Cause for hope: economic revitalization in Iraq. Paul Brinkley, Deputy under Secretary of Defense for Business Transformation; An interagency initiative, the Task Force for Business and Stabilization Operations is helping to quell insurgent violence by resuscitating Iraq's old state-owned industries.

Surrounded: seeing the world from Iran's point of view. Houman A. Sadri, Ph.D.; If U.S. policy makers would consider how the world looks through Iran's eyes, the two nations might be able to avert a potentially catastrophic showdown.

Agile-leader mind-set: leveraging the power of modularity in Iraq. Colonel (P) Robert B. Brown, U.S. Army; A brigade combat team that inculcates an agile-leader mind-set is a powerful force in any fight.

Peace in the Posavina, or deal with us! Colonel Gregory Fontenot, U.S. Army, Retired; In 1995-96, the Ready First Combat Team was on uncertain ground as it deployed to Bosnia to enforce the Dayton Accords.

Toward strategic communication. Brigadier General Mari K. Eder, U.S. Army; Strategic communication masses public information at a critical time and place to accomplish a specific objective.

Focusing training-the big five for leaders. Colonel Jeffrey R. Sanderson, U.S. Army, and Captain Scott J. Akerley, U.S. Army; When the 4th Cavalry Brigade trains leaders, it emphasizes the basics: troop-leading procedures, intelligence preparation of the environment, ground assault convoys, fire distribution and control, and counterinsurgency tactics.

Art and aggravation of vetting in post-conflict environments. Sean McFate; Creating a professional indigenous security force depends on the competent vetting of candidates for that force.

Maras: a menace to the Americas. Federico Brevé, former Minister of Defense of Honduras; We must act now against the mara gangs in Central America before they ally with drug traffickers to topple the region's governments.

We the people are not the center of gravity in an insurgency. Major Mark P. Krieger Jr., U.S. Army; Military thinkers and planners often identify the people as the center of gravity in an insurgency, but an insurgency's true strategic center of gravity is its cause.

Synchronized approach to population control. Brigadier General Joseph Anderson, U.S. Army, and Colonel Gary Volesky, U.S. Army; Population control measures are an important part of the current plan to stabilize Baghdad.

Bundeswehr's new media challenge. Thomas Rid; As the Bundeswehr's recent "skull scandal" demonstrates, armed forces all over the world must quickly come to grips with a new, aggressive media environment.

Surge can succeed. Majors Jarett Broemmel, Terry L. Clark, and Shannon Nielsen, U.S. Army; Those who doubt the potential of the current surge in Baghdad should look at our operations in Mosul, Ramadi, and Samarra in 2003-2004.

Book reviews: contemporary readings for the professional.

Letters

Inside back cover- announcement of DePuy writing competition winners.

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