Finding the Signal within the Noise: What Information Warriors Need to Know About Human Pattern Recognition.
Editor’s Note: this article is being republished with the permission of Small Wars Journal as part of a republishing arrangement between IWI and SWJ. The original article was published on 12.18.2025 and is available here. In 2022, Russian state media launched a coordinated narrative campaign portraying Ukraine’
Foreign Fighters in Ukraine and Beyond
Episode 145 examines the role of foreign fighters in war. Our guests begin by highlighting the long history of foreign fighters in conflict, from the early United States and the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s to contemporary cases such as the International Legion in Ukraine and foreign fighters in
NATO’s Latest Doctrine on Security Force Assistance: What’s New?
Editor’s Note: Readers will be aware of the latest tensions surrounding NATO following recent U.S. statements on tariffs and alliance commitments. This article was drafted and edited before those developments emerged, and therefore does not address them directly. In August 2025, NATO published the second edition of the
From Paper to Permafrost: Applying Irregular Warfare Doctrine to Arctic Homeland Defense
Editor’s Note: this article is being republished with the permission of Small Wars Journal as part of a republishing arrangement between IWI and SWJ. The original article was published on 12.02.2025 and is available here. Abstract The American Arctic is the shortest avenue of approach to the
Iran, Ukraine, and the Realities of “Resistance” & “Regime Change”
This article, published in Small Wars Journal in mid-2025, examines the limits of externally driven regime-change strategies through a comparative analysis of Iran and Ukraine. Drawing on Ukraine’s experience of bottom-up resistance, the authors argue that durable political transformation depends on long-term civic mobilisation rather
The Shadow War Within the Larger Conflict
How U.S. Special Forces Must Posture for Deep Area Operations in Large-Scale Combat Operations “While the main armies clash, it is in the shadows—deep in the enemy’s rear—that wars are often decided.” Operation Overlord (D-Day), the largest military operation in modern history, is remembered
The Northern Ireland Peace Process: From Armed Conflict to Brexit, by Eamonn O’Kane
Editor's Note: This article is a book review of The Northern Ireland Peace Process: From Armed Conflict to Brexit by Eamonn O’Kane, examining the author’s analysis of how peace in Northern Ireland has evolved long after the Good Friday Agreement. When did the conflict in Northern
Cognitive Warfare and the Indo-Pacific
Editor’s Note: This article was submitted as part of the Irregular Warfare Initiative’s 2025 Writing Contest, in which authors were invited to explore how the United States and its partners can use irregular warfare to strengthen security cooperation, build trust, and enhance resilience among Indo-Pacific nations. This
Beyond Lethality: The Primacy of Influence in Cognitive Warfare
“The decisive battles of modern warfare are no longer fought primarily on terrain, but in the minds of populations.” Introduction Twentieth-century warfare was defined by industrial-scale lethality: mass mobilization, mechanized destruction, and the pursuit of decisive battlefield supremacy. In contrast, the strategic environment of the twenty-first century
Venezuela Unbound: Economics & Influence in a Post Maduro Era
In this episode, Matthew Flug (Co-Director, IWI Economic & Legal Warfare) and Hamlet Yousef (Irongate Capital Advisers) host a roundtable on the immediate aftermath of Maduro’s removal in Venezuela and what it could mean for regional power dynamics, economic stabilization, and irregular competition in the Western Hemisphere. Joining
Bridging the gap between irregular warfare scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.
