Books in the CSIS Reports series

Every three weeks, a major political crisis begins somewhere in the world. The United States intervenes in less than a fifth of them. But that is still a new U.S. intervention about every two months. And almost all of them are civilian interventions; less than a third involve the military.

This report traces the evolution of Hamas's health care services from the movement's origins to its current role as the de facto government of Gaza.

This report examines police reform in the Americas and suggests a strategic approach--considering trends, the threat environment, available resources, institutional strengths and weaknesses, and leadership--that will permit U.S. assistance to be successful.

"A Report of the CSIS Americas Program In cooperation with The Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies National Defense University."

"A report of the CSIS Energy and National Security Program."

In the last few years, issues related to human rights, including encouraging the democratization of Muslim societies from the Middle East to Southeast Asia, have acquired great importance in shaping the character of U.S.-Muslim relations and U.S. policy toward Muslim countries. An important impetus behind this development were the tragic events of 9/11, which demonstrated the destructive potential of militant groups that use a distorted interpretation of Islam as justification for their actions. These events also led to a greater realization by the United States--and the West--that a lack of democracy and lack of respect for human rights have been contributory factors to the rise of militant Islam.Consequently, in its approach toward the Muslim world, the United States has emphasized the themes of human rights and democracy. Within the Islamic world, too, both secular and moderate Islamists have begun focusing on issues related to human rights. Although many conservative Muslims believe that Islam is incompatible with Western notions of democracy and human rights, reformist Muslim thinkers and activists maintain that a proper reading of Islamic injunctions and the ethical values underpinning those injunctions shows there is no such incompatibility. Complicating the debate is the fact that many Muslims--secular as well as conservative and reformist--doubt the seriousness of the U.S. commitment to the cause of human rights and democracy in the Muslim world, believing that the United States applies human rights'' standards selectively to suit its strategic and economic interests. Irrespective of the validity of these charges, they are part of the context of the U.S.-Muslim dialogue on human rights. And it is this complex dialogue that this volume seeks to advance.

This report tracks and analyzes trends in Chinese military strategy, force structure, and regional activity. Chinese perspectives on their military's role and development are featured, as well as the views of other relevant regional actors.

The ability to access and economically develop vast amounts of America's unconventional natural gas resources, especially large shale gas formations, has altered our national view on energy and has subsequently changed the discourse at the federal, state, and local levels. Since 2008, when the economic viability of shale gas resources first became widely recognized, policymakers and industry leaders have worked to better understand the nature of this resource; the risks and opportunities associated with its production, transport, and use; and the potential strategic implications of the United States' new energy reality.

At the beginning of the 1990s, China intensified its Asia policy. While the United States was waging a war on terrorism in the Middle East, China tried to engage countries in Asia through its diplomatic ¿charm offensive¿ or ¿smile diplomacy.¿ However, since President Barack Obama took office in 2008, the United States has shown interest in Asia with renewed vigor.

In this CSIS report, Seth G. Jones analyzes Iran's irregular, conventional, economic, and soft power-as well as its domestic stability-to lay out a containment strategy aimed at curbing Iranian expansion and encouraging its political liberalization.

Since World War II, the Arctic has been a region of geostrategic importance to the United States. As unprecedented environmental transformation occurs in the Arctic, this region will increase in significance. When historians look back at this critical opportunity to develop U.S. Arctic policy, we do not want the question to be posed, "Who lost the Arctic?" but rather, "How did the United States win the Arctic?"

One year ago CSIS convened the Executive Council on Development-a bipartisan group of leaders from government, business, nongovernmental organizations, and philanthropy-to explore how the U.S. government and private sector can work together to support the economic success of developing countries. In their final report, "Our Shared Opportunity: A Vision for Global Prosperity," the Council provides a targeted set of recommendations for the U.S. government and private sector, calling for a greater reliance on business, trade, and investment tools to achieve better development outcome.

As the U.S.-India relationship continues to deepen, some misconceptions unfortunately linger about the forces driving India's economic growth. Over the course of a year-long lecture series, the CSIS Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies invited key business leaders to discuss the issues facing some of the foundational, albeit underexplored, sectors of the emerging Indian economy.

At this time it is impossible to know when, or the conditions under which, North and South Korea might be reunified. This exploratory report, though, analyzes the current demographic characteristics of the two countries and sets out potential scenarios given conditions that might exist during and following reunification.

Of the many factors that have contributed to China's industrial development and technological rise, the role of government policy has been impossible to ignore. Policies adopted by the central and local governments in China continue to exert enormous influence on industry in China.

Economics is critical to Asia-Pacific affairs and to U.S. interests there. The region accounts for roughly half of global GDP and trade and includes some of the world's fast-growing economies. American growth and jobs increasingly depend on trade and investment with Asia, and many of the rules of the global economic system over the coming decades will be shaped there. Effective U.S. economic policies in the region are thus an essential complement to other dimensions of the rebalancing strategy, reinforcing and being reinforced by the military, diplomatic, and political elements.

In the two decades since the dissolution of the USSR, Russian and Western experts, human rights activists, and journalists have become accustomed to the political violence of the North Caucasus. Terrorist bombings and acts of sabotage in Dagestan, Ingushetia, and Chechnya are perceived as somehow intrinsic to the region. But a recent tragedy in the Volga region suggests that this sort of violence-and the Islamist terrorists who perpetrate it-may not be confined to the Caucasus.

The police are one of the most critical institutions of the state. This is particularly true in nations emerging from conflict, which are characterized by insecurity and high levels of crime. Without security, governments cannot begin rebuilding their economies and improving the lives of their citizens. As a result, they will continue to struggle for legitimacy, and a return to conflict will remain an ever-present risk. For citizens, a police officer is the symbolic representation of state authority. Their view of the state and their acceptance of its authority are partially shaped by their interactions with the police.

In light of growing discussion about the future of the Korean peninsula, the CSIS Korea Chair held a major conference featuring senior-level policy and scholarly discussions on the topic of unification, and this report provides a record of that conference.

The Federated Defense Project aims to shift the paradigm with key allies and partners from capacity building to a federated approach that would expand regional security and prosperity by joining regional allies and partners together in the pursuit of shared security objectives across the conflict spectrum.