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.
In The Eye Of The Beholder: Legitimacy, Drones, And US Counterterrorism Policy
Paul Lushenko Legitimacy—the public’s beliefs in the appropriateness of some behavior—is central to the sustainability of US drone strikes abroad. Research shows that the public does not generally challenge policies and actions it deems legitimate, which helps preserve space for officials to make decisions on sensitive issues
The Overlooked Irregular Warfare Expert The Pentagon Should Study Today
Nathaniel L. Moir In his 1961 book about warfare in Southeast Asia, Street Without Joy, Bernard Fall, the Howard University professor and former French Resistance fighter, explained, “A dead Special Forces sergeant is not spontaneously replaced by his own social environment. A dead revolutionary usually is.” Fall’s point was
An Eye For An Eye: The Dynamics of Blood Revenge In Civil War
Emil Aslan, David S. Siroky and Roberto Colombo Over the past fifty years, about two-thirds of all civil wars have occurred in countries where customary traditions of honor and retaliation regulate social life. Firmly embedded in the fabric of local societies, the customary code of blood revenge—the practice
“By, With, And Through” Will Not Save US Forces From Direct Combat: American Ground Force Contributions To The Campaign Against ISIS
Jeff Martini, Sean Zeigler and Gian Gentile In 2016, as it was pushing ISIS from its Euphrates valley strongholds in Iraq, the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS weighed how best to speed up the military campaign. The coalition ultimately chose to expand its military involvement in support of Iraqi forces,
Competition Campaigning: What It Looks Like And Implications for US Special Operations Command
Jonathan Schroden In March 2022, the Pentagon released a new National Defense Strategy (NDS) that identified China as the “most consequential strategic competitor” of the United States. The NDS also described two concepts—integrated deterrence and campaigning—as primary means by which the Department of Defense will seek to address
Al-Shabaab And The Grim Realities of Somalia's Forever War
Sam Wilkins Despite over a decade of international military interventions, the al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group known as al-Shabaab remains the most capable extremist organization on the African continent. On October 30, the group served up a deadly reminder of its continued relevance when it detonated a bomb in
Resist To Deter: Why Taiwan Needs To Focus On Irregular Warfare
Aidan L. P. Greer and Chris Bassler Taiwan and the United States appear to have reached the decade of maximum danger with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). While Taiwan has mostly accepted the need to shift to a “porcupine strategy” to deter a potential Chinese invasion—an approach that emphasizes
In The Gray Zone, This Much Is Black And White: SOF Must Develop Partner And Ally Nation Capabilities
Clifford Lucas Irregular warfare is fundamental to strategic competition with China and Russia. In his recent congressional testimony, General Richard Clarke described the critical space in which this competition will unfold and who should play a key role: “SOF [special operations forces] remain ideally suited to identify an adversary’s
The Tyranny Of Color Coded Maps: What We Get Wrong About Measuring Control During Armed Conflict
Ibraheem Bahiss, Ashley Jackson, Leigh Mayhew and Florian Weigand After a stunning military advance, the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021. This seemingly sudden takeover, with hundreds of districts falling like dominos, took most observers by surprise. After all, maps had long shown most of Afghanistan’s
Teaching Irregular Warfare In The Era Of Strategic Competition
Elena Pokalova The 2022 National Security Strategy focuses on US leadership in strategic competition over the future of international order. The document lays out the threats and challenges the United States faces today from adversaries such as Russia and China. In order to prevail over such competitors and secure US
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