Steven R. David
Capsule Review
May/June
2009
In this sobering study, David argues that domestic upheaval and state collapse are replacing rising states and great-power rivalry as the chief threats to U.S. interests and global security.
Essay
Jan/Feb
1999
Since the proxy fights of the Cold War ended, America has turned away from internal conflicts in other countries -- to its peril. Key states around the globe now teeter on the brink of civil war. A rebellion against Saudi Arabia's unpopular monarchy could strangle the world's oil supply. If regional tensions and anger with Boris Yeltsin lead to violence in Russia, the world's second-largest nuclear arsenal could fall into the hands of ultranationalist rogues. Armed uprisings have already broken out in Mexico and could spread at any moment, interrupting billions of dollars in U.S. trade and sending shock waves and refugees toward America's border. It is past time for Washington to develop a strategy to handle civil war.
