Call for Papers: Investing and Divesting

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers.  If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to Investing and Divesting.

For the purpose of this Call for Papers, investing and divesting refers to choices made, in a resource constrained environment, to address existing or future national security situations.  For example, the U.S. divested addressing threats in Afghanistan and invested in addressing threats posed by the People’s Republic of China.  What investment or divestment decisions are being made?  What investment or divestment decisions are not being made?  Are these the right decisions?  What factors are driving action or inaction related to national security investment or divestment?

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by June 30, 2023.

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Security Cooperation

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers.  If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to Security Cooperation.  For the purpose of this Call for Papers, Security Cooperation is defined as “Interactions with foreign defense establishments to build defense relationships that promote specific security interests, develop allied and partner nation military and security capabilities for self-defense and to conduct operations, and provide peacetime and contingency access to allied and partner nations.”

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by April 14, 2023.

 

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Ukraine in 2023

Source:  https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/ukraine/

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers.  If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to Ukraine in 2023.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by February 11, 2023.

Below is a list of prompts that may inspire potential writers:

– What does Ukraine look like at the end of 2023?

– What is being neglected due to the focus on the Russian invasion of Ukraine?

– What does Russia look like at the end of 2023?

– What correct lessons have been learned from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?

– What actions will Russia’s invasion of Ukraine encourage throughout the world?

– What incorrect lessons have been learned from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?

– What actions will Russia’s invasion of Ukraine discourage throughout the world?

– What national security thought has been validated during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?

– How will lessons learned from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine be incorporated into policies, strategies, plans, and equipping?

– What national security thought has been invalidated during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?

– Is Russia learning lessons from their invasion of Ukraine that will make them more dangerous in the future?

– What national security thought has been re-validated during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?

Call For Papers Ukraine

2023 Call for Papers Topics

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-revenue generating non-politically aligned national security website that does not conduct political activities.  In 1,000 words or less, we provide unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a 2023 Call for Papers Schedule.  Our Call for Papers process is meant to motivate, not exclude.  If you are not interested in writing on these topics, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Writing for Divergent Options:

We are very excited that you are interested in writing for Divergent Options!

Please send us your original, unpublished, un-submitted-elsewhere article, or participate in one of our Call for Papers below, by emailing us at:  submissions@divergentoptions.org

At Divergent Options we write using a specified format.  Are you interested in assessing a national security situation and providing options to address it?  Then our Options Paper format is for you.  Are you interested in assessing a national security situation only?  Then our Assessment Paper is for you.  Are you a bit anxious?  Then check out our Writer Testimonial page.

Please note that a national security situation can be one that is externally focused e.g. what is Country X going to do about County Y or internally focused e.g. Country X should invest more in Y capability.

2023 Call for Papers Topics:

Topic:  Ukraine in 2023

Call for Papers Begins:  January 2023

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-February 2023

Publish Date:  Late-February 2023

Topic:  Security Cooperation

Call for Papers Begins:  March 2023

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-April 2023

Publish Date:  Late-April 2023

Topic:  Investing and Divesting

Call for Papers Begins:  May 2023

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-June 2023

Publish Date:  Late-June 2023

Topic:  Diminishing China

Call for Papers Begins:  July 2023

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-August 2023

Publish Date:  Late-August 2023

Topic:  Space and National Security

Call for Papers Begins:  September 2023

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-October 2023

Publish Date:  Late-October 2023

Topic:  Nuclear Threats

Call for Papers Begins:  November 2023

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-December 2023

Publish Date:  Late-December 2023

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Threats and Opportunities in 2050

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers.  If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to Threats and Opportunities in 2050.

We understand 2050 is a long way off, and finding sources for predictions is challenging, and on that note we offer our previous work with Alternative Futures to show potential writers something similar to what this Call for Papers is looking for:  https://divergentoptions.org/category/topics/alternative-futures-histories-counterfactuals/

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by December 18, 2022.

Below is a list of prompts that may inspire potential writers:

– What does military force design and its supporting industrial base look like in 2050?

– In 2050, what threats and opportunities face Ukraine?

– Describe career management for national security personnel in 2050.

– What does the civil-military divide look like in 2050?

– What threats and opportunities face the People’s Republic of China in 2050?

– What does quantum computing look like in 2050 and what are the national security implications?

– In 2050, what threats and opportunities face Taiwan?

– Technology X finally matured in 2050, what are the national security implications?

– What threats and opportunities face Russia in 2050?

– Describe military training and education in 2050.

– What threats and opportunities are present in 2050 related to artificial intelligence?

– What does terrorism look like in 2050?

– What threats and opportunities are present in 2050 related to influence activities?

– What threats and opportunities are present in 2050 related to cyber?

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Coordinating All The Things.

 Approval / Concurrence / Coordination / Consultation / Deconfliction / Notification

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers.  If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to Coordinating All The Things.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by October 15, 2022.

Below is a list of prompts that may inspire potential writers:

– In the context of a global threat, assess whether existing coordination mechanisms within a specified national security organization are sufficient.

– In the context of a global threat, if existing coordination mechanisms within a specified national security organization are insufficient, provide options to improve said mechanisms.

– If two national security organizations with competing interests coordinate with each other and an impasse results, provide criteria / options that could help guide resolving the impasse.

– Assess the psychological impact and / or value of terms like Approval / Concurrence / Coordination / Consultation / Deconfliction / Notification within a national security organization.

– Assess whether all the things need to be coordinated.

– Assess whether Country X or Organization X has a culture that values coordination.

– Assess whether a career that emphasizes speed and decisiveness eventually backfires when a person rises to a level that is indifferent to tempo and values organization-wide coordination over execution.

– Provide options to identify employees with a coordination-mindset early, and put them on a career track that values coordinartion.

– Assess whether training and educational structures within a national security organizations are teaching their students to value coordination.

– If training and educational structures within national security organizations are not teaching their students to value coordination, provide options to remedy this situation.

– Assess the impact of choosing not to coordinate.

– Assess the impact of choosing to over-coordinate.

– Assess whether Global Coordination is possible in a specified national security organization.

– Provide options to improve Global Coordination in a specified national security organization.

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: COVID19 and National Security

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers.  If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to COVID19 and National Security.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by August 21, 2022.

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: The Next Superpower

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers.  If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to The Next Superpower.  For the purposes of this Call for Papers, “Superpower” is defined as “a state that possesses military and economic might and global influence vastly superior to that of other states.”  Beyond this definition, writers could envision several states coming together via a cooperative agreement of some kind to assume a “superpower-like” status.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by June 12, 2022.

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Societal, Organizational, and Personal Impacts of 2001-2021 National Security Decisions

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers.  If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to Societal, Organizational, and Personal Impacts of 2001-2021 National Security Decisions.

National security decisions made from 2001-2021 impacted both the victors and the vanquished.  Let’s talk about those impacts.  Below is a list of prompts that may inspire potential writers:

Societal:  Assess the impact of small unit technology developed during 2001-2021 becoming available to private citizens.

Societal:  Assess the impact of broad legislative authorities for the use of military force on future national security situations.

Societal:   Asses the impact of an authorization for the use of military force being used instead of a war declaration following the 9/11 attacks.

Organizational:  Provide options for the military recruiting process to assess mental resiliency to try to build a force that is less susceptible to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Organizational:  Assess how rapid unit growth to meet combat demands negatively impacted that unit’s traditional mission / skill set.

Organizational:  Assess how years of counterinsurgency and counterterrorism campaigns negatively impacted the military’s ability to fight a near-peer competitor or perform any other missions.

Personal:  Assess how your service from 2001-2021 has personally impacted you.

Personal:  Assess how your service from 2001-2021 has impacted your professional group.

Personal:  Assess how your service from 2001-2021 has impacted your family.

– Personal:  Assess whether, knowing what you know now, you would do it again?

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by April 10, 2022.

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Cognitive Threats

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers.  If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to Cognitive Threats.

For the purpose of this Call for Papers a “Cognitive Threat” is defined as efforts undertaken to manipulate an adversary’s perceptions in order to achieve a national security objective.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by February 12, 2022.

Call For Papers

2022 Call for Papers Topics

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-revenue generating non-politically aligned national security website that does not conduct political activities.  In 1,000 words or less, we provide unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a 2022 Call for Papers Schedule Our Call for Papers process is meant to motivate, not exclude.  If you are not interested in writing on these topics, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Writing for Divergent Options:

We are very excited that you are interested in writing for Divergent Options!

Please send us your original, unpublished, un-submitted-elsewhere article, or participate in one of our Call for Papers below, by emailing us at:  submissions@divergentoptions.org

At Divergent Options we write using a specified format.  Are you interested in assessing a national security situation and providing options to address it?  Then our Options Paper format is for you.  Are you interested in assessing a national security situation only?  Then our Assessment Paper is for you.  Are you a bit anxious?  Then check out our Writer Testimonial page.

Please note that a national security situation can be one that is externally focused e.g. what is Country X going to do about County Y or internally focused e.g. Country X should invest more in Y capability.

2022 Call for Papers Topics:

Topic:  Cognitive Threats

Call for Papers Begins:  January 2022

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-February 2022

Publish Date:  Late-February 2022

Topic:  The Cost:  Societal, Organizational, and Personal Impacts of 2001-2021 National Security Decisions

Call for Papers Begins:  March 2022

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-April 2022

Publish Date:  Late-April 2022

Topic:  The Next Superpower

Call for Papers Begins:  May 2022

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-June 2022

Publish Date:  Late-June 2022

Topic:  COVID19 and National Security

Call for Papers Begins:  July 2022

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-August 2022

Publish Date:  Late-August 2022

Topic:  Coordinating All The Things

Call for Papers Begins:  September 2022

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-October 2022

Publish Date:  Late-October 2022

Topic:  Threats and Opportunities in 2050

Call for Papers Begins:  November 2022

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-December 2022

Publish Date:  Late-December 2022

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Social Media and National Security

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers.  If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to social media and national security.

For the purpose of this Call for Papers, we encourage our writers to look at all aspects of how social media can impact national security.  Possible examples include social media as a means of exerting political pressure on an elected leader to do or not do something national security related; social media as an intelligence tool; social media as a means to influence adversary populations etcetera.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by December 11, 2021.

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Cyber Integration — Vertical and Horizontal

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers.  If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related vertical and horizontal cyber integration.

For the purpose of this Call for Papers, cyber refers to capabilities that can produce effects in the cyber domain, and vertical and horizontal integration refers to these capabilities being used and / or taken into account at every level within an organization and within partner organizations.

For U.S. writers, we highly discourage you from discussing authorities related to the employment of cyber capabilities.  This Call for Papers will not devolve into Title 10 “versus” Title 50.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by October 15, 2021.

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Prevailing in Conflict Below the Threshold of War

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers.  If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to prevailing in conflicts below the threshold of war.

For the purposes of this Call for Papers, Conflict is defined as “a serious incompatibility between two or more opinions, principles, or interests” and Below the Threshold of War is defined as “actions taken that do not require Congress (or a similar governmental organization) to declare war or issue a specific statutory authorization to introduce Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances.”

To inspire potential writers, we provide the below prompts:

– Assess Country X’s capability gaps that contribute to their ineffectiveness below the threshold of war.

– Assess the psychological and organizational factors that motivate Country X to not invest in capabilities below the threshold of war.

– What options can Country X pursue to fill their capability gaps below the threshold of war?

– Country Y often prevails below the threshold of war, assess the factors that enable them do to this.

– While Country Y prevails below the threshold of war, why does this matter as far as Country X is concerned?  Provide an assessment.

– What can Country X do to make Country Y fail below the threshold of war?  Provide options.

– If your country is good at war, is it better to not invest in capabilities below the threshold of war and instead, ignore problems until they require a war, so your country can play to its strengths?  Provide an assessment.

– If Country Y, who excels below the threshold of war, is suddenly thwarted in its efforts by Country X, will this motivate Country Y to resort to war?  Provide an assessment.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by August 13, 2021.

Below Established Threshold Activities (BETA) Call For Papers

Call for Papers / Georgetown University Wargaming Society: Wargaming

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers.  If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers:

The Georgetown University Wargaming Society and Divergent Options have teamed up to call for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to Wargaming.  Articles published with this Call for Papers will be published on both websites.

To inspire potential writers, we provide the below prompts:

– Assess the state of wargaming (considering either the wider defense community, a specific service, institution, or more).

– Assess the state of wargaming in other countries, either allies, partners, or competitors. Provide options for collaboration or identify insights.

– Assess how wargaming can be advanced or evolved – by incorporating specific technologies, techniques, reforms, or other opportunities. Provide options.

– How can the U.S. military better integrate educational wargaming into the training and education enterprise?  Provide options.

– How can the wargaming community raise the next generation of designers and / or wargamers?  Provide options.

– Assess the barriers and challenges to increasing diversity in the wargaming community.  Provide options on how to overcome or mitigate these barriers and challenges.

– Assess what makes a wargame effective (educational or analytical)?  If the metrics of effectiveness or impact of wargames needs to change, provide options.

– Assess how the linkage between wargaming and other forms of analysis can be improved or evolved.  Provide options.

– Assess the viability of wargaming establishing itself as an academic discipline.

– Assess the larger ecosystem and / or community of wargaming and identify options for reform or change.  Provide options.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by June 12, 2021.

Call For Papers Sebastian J. Bae Wargames and Wargaming

Call for Papers: Organizing for Large Scale Combat Operations

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers.  If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to organizing for large scale combat operations.

To inspire potential writers, we provide the below prompts:

– Assess how the People’s Republic of China is organizing to conduct large scale combat operations.

– Assess how the U.S. is organizing to conduct large scale combat operations.

– What options do smaller or less militarily capable countries have to counter larger countries when the larger country conducts a large scale combat operation?

– Assess whether Country X’s people, and / or their political leaders, have the will to endure the casualties that will be incurred during a large scale combat operation.

– The last time Country X maneuvered a Corps or larger in either training or combat was decades ago, what options exist for Country X to prepare to do this in a war?

– Assess the viability of the U.S. Army conducting a Louisiana Maneuvers-like exercise today.

– Where and how would the U.S. Army conduct a Louisiana Maneuvers-like exercise today?  Provide options.

– Assess the viability of the U.S. Navy conducting Fleet Problems-like exercises today.

– Where and how would the U.S. Navy conduct Fleet Problems-like exercises today?  Provide options.

More information on the Louisiana Maneuvers can be found on the amazing twitter feed of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, more specifically here, here, here, and here.  Many thinks to Mother_of_Tanks for drawing our attention to this tweet series!

More information on U.S. Navy Fleet Problems can be found in the June 2017 U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings article “Bring Back Fleet Battle Problems” by Captain Dale Rielage, U.S. Navy, and in the book “Testing American Sea Power: U.S. Navy Strategic Exercises, 1923–1940” by Craig Felker which can be found here.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by April 16, 2021.

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Cold War Transferability or Lack Thereof

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers.  If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to actions that were done during the 1947-1991 Cold War, and whether those actions or portions of them are transferable to today’s national security environment.

To inspire potential writers, we provide the below prompts:

– Assess the validity of the U.S. spectrum of Containment -> Competition -> Rollback used when thinking about the Soviet Union towards the People’s Republic of China.

– Assess how the linkage between the U.S. and China economies will impact national security differently than the linkage between the U.S. and Soviet Union economies did.

– Can products the U.S. acquires for China be acquired elsewhere?  If so, what acquisition options are available and how will this impact national security?

– Can earlier Offset Strategies used during the Cold War be applied to China?  If so, what options are available for their application and what conditions need to exist to ensure their success?

For further inspiration, we highly recommend potential writers read the chapter “Soviet military thought and the U.S. competitive strategies initiative” by John Battilega, which can be found within the book “Competitive Strategies for the 21st Century: Theory, History, and Practice” by Thomas G. Mahnken.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by February 13, 2021.

Call For Papers

2021 Call for Papers Topics

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-revenue generating non-politically aligned national security website that does not conduct political activities.  In 1,000 words or less, we provide unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a 2021 Call for Papers Schedule Our Call for Papers process is meant to motivate, not exclude.  If you are not interested in writing on these topics, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Writing for Divergent Options:

We are very excited that you are interested in writing for Divergent Options!

Please send us your original, unpublished, un-submitted-elsewhere article, or participate in one of our Call for Papers below, by emailing us at:  submissions@divergentoptions.org

At Divergent Options we write using a specified format.  Are you interested in assessing a national security situation and providing options to address it?  Then our Options Paper format is for you.  Are you interested in assessing a national security situation only?  Then our Assessment Paper is for you.  Are you a bit anxious?  Then check out our Writer Testimonial page.

Please note that a national security situation can be one that is externally focused e.g. what is Country X going to do about County Y or internally focused e.g. Country X should invest more in Y capability.

2021 Call for Papers Topics:

Topic:  Cold War Transferability of Lack Thereof

Call for Papers Begins:  January 2021

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-February 2021

Publish Date:  Late-February 2021

Topic:  Organizing for Large Scale Combat Operations

Call for Papers Begins:  March 2021

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-April 2021

Publish Date:  Late-April 2021

Topic:  Wargaming (In Partnership with the Georgetown University Wargaming Society)

Call for Papers Begins:  May 2021

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-June 2021

Publish Date:  Late-June 2021

Topic:  Prevailing in Conflict Below the Threshold of War

Call for Papers Begins:  July 2021

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-August 2021

Publish Date:  Late-August 2021

Topic:  Cyber Integration — Vertical and Horizontal

Call for Papers Begins:  September 2021

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-October 2021

Publish Date:  Late-October 2021

Topic:  Social Media and National Security

Call for Papers Begins:  November 2021

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-December 2021

Publish Date:  Late-December 2021

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Readiness

 

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers.  If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to readiness.  Examples of what could be looked at as part of this call for papers include readiness associated with mindset, policies / strategies and other governing documents, organizational, and materiel.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by December 13, 2020.

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Words Ending in Ist and Ism

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Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers.  If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to words that end in Ist and Ism.  Examples could include terrorism, revisionism, colonialism, or their -ist counterparts terrorist, revisionist, colonist etc.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by October 17, 2020.

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Activities Below the Threshold of War 

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers.  If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to Activities Below the Threshold of War.

For the purpose of this Call for Papers, while activities below the threshold of war are innumerable, and we encourage writers to address them, we are very interested in exploring the idea of activities being designed from the beginning to stay below a threshold.  One example could be that 42 U.S. Code § 5195c defines “critical infrastructure,” what can be done to the U.S. in the cyber domain that stays below this definition?  Another example is that Article V of the North Atlantic Treaty does not define “armed attack.”  As such, what can be done to North Atlantic Treaty Organization Member States that ensures debate as to whether the action is considered an “armed attack,” and thus ensure a response is slow in coming?  More ideas regarding Below Established Threshold Activities can be found in this 2016 Lawfare article.  (And yes, Below Established Threshold Activities or BETA is why there is a picture of a Betamax video tape at the top of this Call for Papers.)

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by August 15, 2020.

Below Established Threshold Activities (BETA) Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Alternative Futures & Alternative Histories

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Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers.  If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to Alternative Futures or Alternative Histories.

For the purpose of this Call for Papers we define an Alternative Future as a theory about the character of the future national security environment that is grounded in knowledge of current trends and emerging threats.

For the purpose of this Call for Papers we define an Alternative History as envisioning a historical national security situation occurring in a different way and discussing the logical ramifications related to this difference.

To inspire potential writers, previous articles that were submitted as Alternative Futures and Alternative Histories may be viewed here.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by June 13, 2020.

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Emerging Technologies and Emerging Concepts

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for papers assessing situations or discussing options related to Emerging Technologies and Emerging Concepts.  For the purposes of this Call for Papers we define Emerging Technologies and Emerging Concepts as technologies and concepts whose development, practical application, or both, are unrealized in national security.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by April 12, 2020.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Ethics in National Security

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to Ethics in National Security.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by February 15, 2020.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call For Papers

2020 Call for Papers Topics

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-revenue generating non-politically aligned national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid Option Papers, Assessment Papers, and also records Podcasts.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Writing for Divergent Options:

We are very excited that you are interested in writing for Divergent Options!

Please send us your original, unpublished un-submitted-elsewhere article, or participate in one of our Call for Papers below, by emailing us at:  submissions@divergentoptions.org

At Divergent Options we write using a specified format.  Are you interested in assessing a national security situation and providing options to address it?  Then our Options Paper format is for you.  Are you interested in assessing a national security situation only?  Then our Assessment Paper is for you.  Are you a bit anxious?  Then check out our Writer Testimonial page.

Please note that a national security situation can be one that is externally focused e.g. what is Country X going to do about County Y or internally focused e.g. Country X should invest more in Y capability.

2020 Call for Papers Topics:

Topic:  Ethics in National Security

Call for Papers Begins:  January 2020

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-February 2020

Publish Date:  Late-February 2020

Topic:  Emerging Technologies and Emerging Concepts

Call for Papers Begins:  March 2020

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-April 2020

Publish Date:  Late-April 2020

Topic:  Alternative Futures / Alternative Histories

Call for Papers Begins:  May 2020

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-June 2020

Publish Date:  Late-June 2020

Topic:  Activities Below the Threshold of War

Call for Papers Begins:  July 2020

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-August 2020

Publish Date:  Late-August 2020

Topic:  Words Ending in Ist and Ism

Call for Papers Begins:  September 2020

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-October 2020

Publish Date:  Late-October 2020

Topic:  Readiness

Call for Papers Begins:  November 2020

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-December 2020

Publish Date:  Late-December 2020

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Deterrence and Détente

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to Deterrence and Détente.

For the purpose of this Call for Papers we define Deterrence as the maintenance of military power for the purpose of discouraging attack.

For the purpose of this Call for Papers we define Détente as as the relaxation of strained relations or tensions (as between nations).

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by December 13, 2019.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Cyber and Space

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to Cyber and Space.

For the purpose of this Call for Papers we define Cyber as a global domain within the information environment consisting of the interdependent networks of information technology infrastructures and resident data, including the Internet, telecommunications networks, computer systems, and embedded processors and controllers.

For the purpose of this Call for Papers we define Space as the area above the altitude where atmospheric effects on airborne objects become negligible.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by October 19, 2019.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Alternative Futures and Alternative Histories

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to Alternative Futures or Alternative Histories.

For the purpose of this Call for Papers we define an Alternative Future as a theory about the character of the future national security environment that is grounded in knowledge of current trends and emerging threats.

For the purpose of this Call for Papers we define an Alternative History as envisioning a historical national security situation occurred in a different way and discussing the logical ramifications related to this difference.

To inspire potential writers, previous articles that were submitted as Alternative Futures may be viewed here.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by August 10, 2019.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Contemporary Conflict

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to conflicts that are presently occurring.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by June 14, 2019.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Nationalism and Extremism

 

 

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to nationalism and extremism.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by April 12, 2019.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Call For Papers Nationalism Violent Extremism

Call for Papers: The Next Pivot / The Next Threat

 

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© Jérôme Rommé / Fotolia

 

 

 

 

 

 

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to countries choosing to pivot their focus away from one issue and towards another.  We are also interested in national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to new threats that countries may be facing.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by February 8, 2019.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea.  We look forward to hearing from you!

To inspire potential writers we offer the following writing prompts:

– Did U.S. President Barack Obama’s “Pivot to the Pacific” or “Rebalancing Towards Asia” succeed?  Provide an assessment.

– What options does the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have as the U.S. pivots away from Syria?

– As the U.S. pivots away from Afghanistan, what options exist for the Afghan Government?  What options exist for the Afghan Taliban?

– What threats are posed by the continued evolution of hypersonic technology?  Provide an assessment.

– Artificial intelligence is rising.  What threat does it pose?  Provide an assessment.

– Assess the next threat that countries effected by the Arab Spring will face.

– Assess China’s efforts globally.  Do they represent a pivot?  If so, what are they pivoting toward and what is the impact?  When did this pivot begin?

– What are the next threats to emerge in Central America or South America?  Provide an assessment.

– Does any country need to pivot towards addressing organized crime?  Provide an assessment.

– Will U.S. President Donald Trump’s pivot away from Syria and Afghanistan succeed?  Provide an assessment.

– As Britain pivots away from the European Union, what options does it have to maintain its status in the world?

– Is Russia pivoting away from Soviet-era tactics and towards something else?  Provide an assessment.

– What country is pivoting towards cyber warfare above all others?  Provide an assessment.

– Assess the U.S. pivot away from the Global War on Terrorism.  While this may happen, will it make more terrorists pivot towards the U.S.?

Our partners at the The Conflict Studies and Analysis Project at the The Global Initiative for Civil Stabilisation offer the following prompts:

– Assess the potential use / misuse of Artificial Intelligence in future war crimes /crimes against humanity investigations.

– What options exist to reduce Chinese dominance of cellular, internet, and other network infrastructure in poorer countries?

– Assess the use of loans by China to curtail the sovereignty of African States.  This assessment can also be done within the context of U.S.-China Competition.

Call For Papers Policy and Strategy

2019 Call for Papers Schedule

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-revenue generating non-politically aligned national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid Option Papers, Assessment Papers, and also records Podcasts.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Call for Papers:

Though we release a Call for Papers schedule each year, the purpose of this schedule is to motivate, not exclude.  As such, prospective writers should feel free to send us ideas anytime, despite the Call for Papers schedule.  Please send us your idea, original, unpublished submission, or participate in one of our Call for Papers below, by emailing us at: submissions@divergentoptions.org

Writing Background:

At Divergent Options we write using a specified format.  Are you interested in assessing a national security situation and providing options to address it?  Then our Options Paper format is for you.  Are you interested in assessing a national security situation only?  Then our Assessment Paper is for you.  Are you a bit anxious?  Then check out our Writer Testimonial page.

Please note that a national security situation can be one that is externally focused e.g. what is Country X going to do about County Y or internally focused e.g. Country X should invest more in Y capability.

2019 Call for Papers Topics:

Topic:  The Next Pivot / The Next Threat

Call for Papers Begins:  January 2019

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-February 2019

Publish Date:  Late-February 2019

Topic:  Nationalism and Extremism

Call for Papers Begins:  March 2019

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-April 2019

Publish Date:  Late-April 2019

Topic:  Contemporary Conflict

Call for Papers Begins:  May 2019

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-June 2019

Publish Date:  Late-June 2019

Topic:  Alternative Futures / Alternative Histories

Call for Papers Begins:  July 2019

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-August 2019

Publish Date:  Late-August 2019

Topic:  Cyber and Space

Call for Papers Begins:  September 2019

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-October 2019

Publish Date:  Late-October 2019

Topic:  Deterrence and Détente

Call for Papers Begins:  November 2019

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-December 2019

Publish Date:  Late-December 2019

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the European Union, Russia, & the former Soviet Republics

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, countries in the European Union, Russia, and the former Soviet Republics.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by December 14, 2018.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea.  We look forward to hearing from you!

To inspire potential writers we offer the following writing prompts:

– Assess whether Russia will learn to cooperate with the other great powers.

– Assess the national security impacts of Brexit.

– What options remain to solve or address concerns related to the conflict in Ukraine?

– Assess the impact on North Atlantic Treaty Organization activities if the European Union were to deploy forces under the Common Security and Defense Policy.

– What options exist to ensure that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union’s Common Security and Defense Policy complement each other rather than conflict?

– Assess whether U.S. President Donald Trump or Russian President Vladimir Putin will have more impact in determining the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

– Assess how friction between the United States, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the European Union over the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action could affect other portions of the relationships between these countries.

– What options exist for the Baltic States to address the threats posed by Russia?

– Assess a national security issues that can be best addressed by working with Russia.

– What options are available to address threats posed by Russian cyber activities?

– Assess whether Russian cyber activities are part of an integrated national security strategy or a low-cost / high-gain pursuit of a country with a small economy.

– Assess the impact of nationalism.

– What options exist to address the re-emergence of nationalism?

Call For Papers European Union North Atlantic Treaty Organization Russia

Call for Papers: The Middle East

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Graphic:  U.S. Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook via the University of Texas https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/middle_east_pol_2013.pdf

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to the Middle East.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by October 13th, 2018.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea.  We look forward to hearing from you!

To inspire potential writers we offer the following writing prompts:

– Assess the current state of the battle against the Islamic State in the Middle East.

– What options remain to solve or address concerns related to the crisis in Syria?

– What options remain to solve or address concerns related to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?

– What options remain to solve or address concerns related to Iran’s desire for a nuclear capability?

– Assess Iran’s current / future influence in Iraq.

– Assess Turkey’s current / future role in Middle East politics.

– What options remain to solve or address concerns related to the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen?

– Assess U.S. policy towards the Middle East with a focus on supporting autocrats vs encouraging self-determination.

– Assess the current / future relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

– Assess the impact to the Middle East when the Sultan of Oman dies.

– Assess the future of the Kurdish people in the Middle East.

– Assess the current / future struggle for regional influence between Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

– Assess the possibility of Egyptian President Sisi stepping down at the end of his second term.

– Assess former President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak. Was he the tyrant the West made him out to be? Was he a regional safety valve?

– Assess the future of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in light of the resignation of the rich from its middle ranks, the extremism of its lower ranks, and the failure of its upper ranks to preserve the group as a one functioning political machine.

Call For Papers Middle East

Call for Papers: Cyberspace

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Image From Georgetown Law Library International and Foreign Cyberspace Law Research Guide / http://guides.ll.georgetown.edu/cyberspace

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for national security papers assessing situations or discussing options related to Cyberspace.  To inspire potential writers we suggest you read Paul Rosenzweig’s article “What Are The Important Cyber Conflict Questions (and Answers)?” featured on Lawfare.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by August 11th, 2018.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Alternative Futures

Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for papers assessing situations or discussing options related to Alternative Futures.  We define an Alternative Future as a theory about the character of the future national security environment that is grounded in knowledge of current trends and emerging threats.  For more information regarding Alternative Futures here is a DuckDuckGo search that may be of value.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by June 16th, 2018.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: The Pacific

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Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for papers assessing situations or discussing options related to national security interests with a Pacific Ocean nexus.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by April 13th, 2018.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea.  We look forward to hearing from you!

One of our Strategic Advisors, Dr. Kori Schake, offered the following prompts to inspire potential writers:

– Assess the potential second-order effects of a U.S. preventative strike on North Korea.

– Develop options to compensate for the U.S. losing blue water invulnerability and air superiority in potential conflicts with China.

Our Twitter and Facebook followers offered the following prompts to inspire potential writers:

– Assess U.S. national interests regarding North Korea and their associated intensities.

– What options does the U.S. have regarding North Korea?

– Assess the threat of sea-based missile capabilities.

– What options do countries have to defend against sea-based missile capabilities?

– Assess the threat to freedom of navigation posed by Chinese man-made islands in the Pacific.

– What additional options does China have in a military conflict in the Pacific now that they have built and militarized islands?

– What options does the U.S. have towards the tri border region of Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines?

– What options does the U.S. have regarding joint military training with China?

– Assess if a U.S. military-to-military relationship with Japan prior to World War 2 would have impacted the likelihood of war.

– Assess the impact narratives about World War 2 have on today’s security environment.

– What options does the U.S. have to balance its priorities and risk as it shifts away from the Middle East and towards the Pacific?  A specific focus on shifting strategic air assets, munitions, and wartime reserve and prepositioned stocks stocks away from two still active wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and partner activities in Yemen is welcome.

Call For Papers Option Papers

Call for Papers: Africa

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Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for papers assessing situations or discussing options related to Africa.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by February 16th, 2018.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Thoughts from our Twitter Followers to Inspire Potential Writers:

What countries in Africa are hot spots for friction between the United States and the People’s Republic of China?

Does the construction of ports in Kenya drag all of Africa’s wealth to one part of the continent?  If so, what are the impacts?

Assess the performance of United States Africa Command.

Assess the impact of activities conducted by large corporations in Africa.

Describe options to combat human trafficking and slavery in Africa.

Describe options to address famine in Africa.

If cryptocurrencies are utilized by unbanked populations in Africa, what will the impact be to the global economy?

Can the G5 Sahel group counter threats in West Africa?

Assess the status of Islamist terrorists from the Horn of Africa to West Africa.

Are clandestine or covert programs conducted in Africa by third countries a stabilizing or destabilizing force?

Assess the impact of fishery development in Somaliland.

Assess the strategic implications of water security, e.g., the stand-off over the Ethiopian hydroelectric dam on the Nile.

What strategic planning efforts does United States Africa Command need to undertake to be more effective in its mission?

Assess the national security implications of wildlife exploitation in Africa.

Assess the current impact of France’s actions and inactions related to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Africa Call For Papers

2018 Call for Papers Schedule

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We learned a lot our first year, are applying those lessons to our second year, and we hope you can join us!

As always we want to fit into the busy lives of our Writers so we publish our Call for Papers schedule as early as possible.  Also, as always, no one should feel constrained by our Call for Papers schedule.  If you have an idea, get in touch!  E-Mail:  submissions@divergentoptions.org

The full Call for Papers schedule, with background and writing formats, can be found by clicking here.

2018 Call for Papers Schedule:

Topic:  Africa

Call for Papers Begins:  January 2018

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-February 2018

Publish Date:  Late-February 2018

Topic:  The Pacific

Call for Papers Begins:  March 2018

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-April 2018

Publish Date:  Late-April 2018

Topic:  Alternative Futures

Call for Papers Begins:  May 2018

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-June 2018

Publish Date:  Late-June 2018

Topic:  Cyberspace

Call for Papers Begins:  July 2018

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-August 2018

Publish Date:  Late-August 2018

Topic: The Middle East

Call for Papers Begins:  September 2018

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-October 2018

Publish Date: Late-October 2018

Topic:  Europe

Call for Papers Begins:  November 2018

Call for Papers Ends:  Mid-December 2018

Publish Date:  Late-December 2018

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Violent Extremism

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Background:

Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option.  Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Call for Papers:

Divergent Options is calling for papers assessing situations or discussing options related to Violent Extremism.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by December 9th, 2017.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic we still welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Contextual Note as of November 11, 2017:  The interest we’ve received thus far in our Call for Papers on Violent Extremism has focused on violent extremism inspired by Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State, & their adherents.  While this type of violent extremism dominates the headlines & think-tank analyses today, we encourage potential writers to explore all types of violent extremism & not just that which is inspired by Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State, & their adherents.

Thoughts from our Twitter Followers to Inspire Potential Writers:

Assess or provide options to address the driving factors of violent extremism such as lack of economic opportunities or humanitarian crisis.

Who decides when the war against Violent Extremist Organizations is over?

Has Violent Extremist Organization “enlistment” changed – i.e., not the technology, but the motivation?

Why are individuals are drawn to the causes of violent extremism?

Assess or provide options to address social media’s impact on growing violent extremist movements.

For programs that seek to counter violent extremism i.e. “CVE,” assess or provide options to gain reproducible and generalizable outcomes in CVE program evaluation.

Assess the role and participation of women, not as passive victims, but as active agents, in violent extremist organizations.

What role do religious communities play in prevention, fighting against, and deradicalization of the extremist?

Why does early reporting related to violent extremist incidents tend to be inaccurate?

Internet Radicalisation and “Lone Wolf” theories: Is it really a “Lone Wolf” if supported/harboured by community?

Are violent extremists driven more by ideology or by identity?

Terrorism is a tactic.  Counter terrorism is therefore a tactical activity.  Why is not more effort aimed at that which causes the tactic to be utilized i.e. ideology or identity?

What options are available to combat the ideology that motivates people to become violent extremists?

Assess the success of countering violent extremism i.e. CVE programs throughout history.

What options are available to counter radicalisation in prisons?

Funding- beyond the need for “operational capital.” How do violent extremists in western countries support themselves?  What do they remit?

Assess the parallels between different types of violent extremism.

What is the correct/best terminology to talk about violent extremism?  What terms resonate in populations that are at risk for violent extremism yet won’t drive these populations away from U.S. efforts?  What terms can drive a wedge between potential recruits and their violent extremism recruiters?  What terms make it clear to the American people what violent extremism is without overwhelming them with details or dismissing completely the role religion / ideology play in this modern era of terrorism recruiting and radicalization?  What terms can be used to enable people of significantly different religious / ideological backgrounds to talk about violent extremism without talking past each other?

Call For Papers Violent Extremism

Call for Papers: Environmental Factors and Resource Scarcity as a Conflict Driver

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Summary:

Divergent Options is calling for papers assessing situations or discussing options related to Environmental Factors and Resource Scarcity as a Conflict Driver.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by October 20, 2017.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic we still welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea.  We look forward to hearing from you!

As background, the January 2017 Global Trends report released by the United States National Intelligence Council envisions a future where:

Environmental and climate changes will challenge systems in different dimensions; heat waves, for example, stress infrastructure, energy, human and animal health, and agriculture. Climate change— observed or anticipated—almost certainly will become an increasingly integral component of how people view their world, especially as populations are projected to swell in those areas most vulnerable to extreme weather events and sea-level rise, including coastal megacities and regions already suffering from water scarcity. Many of the ecological and environmental stresses from climate change—and the infectious diseases it will affect—will cut across state borders, making coordination among governments and international institutions crucial to effective responses. Policies and programs to mitigate and adapt to these challenges will spur opportunities for those well-positioned to benefit.

How will this vision of the future affect national security?

What can be done to address this vision of the future?

 

 

Call For Papers Environmental Factors Resource Scarcity

Call for Papers: Options or Assessments for Great Power Interaction

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Summary:

Divergent Options is calling for papers assessing or discussing options that Great Powers, Nations, Organizations, Groups, or Individuals have regarding Great Powers.  While there are different definitions or theories behind what a Great Power is, Divergent Options is not wedded to any one of them.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our  Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by August 4, 2017.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic we still welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea.  We look forward to hearing from you!

A Few Questions From Twitter Followers & Elsewhere to Inspire Potential Writers:

What countries are Great Powers and why?

Which Great Powers are on becoming more powerful and why?  Which Great Powers are declining and why?

What role should Great Powers or one specific Great Power have in the world?

On what issues should Great Powers attempt to lead the world?

How can nations band together to protect their interests from a Great Power?

How can nations work with a Great Power to pursue their interests?

What is more important to a Great Power, individuals, administrative behavior, or the constraints of the international system?

What are options for Great Power cooperation on counterterrorism / stability / peacekeeping / counterinsurgency in the age of “America First?”

Call For Papers Great Powers & Super Powers

Call for Papers: Options in Cyberspace

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Summary:

Divergent Options is calling for papers related to national security situations with a Cyberspace nexus.

Prospective writers may address any national security situation related to Cyberspace large or small.

Please limit your article to 1,000 words and write using our article template which is designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by May 11, 2017.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic we still welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea.  We look forward to hearing from you!

A Few Questions From Twitter Followers to Inspire Potential Writers:

What options are available for the private sector to undertake inherently governmental activities such as offensive cyber operations?

What options are available to define a “cyber act of war?”

What options are available to improve primary education to increase the preparedness of students to enter the cyber workforce?

What options are available to manage cyberspace priorities of both security and adaptability?

What options are available to prioritize and manage funding for cyberspace-related systems?

What options are available for interpreting whether Right to Protect applies in cyberspace?

What options are available to protect critical infrastructure and / or nuclear, military, intelligence and space activities from cyber attacks?

What options are available to decrease the politicization of cyberspace?

What options are available to centralize or decentralize cyberspace capabilities such as offensive cyber operations or intelligence collection?

What options are available for interpreting how the Law of Armed Conflict applies in cyberspace?

What options are available for the U.S. military to define military cyber operations across the strategic, operational, and tactical levels of war?

What options are available to ensure military forces and personnel at the brigade level and below have the cyber capabilities and cyber training they need to conduct cyber operations?

What options are available to ensure military members that conduct cyber operations are treated with the same respect as their peers who conduct traditional combat operations?

Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Options in the South China Sea

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Image from Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

Summary:

Divergent Options is calling for papers related to national security situations in the South China Sea.

Prospective authors can address any national security situation related to the South China Sea large or small.

Please write using our article template.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by February 10, 2017.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic we still welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea.  We look forward to hearing from you!

More Information:

The Lowy Institute states that “The South China Sea is a critical commercial gateway for a significant portion of the world’s merchant shipping, and hence is an important economic and strategic sub-region of the Indo-Pacific. It is also the site of several complex territorial disputes that have been the cause of conflict and tension within the region and throughout the Indo-Pacific[1].”

Countries bordering the South China Sea include Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.  Other countries such as the United States and Russia also have interests in the South China Sea.  Business Insider has a great article that may inspire potential authors titled “Tensions in the South China Sea explained in 18 maps” which can be accessed here or downloaded in a PDF here.

Update as of January 8, 2017:

Select articles from the “Options in the South China Sea” call for papers will be republished by the Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC).  We are pleased that CIMSEC sought to have a relationship with Divergent Options and we are excited to give our writers the opportunity to reach the CIMSEC audience!

A Few Questions to Inspire Authors:

What options does any country bordering the South China Sea have to address a national security situation related to another country bordering the South China Sea?

What military or non-military capabilities need to be developed by any country bordering the South China Sea to address a national security situation related to another country bordering the South China Sea?

What options does the Philippines have to balance its relationship with China as a dominant economic power with its relationship with the United States as a dominant security partner?

What options are available to address friction caused by China’s Maritime Militia?

What options are available to maintain regional fishing rights in the South China Sea?

What non-military options does the United States have that can be used to overcome Anti-Access / Area Denial threats within the South China Sea?

What options does China have to further establish their Nine-Dash Line territorial claim?

What options does U.S. President Elect Donald Trump have to pursue U.S. interests in the South China Sea[2]?

What options does China have to pursue its interests when Donald Trump becomes the U.S. President[2]?

What options does Iran have in pursuing its interests in within the South China Sea[3]?


Endnotes:

[1]  South China Sea. (n.d.). Retrieved December 23, 2016, from https://www.lowyinstitute.org/issues/south-china-sea

[2]  Cox, T. (2016, June 7). Trump – China’s preferred President? Retrieved December 27, 2016, from http://www.china-cooperative.com/single-post/2016/06/08/Trump-Chinas-preferred-President

[3]  Butch, T. (2016, September 20). China and Iran expand all-around relations. Retrieved December 27, 2016, from http://www.china-cooperative.com/single-post/2016/09/20/China-and-Iran-Expand-All-Around-Relations

Call For Papers South China Sea

Rapid Call For Papers: Israel & Palestine

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Image from Harvard University Center for Middle Eastern Studies

On December 23, 2016, the United Nations adopted Security Council Resolution 2334[1].  The resolution called on Palestinian leaders to take “immediate steps to prevent all acts of violence against civilians, including acts of terror,” and refrain from “incitement and inflammatory rhetoric” and also stated that Israel’s settlement project has “no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace[2].”

Based upon this development, Divergent Options is conducting a rapid call for papers related to national security situations surrounding the Israel-Palestine Conflict.

Prospective authors can address any national security situation related to the Israel-Palestine Conflict large or small.  We are specifically interested in options that could ensure both parties remain at the negotiation table.

Please write using our article template and take a look at our previous articles to best understand what we are looking for.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by January 13, 2017.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we still welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Endnotes:

[1]  Welcoming Adoption of Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016), Secretary-General Urges Return of Israeli, Palestinian Leaders to Meaningful Negotiations | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases. (2016, December 23). Retrieved December 28, 2016, from https://www.un.org/press/en/2016/sgsm18394.doc.htm

[2] Avishai, B. (2016, December 27). A Significant Resolution on Israel. Retrieved December 28, 2016, from http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/a-significant-resolution-on-israel

Call For Papers Israel Palestine

Future Risk & Surge: A U.S. Army War College & Divergent Options Call for Papers

Note as of January 20, 2019:  This Call for Papers from December 2016 may reappear in your queue as a newly published item.  It is not.  This is us testing some functionality at our website.  Thank you for bearing with us.

 

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Acknowledgements:

Before we discuss this call for papers, Divergent Options would like to publicly and sincerely thank Loren DeJonge Schulman of the Center for a New American Security.  Loren, without you this call for papers would never have happened.  Divergent Options is in your debt.  If you need anything in the future, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Background:

One of the four things we aspire to do at Divergent Options is to partner with research organizations to call for papers on a national security situation they have requested us to explore.  It is within this context that Divergent Options is proud to announce a partnership with Nate Freier of the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) at the U.S. Army War College.

In the summer of 2016 SSI began a year-long study of strategic and military risk and risk assessment.  The Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff J-5 Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate, and the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7, Headquarters, Department of the Army sponsor SSI in this undertaking.

Since initiating the research, SSI has assembled a joint team of defense analysts, serving officers, and national security professionals to take a comprehensive look at the U.S. Department of Defense’s risk assessment challenges.  In the final analysis, SSI is endeavoring to arrive at meaningful conclusions for the entire U.S. Department of Defense by examining how the Pentagon defines, identifies, and accounts for risk in strategy development and strategic decision-making.

Opportunity:

This call for papers represents an opportunity for potential Divergent Options authors to assist in SSI’s research efforts.  If you have ever wanted to be able to provide your ideas to the Pentagon, here is your chance.

Call for Papers:

In this call for papers, we invite potential authors to imagine that they are a Special Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Defense (SecDef).  The SecDef has asked you to prepare a two-page memo that:

–  Defines or describes strategic and military risk and their various components.

(Note that the SecDef views components of risk as akin to operational, force management, institutional, and future challenges risk as described on page 90 of the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review).  

–  Describes national security situations that may take place from 2017 to 2027 that would require the U.S. Department of Defense to surge personnel or capability to address.  The SecDef asks that you describe national security situations that are the likeliest (e.g. routine), most dangerous (e.g. most militarily lethal), and most disruptive (e.g. highly demanding and unanticipated).

–  Describes how these surge demands will impact U.S. Department of Defense priorities and strategic and military risk assessments.

Deadline for Submission:  February 3, 2017.

Submission Papers To:  submissions@divergentoptions.org

Call For Papers DO Partners Policy and Strategy Risk Assessment U.S. Army War College

Call For Papers: Syria

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Source:  Yasin Akgul / AFP

Divergent Options will debut mid-December 2016 with multiple articles focused on options for Syria.

Prospective authors can address any aspect of Syria large or small.

Please write using our article template.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by Friday, December 9, 2016.

If you are not interested in writing on this topic we still welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about.  Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea.  We look forward to hearing from you!

 

 

 

Call For Papers Syria