Articles
Our articles cut through the noise on irregular warfare to connect strategic theory to operational reality and translate complexity into insight for practitioners and policymakers. No time to read? Check out our podcast, "Insider: Short of War," which transforms our articles into concise, engaging audio pieces you can listen to anywhere. Available directly in most of our articles and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms.
Media, Martyrdom, & Manipulation
On November 28, 1997, in a small village in Kosovo, three armed men interrupted the funeral of a schoolteacher to proclaim the revolution of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) against Serbian authority. Roaring applause conveyed the crowd’s understanding that the age of nonviolent reform was over, while international press
Proxy Armies and Principal–Agent Problems: A Review of Militias in Eastern Ukraine
In his newest book, Rebel Militias in Eastern Ukraine: From Leaderless Rebellion to Proxy Army, political scientist Martin Laryš explores the nexus between political extremism, violent rebellion, and proxy wars, using the Donbas War as an exemplary case. The book is an important contribution to literature on irregular warfare through
Kings, Usurpers, and Shadow Wars: Lessons on Irregular Warfare from Shakespeare
Whereof what’s past is prologue Few scholars would credit William Shakespeare as an irregular warfare (IW) expert, but one of the most-read authors in the Western canon has much to offer the practitioner. Shakespeare wrote about state failure, factional competition, assassination attempts, and manipulation of public opinion. These storylines,
Small Drones, Big Limits: A Smarter Drone Strategy
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 09.22.2025 and is available here. Introduction Recently, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum,
Policing the Pacific: How China Expands Influence Where the US Looks for Allies
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 article
Interwar Adaptations: Leveraging Partner Experiences for Future Conflicts
The War in Ukraine has precipitated massive shifts in warfighting methodologies, highlighting the utility of the “irregular approach” in peer-level combat. While waging a counterattack throughout last month, Ukrainian forces relied on reconnaissance capabilities and small group infantry assaults to develop an asymmetric advantage. This most recent battlefield activity builds
Failure Bias in Air Advisory Missions
The Air Force recently announced plans to shutter its mobility support advisory squadrons and divest other international training capabilities, following Air Force Special Operations Command’s deactivation of its advisory squadrons in 2022. Officials say they are redirecting resources from “nonlethal programs” toward new weapons systems. Yet this decision reflects
Hezbollah’s Information Warfare in the Post-October 7 Era
Editorial Note: Interviews for this article were conducted between December 2023 and February 2025. The sources include active Hezbollah cyber operatives as well as independent hackers with access to Hezbollah networks. Most interviews were conducted in person in Lebanon or by a local journalist working for the author of this
Israel’s Irregular Warfare Paradox: Reconciling Precision Abroad and a “Killing Field” Next Door
On June 24, two equally striking news stories underscored the notably different approaches Israel has taken to its wars with Iran and Hamas. The first, a Washington Post front page story, detailed recorded conversations between Israeli intelligence operatives and senior military figures in Iran, wherein the Israelis warned the Iranians
Imposing Costs in the Indo-Pacific: Lessons from Operation Spider Web
In June 2025, Ukraine launched over 100 drones to strike five air bases and a number of long-range bombers deep in Russian territory. Ukraine launched the drones simultaneously using a mix of remote control and artificial intelligence (AI) targeting software to destroy several Russian strategic bombers, and covertly smuggled drones
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