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    "Anatol Lieven"
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Soldiers Before Missiles: Meeting the Challenge from the World's Streets

As Kosovo demonstrates (and as Lebanon and Somalia showed more brutally), the most dangerous threats come from the need to occupy areas containing hostile populations; these dangers are even greater when the areas concerned are cities. This is the kind of future warfare on which the U.S. Army should be concentrating its new weapons development, its tactical thinking, and its moral preparation.

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By Anatol Lieven
Published on Apr 24, 2001
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Russia and Eurasia

The Russia and Eurasia Program continues Carnegie’s long tradition of independent research on major political, societal, and security trends in and U.S. policy toward a region that has been upended by Russia’s war against Ukraine.  Leaders regularly turn to our work for clear-eyed, relevant analyses on the region to inform their policy decisions.

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U.S. military superiority in the air, at sea, and in warfare in open terrain is at present so overwhelming and so obvious that there is little need for the expensive new high-technology weapons systems being demanded by all three services. Recognizing America's enormous advantages, potential enemies will be very cautious about engaging in open battle.

Instead, as Kosovo is demonstrating (and as Lebanon and Somalia demonstrated even more brutally), the most dangerous threats come from the need to occupy areas containing hostile populations; and these dangers are even greater when the areas concerned are cities. This is the kind of future warfare on which the U.S. Army should be concentrating its new weapons development, its tactical thinking, and its moral preparation.

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About the Author
Anatol Lieven is a senior associate for foreign and security policy in the Russian and Eurasian Program. He was previously editor of Strategic Comments at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

About the Author

Anatol Lieven

Former Senior Associate

    Recent Work

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    A Spreading Danger: Time for a New Policy Toward Chechnya

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    The Hinge to Europe: Don't Make Britain Choose Between the U.S. and the E.U.

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Anatol Lieven
Former Senior Associate
Anatol Lieven
MilitaryForeign PolicyUnited States

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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