ORBIS
A Journal of World Affairs

Orbis, FPRI’s quarterly journal of world affairs, was founded in 1957 Visit Elsevier for a free sample issue of Orbis as a forum for policymakers, scholars, and the informed public who sought an engaging, thought-provoking debate beyond the predictable, conventional journals of that time. Nearly half a century later, Orbis continues to offer informative, insightful, and lively discourse on the full range of topics relating to American foreign policy and national security, as well as in-depth analysis on important international developments. Orbis readers always know the stories behind the headlines.

Orbis is edited by Mackubin (Mac) Owens, Associate Dean of Academics for Electives and Directed Research and Professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. A prolific writer on military affairs, Dr. Owens is a long-time associate of FPRI, where he is a Senior Fellow in the Program on National Security. From 1990–97, he was Editor-in-Chief of the quarterly defense journal Strategic Review and Adjunct Professor of International Relations at Boston University. He retired from the Marine Corps Reserve as a Colonel in 1994. Dr. Owens earned his Ph.D. from the University of Dallas, his M.A. in economics from Oklahoma University and his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara. His articles on national security have appeared in numerous publications.

Past editors of Orbis include James Kurth (2005–7), David Eisenhower (2001–04), and Walter McDougall (1995–2001).

Current Issue

Orbis Winter 2010, Volume 54, Number 1

Editor's Corner (3 pages, 35K PDF) Mackubin T. Owens
Bridging the Gap between Ideas and Actions Thomas G. Mahnken
History Rhymes: The German Precedent for Chinese Seapower James Holmes and Toshi Yoshihara
How the United States Lost the Naval War of 2015 (11 pages, 91K PDF) James Kraska
Radical Islam in Europe Leslie S. Lebl
Purifying the World: What the New Radical Ideology Stands For Ernest Sternberg
Changes and the American Security Paradigm (11 pages, 115K PDF) Kenneth Allard
Why Foreign Fighters? Historical Perspectives and Solutions David Malet
Sovereignty and the Foreign Fighter Problem Ian Bryan
Prisoner Dilemmas: The American Obsession with POWs and Hostages Dominic Tierney
Review Essays
Terrorism as a Political and Cultural Phenomenon Daniel J. Mahoney