Building Militaries in Fragile States

April 25, 2018 12:00PM E40-496 (Pye Room)

Summary

Since the end of World War II, U.S. administrations of both parties have relied on a time-honored foreign policy tool: training and equipping foreign militaries. Seeking to stabilize fragile states, the United States has adopted this approach in nearly every region of the world over the last 70 years. And yet, the record for success is thin. Mara Karlin, a scholar-policymaker, examines when, why, and under what circumstances the United States can be more successful in doing so.

Short Bio

Dr. Mara Karlin is Associate Director and Associate Professor of the Practice of Strategic Studies at Johns Hopkins-SAIS and non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. She has served in national security roles for five U.S. Secretaries of Defense, advising on policies spanning strategic planning, defense budgeting, future wars and the evolving security environment, and regional affairs involving the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Her first book, Building Militaries in Fragile States: Challenges for the United States, will be publishing by University of Pennsylvania Press in 2017. Karlin has been awarded Department of Defense Medals for Meritorious and Outstanding Public Service, among others. 

Security Studies Seminar