourcing their wars. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioCan't Win with 'Em, Can't Go to War Without 'Em: Six Questions for P.W. Singer

Peter W. Singer, September 30, 2007, Harper's Magazine

Peter W. Singer discusses private security contractors in Iraq, concluding that they are actually undermining the American military’s achievement of its declared objectives in a counterinsurgency operation in Iraq. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioCan't Win with 'Em, Can't Go To War without 'Em: Private Military Contractors and Counterinsurgency

Peter W. Singer, September 2007, The Brookings Institution

Can't Win with 'Em, Can't Go To War without 'Em: Private Military Contractors and CounterinsurgencyPeter W. Singer says that the use of private military contractors appears to have harmed, rather than helped, the counterinsurgency efforts of the U.S. mission in Iraq. Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioBanned In Baghdad: Reactions to the Blackwater License Being Pulled

Peter W. Singer, September 17, 2007, Wired Blog Network

Peter W. Singer argues that “when it comes to military outsourcing: We dealt these cards to ourselves.” Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioFrequently Asked Questions on the UCMJ Change and its Applicability to Private Military Contractors

Peter W. Singer, January 12, 2007, The Brookings Institution

Question and Answer by Peter W. Singer (1/12/07) Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe Law Catches Up to Private Militaries, Embeds

Peter W. Singer, January 04, 2007, DefenseTech

Article by Peter W. Singer, DefenseTech (1/4/07) Read More

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioHumanitarian Principles, Private Military Agents: Some Implications of the Privatized Military Industry for the Humanitarian Community

Peter W. Singer, February 01, 2006, Resetting the Rules of Engagement: Trends and Issues in Military–Humanitarian Relations

Article by Peter W. Singer, from Victoria Wheeler and Adele Harmer (eds), Resetting the Rules of Engagement: Trends andIssues in Military?Humanitarian Relations, HPG Report 22 (February 2006) Read More

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Robert KaganExpertRobert Kagan

Robert Kagan is an expert and frequent commentator on Egypt, the Middle East, U.S. national security, and U.S.-European relations. He writes a monthly column on world affairs for the Washington Post and is a contributing editor at the Weekly Standard and the New Republic.

Global ChangeTopicGlobal Change

How do we develop more realistic approaches and more effective means of ending intractable old conflicts and preventing new ones? How do we enhance measures to thwart nonstate actors—especially terrorists and illicit traffickers—and prevent the spread of nuclear weapons?

Shadi HamidExpertShadi Hamid

Shadi Hamid focuses on Islamist political parties and democratic reform in the Middle East. Prior to joining Brookings, he was Director of Research at the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) and a Hewlett Fellow at Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law.

Vanda Felbab-BrownExpertVanda Felbab-Brown

Vanda Felbab-Brown focuses on the national security implications of illicit economies and strategies for managing them. She is the author of Shooting Up: Counterinsurgency and the War on Drugs (Brookings Institution Press, 2009).

John L. Thornton China CenterPolicy CenterJohn L. Thornton China Center

The John L. Thornton China Center develops analysis and policy recommendations to help address key long-term challenges, both in terms of U.S.-China relations and China's internal development.

Growth through InnovationTopicGrowth through Innovation

What new practices and mechanisms will help prevent another economic downturn from turning into a financial panic that could become a truly global meltdown? What changes in the public and private sectors will build the workforce and infrastructure required for a global information-based economy?

Opportunity and Well-beingTopicOpportunity and Well-being

As they weather the current economic storm, will our governments and societies address the basic needs and aspirations of the least well-off? How can we better use education to raise individual aspirations? How should governments around the world accelerate preparations to provide social services for the billions moving from poverty into the middle class?

Center for Technology InnovationPolicy CenterCenter for Technology Innovation

The Center for Technology Innovation is at the forefront of shaping public debate on technology innovation and developing data-driven scholarship to enhance understanding of technology’s legal, economic, social, and governance ramifications.

William G. GaleExpertWilliam G. Gale

Bill Gale, the Arjay and Frances Miller Chair in Federal Economic Policy in the Economic Studies Program at Brookings, is an expert on tax policy, fiscal issues, pensions, and saving behavior. He is also co-director of the Tax Policy Center and director of the Retirement Security Project.

Daniel KaufmannExpertDaniel Kaufmann

Daniel Kaufmann was previously the director at the World Bank Institute, leading the work on governance and anti-corruption. His areas of expertise are public sector and regulatory reform, development, governance and anti-corruption.

Mwangi S. KimenyiExpertMwangi S. Kimenyi

Mwangi S. Kimenyi is senior fellow and director of the Africa Growth Initiative. The founding executive director of the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (1999-2005), he focuses on Africa's development including institutions for economic growth, political economy, and private sector development.

Donald KohnExpertDonald Kohn

Donald Kohn is a 40-year veteran of the Federal Reserve System and served as vice chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve from 2006 to 2010. He was recently appointed by the government of the United Kingdom and the Bank of England to serve on its interim Financial Policy Committee. Kohn focuses on issues of monetary policy, financial regulation and macroeconomics.

Brookings Mobile ApplicationsNEW FEATUREBrookings Mobile Applications

Stay up-to-date with our independent, high-quality research, learn about Brookings events and search our directory of experts all from your BlackBerry, iPad, iPhone or Android device.

Budgeting for National PrioritiesResearch ProjectBudgeting for National Priorities

The Budgeting for National Priorities project promotes greater fiscal responsibility by developing new ideas, educating the public and finding common ground among experts and policy-makers.

Katherine SierraExpertKatherine Sierra

Katherine Sierra is a senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development program. A former vice president for sustainable development at the World Bank, she focuses on climate change and energy.

State of Metropolitan AmericaMetropolitan Policy ProgramState of Metropolitan America

Foreshadowing 2010 Census results, this new Brookings report and interactive map defines who Americans are—and who they are becoming—in the face of continued growth, population aging and diversification, uneven educational attainment and income polarization.

Center on Children and FamiliesPolicy CenterCenter on Children and Families

The Center on Children and Families studies policies on the well-being of America's children and their parents and seeks a more effective means of addressing poverty, inequality and lack of opportunity in the United States.

Darrell M. WestExpertDarrell M. West

Darrell M. West is vice president and director of Governance Studies and founding director of the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings. His studies include technology policy, electronic government, and mass media.

Suzanne MaloneyExpertSuzanne Maloney

Suzanne Maloney studies Iran, the political economy of the Persian Gulf and Middle East energy policy. A former U.S. State Department policy advisor, she has also counseled private companies on Middle East issues.

Africa Growth InitiativeResearch ProjectAfrica Growth Initiative

The Africa Growth Initiative conducts high-quality policy research and analysis focused on attaining sustainable economic development and prosperity in Africa, while amplifying the voice of African researchers in policy-making and planning.

Alice M. RivlinExpertAlice M. Rivlin

In February 1975, the Congressional Budget Office was established with Alice Rivlin as its first director. Rivlin is an expert on urban issues as well as fiscal, monetary and social policy and directs the Greater Washington Research project at Brookings.

Isabel V. SawhillExpertIsabel V. Sawhill

A nationally known budget expert, Isabel Sawhill focuses on domestic poverty and federal fiscal policy. She is also co-director of the Center on Children and Families and the Budgeting for National Priorities Project at Brookings.

Energy and ClimateTopicEnergy and Climate

What will it take to mitigate severe climate disruption? What should our priorities be in the relationship between fresh water and climate change? What will it take to help vulnerable countries and regions adapt to change already taking place?