On the War on Terrorism

• “Protecting the Homeland: The Best Defense Is to Give No Offense” by Ivan Eland (Policy Analysis No. 306, May 5, 1998)
  Argues that a noninterventionist foreign policy is the best means to defend the homeland.
• “Does U.S. Intervention Overseas Breed Terrorism? The Historical Record” by Ivan Eland (Foreign Policy Briefing No. 50, December 17, 1998)
  Provides data that foreign intervention is correlated with subsequent increases in domestic terrorism, suggesting that foreign adventurism imperils homeland security.
• “The Anti-Terrorism Coalition: Don't Pay An Excessive Price” by Charles V. Peña (Foreign Policy Briefing No. 68, December 11, 2001)
  Argues that a noninterventionist foreign policy is the best means to defend the homeland.

Inside al Qaeda

• Holy War, Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden by Peter Bergen (New York: Free Press, 2001; updated version with new chapters New York: Touchstone, 2002)
  Written by one of the few western journalists to interview bin Laden, reveals al Qaeda as a privatized, non-state terrorism network.
• Inside al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror by Rohan Gunaratna (New York: Columbia University Press, 2002)
  Examines the leadership, ideology, structure, strategies, and tactics of al Qaeda; considered the definitive work on al Qaeda, based on five years of research.

On Specific Defense Programs

• “The Illusion of Power: Aircraft Carriers and U.S. Military Strategy” by David Isenberg (Policy Analysis no. 134, June 8, 1990)
  Argues that a large aircraft carrier fleet is no longer necessary in the post-Cold War geostrategic environment.
• “Hard Choices: Fighter Procurement in the Next Century” by Williamson Murray (Policy Analysis No. 334, February 26, 1999)
  Argues that two of the three planned tactical fighter programs -- the F-18E/F and the F-22 -- should be canceled and efforts concentrated on the more futuristic JSF.
• “National Missile Defense: Examining the Options” by Charles V. Peña and Barbara Conry (Policy Analysis No. 337, March 16, 1999)
  Promotes a limited, land-based missile defense to protect against the potential threat from rogues states or an accidental launch from Russia.
• “The United States Should Begin Work on a New Bomber Now” by Williamson Murray (Policy Analysis No. 368, March 16, 2000)
  Argues that the Air Force should shift its priority away from tactical fighter aircraft toward the development of a new, affordable long-range bomber.
• “V-22: Osprey or Albatross?” by Charles V. Peña (Foreign Policy Briefing No. 72, January 8, 2003)
  Advocates scrapping the V-22, which is only marginally more capable than existing helicopters.