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This month’s AFJ traverses pirate-infested seas, Arabian deserts, the cartel-run territories of South and Central America, and the politics of post-election Washington D.C. Only the adventurous should read on.

Bob Killebrew’s cover article examines the overlooked countercartel war in Mexico and the growing issue of drug-related criminal terrorism in Central and South America. Is the U.S. equipped to deal with the irregular warfare threat that looms on our borders?

In our Inside the Beltway column, Tom Momiyama recommends that the new president engage our enemies with talks and smart diplomacy. And Bill Matthews looks at how retirements, rather than election losses, did more to change the face of Congress on Nov. 4. Matthews shows that those new faces change little where defense issues are concerned, proving the adage that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Ninety years after the end of the War to End All Wars, Military historians Fred Chiaventone and Bob Bateman treat us to an analysis of T.E. Lawrence’s legendary Revolt in the Desert. Are the exploits of Lawrence of Arabia merely entertaining reads, or are they relevant to today’s struggles in the Middle East? The latter, our authors agree, but not for the reasons you might think.

Pete Brookes’ Flashpoint column focuses on the growing problem of modern-day Blackbeards. The kinds of piracy acts recently seen off the shores of Somalia are mostly thuggery at sea. But vast operational and legal issues challenge the use of military forces if the threat migrates to maritime terrorism.

Broader maritime strategy occupies the thoughts of Will Startin, who oversees work at the Navy’s maritime headquarters project team in Norfolk, Va., to restore the concept of operational art within Navy strategic thinking.

In Perspectives, Myles Caggins, an Army major, laments what he believes is a lack of incentives to hold on to its battle-tested majors.

Finally, National War College professor Joe Collins joins AFJ this month to kick off a series of op-eds that will examine key defense issues facing the new administration. He begins with the critical question of how to deal with a nuclear Iran.