External Research
Foreign Policy Versus Public Opinion
How does the relationship between the US government and society influence decisions on when—and how—to use military force? How do the views of the voting public factor into decision-making about...
The Psychological Effects of Killing from Above
Editor’s note: Dr. Heather Venable, an MWI research fellow, recently published an article in Æther: A Journal of Strategic Airpower & Spacepower examining the trauma experienced by US bomber...
The Empirical Determinants of Violent Nonstate Actor Drone Adoption
Editor’s note: Dr. Kerry Chávez, an MWI research fellow, and Dr. Ori Swed recently published an article in Armed Forces & Society examining the adoption of commercial drones...
Learning on the Fly: Drones in the Russian-Ukrainian War
Editor’s note: Dr. Kerry Chávez, an MWI research fellow, recently published an article in Arms Control Today examining the use of drones in the Russian-Ukrainian War, their impact on the balance of...
Specific Sources of Trust in Generals: Individual-Level Trust in the US Military
Editor’s note: Dr. Max Margulies, MWI’s director of research, recently published a coauthored article with Dr. Jessica Blankshain of the Naval War College in Dædalus. The article examines trust...
Three’s a Crowd: The Impact of Two Chinas on the China Seas Territorial Disputes
Editor’s note: MWI Research Fellow Brian C. Chao recently published a chapter in Security, Development and Sustainability in Asia: A World Scientific Reference on Major Policy and...
Extending the American Century: Revisiting the Social Contract
Editor’s note: In this article for Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, MWI Non-Resident Fellow Dr. Jahara Matisek, Dr. Travis Robison, and Dr. Buddhika Jayamaha, identify how a weakening...
The American Polar Pivot: Great-Power Competition at the Ends of the Earth
Editor’s note: In this article for Marine Corps University Journal, MWI Non-Resident Fellows Dr. Ryan Burke and Dr. Jahara Matisek identify weak US polar military capabilities relative to China and...
Western Security Force Assistance in Weak States: Time for a Peacebuilding Approach
Editor’s note: In this article for the RUSI journal, Emily Knowles and MWI Non-Resident Fellow Dr. Jahara Matisek identify how security force assistance is failing due to its technical focus on...
Social Media Warriors: Leveraging a New Battlespace
Editor’s note: In this article for the US Army War College journal Parameters, Dr. Buddhika Jayamaha and MWI Non-Resident Fellow Dr. Jahara Matisek, demonstrate how adversaries have turned Western...
Where Climate Change and Violent Non-State Actors Collide: Conflict and Security Force Assistance in the Sahel
Editor’s note: In this article for the Journal of Diplomacy, MWI Non-Resident Fellow Dr. Jahara Matisek, MWI Adjunct Scholar Will Reno, Dr. Buddhika Jayamaha, and Dr. Molly Jahn show how changing...
Why is Senegal’s Military so Good? A Case Study
Editor’s note: In this article in the journal African Security, MWI Non-Resident Fellow Dr. Jahara Matisek shows how the “weak” Senegalese state has created an “effective” military that can be a...
The Crisis of American Military Assistance: Strategic Dithering and “Fabergé Egg” Armies
Editor’s note: In this article in the journal Defense & Security Analysis, MWI Non-Resident Fellow Dr. Jahara Matisek considers the way in which the US government conducted military assistance...
A New Era of Insurgent Recruitment: Have “New” Civil Wars Changed the Dynamic?
Editor’s note: In this article in the journal Civil Wars, MWI Adjunct Scholar Professor Will Reno and MWI Non-Resident Fellow Dr. Jahara Matisek examine current and past trends in insurgent...
A Means of First Resort: Explaining “Hot Pursuit” in International Relations
Editor's note: In this article in the journal Security Studies, MWI Director of Research Dr. Lionel Beehner examines the role of "hot pursuit"—actions taken by states against violent nonstate actors...
Fragile States and the Territory Conundrum to Countering Violent Nonstate Actors
Editor's note: In this article in the journal Democracy and Security, MWI Director of Research Dr. Lionel Beehner posits that efforts to counter insurgent or terrorist threats that rely on robust...
Genius and Mastery in Military Innovation
Editor's note: In this article in the journal Survival, MWI non-resident fellow Nina Kollars explores the drivers of military innovation in times of war and peace. When it comes to creating...
Democratization, Trade Expectations, Military Power, and the Future of Sino-American Relations
In this article in the journal Asian Security, MWI non-resident fellow Nori Katagiri explores US–China ties at a pivotal time in the relationship between the two countries.
Confronting the Anti-Access/Area Denial and Precision Strike Challenge in the Baltic Region
In this article in the RUSI Journal, Alexander Lanoszka and MWI non-resident fellow Michael Hunzeker argue that the current NATO strategy to deter a Russian threat to the Baltic States is not sufficient to counter Russia’s anti-access/area denial or precision-strike capabilities.
Countering the Russian Threat to the Baltics
MWI Adjunct Scholar Manos Karagiannis argues that the defenses being built by the Baltic States will prove largely ineffective and possibly counterproductive against Russia.
How the CT Community Failed to Anticipate the Islamic State
In this Democracy and Security Journal article, Nelly Lahoud and MWI Director Liam Collins argue that the counterterrorism (CT) community failed to anticipate the Islamic State.