The Diplomat | Author
James R. Holmes
James R. Holmes is a defense analyst for The Diplomat and a professor of strategy at the U.S. Naval War College where he specializes in U.S., Chinese and Indian maritime strategy and U.S. diplomatic and military history.
He is co-author of Red Star over the Pacific, an Atlantic Monthly Best Foreign Affairs Book for 2010 and a former US Navy surface warfare officer.
The views voiced here are his alone.
January 23, 2013
China Should Read Herodotus
“Fortune has smiled on China in recent decades. But then, it favored Lydia too before King Croesus squandered its gifts…”
January 21, 2013
The Top 5 Navies of the Indo-Pacific
Naval power in the Indo-Pacific is certainly on the rise. Who will take the top spot?
January 18, 2013
Machiavelli's Paradox
Question: Is it better to be feared or loved when combating an insurgency?
January 16, 2013
Counterinsurgency, Politics and War
“…the burden on the government is heavy, whereas the insurgent often gets off scot-free.”
January 14, 2013
Mahan, Bean-Counting and Ideas
Quantitative analysis is quite in vogue these days. However, there are many parts when it comes to strategic analysis.
January 11, 2013
A Complicated Narrative: The Korean War
The Korean War, fought after World War II as the Cold War began to take hold offers important lessons.
January 10, 2013
World War II: No Model for Contemporary U.S. Strategy
“If the United States wants to remain a balancer in Eurasia, better to do it from forward staging bases…”
January 07, 2013
The South China Sea: "Lake Beijing"
Shinzo Abe’s recent comments on the South China Sea sound ominous. The concept of a “lake” has been used before though.
January 03, 2013
The Commons: Beijing's "Blue National Soil"
“The commons must remain the commons, lest the system of liberal trade and commerce collapse…”
January 02, 2013
Move, Countermove in the Anti-Access Game
New technologies like unmanned surface ships could put a dent in some nation’s anti-access plans.
December 27, 2012
Hemingway's Naval Adventures
Literary figures have made a point of taking part in great events. They also remind us that there are many ways to organize navies.
December 24, 2012
A Higher Call: History with a Purpose
A new book asks a straight forward question: can decent men fight on both sides of a bad war?