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.
Does China’s Growing Security Outreach Matter? Tracing Implications for Irregular Warfare and U.S. Security Cooperation
Editor’s Note: This article highlights key findings from a recent piece the authors published in MIT’s International Security Journal, titled “Security without Exclusivity: Hybrid Alignment in the Indo-Pacific”. The authors examine how states increasingly engage with both the United States and China for different forms of security
Chip War and the Battle for Technological Sovereignty: A Hybrid Warfare Perspective
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 04.16.2025 and is available here. Chris Miller’s Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most
Maritime Domain Awareness or Silent War?
By James Park President Trump’srecent bilateral summits with Japan and India underscore a tacit trend: the central role of US allies in the Indo-Pacific region. In particular, evolving US-India ties have significant implications for the rest of the Quadrilateral Dialogue (QUAD) member states and other US alliance
Semper Paratus and Special Forces: Why the Coast Guard Should be Part of the SOCOM Enterprise
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 03.21.2025 and is available here. “The idea of Coast Guard Special Forces is a foreign concept to
Winning Without Fighting: Resilience as National Security Imperative
The Irregular Warfare Initiative (IWI) Editorial Team is proud to launch a new series featuring leading thinkers in the irregular warfare community critically engaging with recent IW-related publications. Curated by IWI editors Barbara Elias and Lewis Fraser, this series goes beyond traditional book reviews. Contributors have been encouraged to
Streamlining US Army Security Cooperation: Why Coordination is Key to Global Influence
Coordination can mean the difference between success and failure in any military operation. Operation Eagle Claw, the ill-fated 1980 hostage rescue mission in Iran, famously exposed the dangers of disjointed efforts between military services—leading to major reforms in how US special operations forces and the larger joint force
Crouching Panda, Hidden Dragon: Contesting Chinese Subversion in the Middle East and Central Asia
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 03.28.2025 and is available here. Abstract The People’s Republic of China (PRC) presents itself as a
Hostile Influencing and Finland’s Vulnerabilities
In 2024, Finland experienced a sharp increase in GPS disturbances. Affected flights forced airports to switch to other navigation systems, preventing some flights from landing. Over 2,800 incidents reportedly affected flights that year compared to just 200 the year prior. The sudden increase raised suspicions of deliberate interference by
Do Total Defense Strategies Increase State Resiliency?
Total defense encompasses a government’s strategy and related policies which combine and extend the concepts of military and civilian defense. The concept entails developing a high level of readiness for the state and its society to secure a nation in case of war or to prepare the population for
Covert Action in Irregular Wars: Unraveling the Case of Timber Sycamore in Syria (2012-2017)
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 03.04.2025 and is available here. Abstract The Central Intelligence Agency ran a covert operation in Syria from
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