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Item Mershon Center for International Security Studies Annual Report 2016-2017(Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 2017)Item Mershon Center for International Security Studies Annual Report 2015-2016(Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 2016)Item Mershon Center for International Security Studies Annual Report 2014-2015(Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 2015)Item Mershon Center for International Security Studies Annual Report 2013-2014(Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 2014)Item Mershon Center for International Security Studies Annual Report 2012-2013(Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 2013)Item Mershon Center for International Security Studies Annual Report 2010-2012(Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 2012)Item Mershon Center for International Security Studies Annual Report 2009-2010(Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 2010) Becker, CathySince 1967, the Mershon Center for International Security Studies has worked to fulfillthe vision of Ralph D. Mershon. He gave his generous gift to The Ohio State University nearly 50 years ago to ensure that civilians would study military activities.The Mershon Center aims to advance the understanding of national security by examining it in a global context. Security is a very broad topic and encompasses many questions, as anyone looking at the range of things the U.S. Department of Defense spends money on would quickly see. In an era in which defining a problem as a matter of national security often leads to increased funding, it is not surprising that the security agenda is very long. To make a high-quality impact on this agenda, even with the considerable talent available at The Ohio State University, it is necessary to concentrate the Mershon Center’s attention. We do this by focusing on three questions: 1) How is force in combination with diplomacy used in world affairs? 2) How do cultures and the ideas people have about what is right and about who they are affect their sense of security and readiness to fight and cooperate? 3) How can institutions be created to effectively manage violent conflicts both between states and within them? The center addresses these questions by funding faculty research, doctoral dissertation projects, and undergraduate research and study abroad. It also brings to the Ohio State campus leading scholars and policymakers who are identifying the most important issues within the three broad questions and finding the best answers to them. The center seeks to draw out the implications of those answers for both policymakers and citizens more generally. As is clear in Iraq and Afghanistan, often the most vexing problems involve social change, the mobilization of people for collective action, and the construction of legitimate governance. They also often include understanding how human beings and social systems are likely to behave, how leaders are likely to decide, and how we can avoid major intelligence failures or at least contain them. As part of The Ohio State University, the Mershon Center is fortunate in that it can draw on very talented people in numerous disciplines. Four federally funded national resources centers—for East Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Russia, and Latin America—cooperate with Mershon. Moreover, colleagues in political science, history, economics, psychology, anthropology, and philosophy as well as law, English, and other disciplines contribute in crucial ways. They bring diverse theoretical perspectives, different methodological skills, and a range of expertise in issue areas and geographic regions. They are willing to engage across disciplines, overcome initial obstacles of different vocabularies and jargon, and respect the rigor and appropriateness of both qualitative and quantitative data analysis. As colleagues from across campus engage at Mershon, they bring the best the academy has to offer to the questions at the heart of the center’s mission. It is their ideas that drive the center and make directing it such a pleasure. This report highlights the work they have done and the products they have generated. I encourage you to seek more information about research done at the center and video recordings of many of its events on our web site at mershoncenter.osu.edu.-- Richard Herrmann, DirectorItem Mershon Center for International Security Studies Annual Report 2008-2009(Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 2009) Becker, Cathy; Mann, MelanieSince 1967, the Mershon Center for International Security Studies has worked to fulfill the vision of Ralph D. Mershon. He gave his generous gift to The Ohio State University nearly 50 years ago to ensure that civilians would study military activities. The mission of the Mershon Center is to advance the understanding of national security in a global context. As the United States sends an increasing number of troops to Afghanistan while working to bring troops home from Iraq, the task remains urgent and complicated. The course of these conflicts has made it clear that strategies designed to accomplish political and social aims through the use of force require substantial cultural, historical, and area expertise. As the security agenda has grown, and as military institutions have increasingly turned to the academy for social scientific and humanist expertise, the Mershon Center has complemented its focus on the use of force and diplomacy with equal attention to the cultures and ideas that underpin security, and to the institutions that manage conflict. Projects sponsored by the center aim to explore fundamental questions such as: • How can military force be used effectively to advance political aims, and what can and should be done to counter insurgencies? • What role do national and religious identities play in conflict? Are they immutable or can we devise strategies to ameliorate the conflicts they generate? • When can multilateral institutions be effective in managing international conflicts and what are the best ways for domestic institutions to balance the need for executive authority and democratic practices? The Mershon Center promotes collaborative research on these themes among colleagues from more than 20 departments across Ohio State. It does this by funding multidisciplinary faculty and student research and undergraduate study abroad scholarships. The center also hosts numerous seminars and conferences, enriching intellectual life on campus by bringing some of the world’s leading scholars and practitioners to Ohio State. My colleagues at the center continue to push in new theoretical and practical directions contributing to both scholarly and policy ideas. When evaluating who was doing interesting work around the world, Foreign Policy magazine put my colleague Alexander Wendt in the top five and my colleague Randall Schweller in the top 25. Peter Mansoor has been in front of TV cameras and Congressional committees commenting on the war in Iraq and counterinsurgency warfare, while Robert McMahon was appointed chair of the U.S. Department of State’s Historical Advisory Committee. Both Edward Crenshaw and Craig Jenkins were awarded funding by the National Science Foundation for their work on terrorism and environmental security, respectively. Princeton University invited Dorry Noyes to spend a year there, and Mark Grimsley will spend a second year at the U.S. Army War College. The Mershon Center’s principal aim is to produce scholarship that has lasting value. This year my colleagues at the center published 22 books and almost 200 articles. This annual report highlights some of these and provides a glimpse of the research being done at Mershon. It also introduces many of the scholars and students carrying on the work of the center. For more information on projects and for access to recordings of the numerous lectures given at the center this past year, I invite you to visit our web site at mershoncenter.osu.edu. RICHARD K. HERRMANN DIRECTOR, MERSHON CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL SECURITY STUDIES PROFESSOR, POLITICAL SCIENCEItem Mershon Center for International Security Studies Annual Report 2007-2008(Mershon Center for International Security Studies, 2008) Becker, Cathy; Mann, Melanie; Tompkins, LauraSince 1967, the Mershon Center for International Security Studies has worked to fulfill the vision of Ralph D. Mershon. He gave his generous gift to The Ohio State University nearly 50 years ago to ensure that civilians would study military activities. The mission of the Mershon Center is to advance the understanding of national security in a global context. Rarely has that task seemed more urgent and complicated. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue, and it has become increasingly clear that military force alone will not bring them to a close. There is a need for cultural, economic, and political expertise as well. As the security agenda has grown, the Mershon Center has complemented its focus on the use of force and diplomacy with equal attention to the cultures and ideas that underpin security, and to the institutions that manage conflict. Projects sponsored by the center aim to explore fundamental questions such as: • How can military force be used effectively to advance political aims? When and why will its use succeed on the battlefield but fail politically? • What role do national and religious identities play in conflict? Are they immutable or can we devise strategies to ameliorate the conflicts they generate? • What institutions have been successful in managing violent conflict? How can such institutions be built and sustained? The Mershon Center promotes collaborative research on these themes among colleagues from more than 15 departments across Ohio State. It does this by funding multidisciplinary faculty and student research and undergraduate study abroad scholarships. The center also hosts numerous seminars and conferences, enriching intellectual life on campus by bringing some of the world’s leading scholars and practitioners to Ohio State. The Mershon Center’s principal aim is to produce scholarship that has lasting value. This year we are especially proud of the recognition received by several of our colleagues for the work they have done. Allan Millett was awarded the 2008 Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing. John Mueller received the Warren J. Mitofsky Award for Excellence in Public Opinion Research. Peter Shane was named executive director of The Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy. The faculty members and the students they attract are the lifeblood of the Mershon Center and the main benefit of being its director. This year, I am particularly happy to welcome Dr. and Col. (ret.) Peter Mansoor as the Raymond E. Mason Jr. Chair in Military History. Peter is a highly decorated officer with more than 26 years of distinguished service. Prior to coming to Ohio State, he served as executive officer to Gen. David Petraeus in Baghdad. Peter holds a PhD in history and is author of The GI Offensive in Europe (Kansas, 1999). His most recent book is Baghdad at Sunrise: A Brigade Commander’s War in Iraq (Yale, 2008). More information about the Mershon Center, along with photos and videos from many talks given here, are available on our web site at mershoncenter.osu.edu. RICHARD K. HERRMANN DIRECTOR, MERSHON CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL SECURITY STUDIES PROFESSOR, POLITICAL SCIENCEItem Mershon Center for International Security Studies Annual Report 2002-2003(The Ohio State University, 2003) Rojewski, JulieWith the United States engaged in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan and Americans aware that violence may strike the homeland, national security remains at the top of the Mershon Center’s agenda. The war on terrorism has both increased the salience of national security and expanded the understanding of what is involved in defending the country. The military is asked to fight wars as well as engage in peacekeeping, policing and even nation-building. The importance of intelligence and the need to coordinate the activities of multiple agencies both at home and with allies abroad is clear. So is the need to understand the motive forces and calculations that drive violent conflict and the methods for defusing and defeating them. The national security agenda is broad and the Mershon Center can make a distinctive impact by focusing on topics that the faculty expertise at Ohio State is especially well equipped to address. In light of changes in the world and at strengths identified in selective investment decisions at the University, a new five-year plan for the Center was approved by the Provost this year. It charts a course for the Center that emphasizes four substantive foci. The first of these is the use of force and diplomacy in world affairs, using the study of military and diplomatic history to draw lessons for the contemporary scene. The second is the decision processes involved in making defense and foreign policies, with an effort to discover ways to improve these. Third, is the role culture plays in diplomacy and conflict as it shapes national, religious and ethnic identities. The fourth foci is the role law and institutions play in managing disputes that can lead to armed conflict. The substantive questions the Mershon Center focuses on are not dealt adequately from any single disciplinary perspective. The Center serves as a catalyst for interdisciplinary cooperation relying heavily on faculty members from multiple departments in the Colleges of the Humanities, the Social and Behavioral Sciences and Law. The Center also serves as a bridge between the academy and the policy making world. The Center does this primarily by emphasizing the scholarly study of central historical and causal claims that serve as assumptions underpinning national security strategies and policies. This annual report highlights the recent publications resulting from this work, introduces some of the people that have played key roles in producing this scholarship and gives a flavor of the content and variety of the seminars and lectures the Mershon Center has sponsored over the past year. Richard K. Herrmann Director, Mershon Center Professor of Political ScienceItem Mershon Center for International Security Studies Annual Report 2003-2004(The Ohio State University, 2004) Rojewski, JulieUnderstanding national security in a global context remained an urgent topic with a broad scope. This year, the Mershon Center funded sixty projects, involving more than seventy faculty members from more than fifteen departments. Four broad themes provided the collective focus for our endeavors and define the structure of this report: 1) diplomacy and the use of force, 2) political and economic decision-making, 3) culture and identity in security and 4) the role law and institutions play in war and peace. In addition to projects that address some of these themes, the Center also sponsored a year-long, multi-disciplinary effort to understand security in the Middle East. Ohio State students are involved in most of the Mershon Center’s activities and this year the Center funded twenty graduate students and ten undergraduate student fellows. These students worked with faculty members on research projects and in many cases pursued research topics on their own as well. My colleague at Mershon, Bill Liddle, also taught an Honors course that was integrated with our special focus on the Middle East. Both faculty and students are encouraged to apply to the Center for funding in our annual competitions. Information about these are available on our web-site www.mershon.ohio-state.edu. Producing high quality scholarship is a principal aim of the Mershon Center. This annual report highlights some of the recent books and articles published by colleagues at the Center. It also reports on the conferences, workshops and seminars that have contributed to our research and made the Center an intellectually lively and exciting place to work. Although much of the work done at the Center has policy relevance, our primary aim is to produce scholarship that addresses fundamental claims about how the world works or the lessons that should be drawn from history that commonly underpin current debates. The ambition is to make contributions that retain their value as the daily headlines change. To enhance its mission the Mershon Center relies heavily on the faculty at Ohio State and hopes to both help scholars already at the University be more productive and to help attract outstanding new colleagues to join the faculty at Ohio State. This year, the Center has been successful in both areas. I am particularly happy to report that Professor Alexander Wendt from the University of Chicago agreed to join us as a Distinguished Mershon Professor with tenure in Political Science starting in the Fall 2004 and Professor Robert McMahon agreed to join us as a Distinguished Mershon Professor with tenure in the History Department beginning in the Fall 2005. I look forward to having them as colleagues and I am certain that in future annual reports their accomplishments and contributions to Ohio State will feature prominently. This report provides a glimpse into the year at the Mershon Center and identifies in brief some of the ideas and projects being pursued by my colleagues, faculty and students alike. It is working with them and riding on the wake they create as they seek to understand national security that is the best part of the being the Director of the Mershon Center. Richard K. Herrmann Director, Mershon Center Professor, Political ScienceItem Mershon Center for International Security Studies Annual Report 2004-2005(The Ohio State University, 2005) Rojewski, JulieWith his gift to the Ohio State University, Ralph D. Mershon sought to promote the civilian study of military activities and the principles of good citizenship. Today, the Mershon Center strives to fulfill that aim by fostering the understanding of national security in a global context. It concentrates on three main topics: 1) the use of force and diplomacy, 2) the ideas, identities, and decisional processes that affect security, and 3) the institutions that manage violent conflicts. This year, the Center held seven international conferences devoted to specific aspects of each of these topics. For instance, it convened in conjunction with the Korean National Defense University a conference in Seoul on the evolving military relationship between the United States and the Republic of South Korea. Funded by the National Science Foundation, Mershon also held a workshop devoted to identifying new research agendas for political science and sociology as they seek to understand global tensions in the Middle East. This was held in Istanbul, Turkey in conjunction with Bocaziçi University. The Mershon Center continued its decade old interest in fostering democratic institutions, holding this year’s conference on Comparative National Elections—which now includes teams from 21 countries—at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. In the contemporary era, the national security environment features multiple perceived threats with complex causes and involves militaries in a wide range of activities. To understand these matters, the Mershon Center aims to unite and catalyze faculty expertise across many disciplines. This year, the Center initiated twenty-five new research projects and continued six from the previous year. These thirty-one projects involved forty-one faculty members from sixteen different departments in four different Colleges (Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Law, and Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences). The Center also sought to increase the faculty expertise at Ohio State by helping highly-rated departments like Political Science and History recruit new colleagues. Thirteen of the projects funded this year were directed by professors who were recruited to or retained by Ohio State with the financial help of the Mershon Center. Students are deeply involved in the activities of the Mershon Center. This year, the Center funded nine student research projects with students traveling to Portugal, Turkey, South Africa, Latvia, Russia and South Korea among other places. Ten other undergraduate students were employed at the Center and involved in our various activities. Thirty graduate students were funded as research assistants on faculty-led research projects and an additional fifteen graduate students received some financial support for their contributions to these endeavors. In addition, although Mershon is not a teaching unit, it funded two lecture series that were integral components of two courses, an undergraduate course taught by Professor William Liddle concentrating on politics and security in the Muslim world and a graduate seminar taught by Professor Geoffrey Parker that concentrated on elite fighting units, their organization, recruitment, and role in both combat and society. This report gives a glimpse of the research activities under way at the Center and the more than sixty-five guest speakers who contributed to our enterprise. Collectively, they enrich the experience of students and faculty at the Ohio State University and certainly make my job as director a genuine pleasure. More information on many of these activities is available on our web-site www.mershon. ohio-state.edu. RICHARD K. HERRMANN DIRECTOR, MERSHON CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL SECURITY STUDIES PROFESSOR, POLITICAL SCIENCEItem Mershon Center for International Security Studies Annual Report 2005-2006(The Ohio State University, 2006) Becker, CathyOn behalf of the faculty and staff of the Mershon Center for International Security Studies at The Ohio State University, I am pleased to send to you a copy of our Annual Report for 2005-06. The mission of the Mershon Center is to advance the understanding of national security in a global context. We do this by fostering interdisciplinary faculty and student research in three areas: • The use of force and diplomacy. • The ideas, identities and decisional processes that affect security. • The institutions that manage violent conflict. Among the highlights of our 2005-06 Annual Report are: • Research conducted by Mershon-affiliated faculty and students. • Mershon-sponsored conferences, speakers and special events. • Activities of Mershon-supported post-doctoral fellows and visiting scholars. We hope that this annual report will give you a sense of the many activities and events that took place last year at the Mershon Center for International Security Studies. If you would like to learn more about this year’s activities, simply visit our website at http://mershoncenter.osu.edu.Item Mershon Center for International Security Studies Annual Report 2006-2007(The Ohio State University, 2007) Becker, CathyOn behalf of the faculty and staff of the Mershon Center for International Security Studies at The Ohio State University, I am pleased to send to you a copy of our Annual Report for 2006-07. The mission of the Mershon Center is to advance the understanding of national security in a global context. We do this by fostering interdisciplinary faculty and student research in three areas: • The use of force and diplomacy. • The ideas, identities and decisional processes that affect security. • The institutions that manage violent conflict. Among the highlights of our 2006-07 Annual Report are: • Research conducted by Mershon-affiliated faculty and students. • Mershon-sponsored conferences, speakers and special events. • Activities of Mershon-supported post-doctoral fellows and visiting scholars. We hope that this annual report will give you a sense of the many activities and events that took place last year at the Mershon Center for International Security Studies. If you would like to learn more about this year’s activities, simply visit our website at http://mershoncenter.osu.edu.