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.
The History of U.S.-Iranian Irregular Warfare
The relationship between the United States and Iran is far more intricate than a conventional bilateral conflict. Dubbed the “twilight war,” U.S.-Iranian relations is replete with examples of Irregular Warfare (IW), including events of the recent past like the U.S.-Russia-Iran proxy war in Syria, the Yemeni
Preparing for the Silent Surge: Countering North Korea’s Gambit in a Dual Contingency
Strategic planners across the Indo-Pacific must reckon with an increasingly plausible scenario: a dual contingency in which North Korea opportunistically launches a full-scale war against South Korea while China conducts military operations against Taiwan. Such a scenario, discussed in a recent Atlantic Council report, represents an acute test of U.
Rebuilding Combat Electromagnetic Warfare for U.S. Ground Forces
From Ukraine to the South China Sea, the electromagnetic spectrum is no longer an ancillary support function. Russian forces in Ukraine deploy systems like Zhitel, Krasukha and Leer-3 to jam communications, spoof GPS, and locate command posts in near real time. These capabilities enable rapid precision fires and drone strikes
Democratized Intelligence: How Open-Source Intelligence is Reshaping Asymmetric Advantage
Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 passengers. Russian-backed separatists and the Russian government denied involvement despite the world pointing in their direction. Russia promoted multiple alternative explanations, which a small team of online investigators at Bellingcat systematically disproved. Using only publicly available satellite
America’s Forgotten War in China: Psychological Warfare Against Imperial Japan’s Chinese Puppet Army
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 06.26.2025 and is available here. Abstract: This article explores the little-known U.S. psychological warfare campaign against
Russia’s Shadow Fleet: The Dangerous Tanker Network Threatening Global Waters
Russia’s so‑called “Shadow Fleet” operates in plain sight, turning the world’s shipping lanes into a tool of economic and ecological risk. Hundreds of these shadow tankers carry crude through European waters each day, many beyond their service life and registered under opaque holding structures. The result is
Boko Haram and Beyond: The Paradox of Local Militias in Nigeria's War on Terror
Introduction Since its founding in 2002, Boko Haram has plagued Nigeria as one of the country’s deadliest insurgent groups. Nigeria’s civilian population has borne the brunt of this violence, facing a spectrum of threats ranging from murderous attacks and kidnappings to widespread theft by non-state armed groups. As
Reclaiming U.S. Engagement in Latin America: Strategy Beyond Competition
Editor’s Note: The following is an adapted version of a speech delivered by Gen. Alberto Mejía (Ret.) at the Irregular Warfare Initiative’s South America in Competition Conference, held on July 16–17, 2025. Introduction Two and a half centuries ago, thirteen colonies declared independence from an empire, forging
Space and Ice: Envisioning Special Operations Forces’ Role in Future Operational Environments
New frontiers of strategic competition beckon for immediate special operations forces (SOF) transformation to prevail in the space domain and the polar regions. Aligned with Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict Colby Jenkins’ call to think differently and work together, this article proposes two enhanced
Russia’s Rogue Warriors: A Paramilitary Legacy
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 06.24.2025 and is available here. A rather puzzling and dramatic event gripped the world's attention
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