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.
Meaning, Myth, and Force Design in U.S. Special Operations
Editor's note: The "Short of War" Podcast discussing this article is AI-generated. The debate over the future of U.S. Army Special Forces (SF) has increasingly become a debate about its past. Critics argue that decades of counterterrorism, security force assistance, and persistent global engagement
A Case for Cyber Privateering
Editor's note: The "Short of War" Podcast discussing this article is AI-generated. The United States should employ cyber corsairs to deter exploitation and attacks in the cyber domain. Malicious activity such as economic espionage, ransomware attacks, and fraud results in trillions of dollars’ worth of
What Iran's Crypto Insurance Proposal Means for Irregular Warfare and Shipping in Asia
Editor's note: The "Short of War" Podcast discussing this article is AI-generated. On May 17, 2026, Iran proposed a “Hormuz Safe” platform for ships seeking to cross the Strait of Hormuz. This Bitcoin-denominated platform would enable cargo owners to purchase cryptographically-backed insurance instead
Pakistan’s Nuclear Arsenal is Becoming More Vulnerable
Editor's note: The "Short of War" Podcast discussing this article is AI-generated. “We call on the Pakistani army and security services not to obey Pakistan’s corrupt political and military leadership and urge them to overthrow it,” al-Qaeda declared in an April appeal to
Why Iranian Propaganda Is Getting Uncomfortably Good
Editor's note: The "Short of War" Podcast discussing this article is AI-generated. How did Iran’s regime not just master social media but come to dominate the information space? Their propaganda rarely traveled far outside sympathetic political audiences until recently. Viewers recognized the visuals quickly.
Mexico’s Network War—Without a Network Strategy
Editor's note: The "Short of War" Podcast discussing this article is AI-generated. The aggressive campaign Mexico has sustained against organized crime for the past two decades has many of the characteristics of irregular warfare. While criminal organizations have ebbed and flowed across different political administrations
AI in Cyber Conflict: Short-term Offensive Opportunities, Long-term Defensive Advantage
Editor's note: The "Short of War" Podcast discussing this article is AI-generated. There is a palpable sense of apprehension among cybersecurity professionals and scholars that AI will revolutionize cyber conflict. A slew of recent reports conjure images of supercharged, AI-automated cyber attacks. The worst
The Future of Conflict and Special Operations Forces
Editor's note: The "Short of War" Podcast discussing this article is AI-generated. Since 9/11, Special Operations Forces (SOF) have often been cast as the United States’ sharpest instrument: they hunt high-value targets, train partners, and operate at the seams where conventional forces cannot
Irregular Warfare Is Not A Thing
Editor's note: The "Short of War" Podcast discussing this article is AI-generated. It is difficult to find anyone satisfied with the definition of irregular warfare. Even its parents recoil from the ugliness of the definitional baby. In a 2025 IWI podcast, Mark Crnkovich, the Pentagon
The Afghan Army: What Advisors Couldn’t See and Officers Couldn’t Change
What Afghan Military Corruption Actually Looked Like and What It Means for Future Partner Force Development
Bridging the gap between irregular warfare scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.
