Irregular Warfare Podcast

Proxy Wars, Part 2: Opportunity and Risk in the Middle East

In this episode of the Irregular Warfare Podcast, Shawna Sinnott and Kyle Atwell discuss the history and context of proxy and partner warfare in the Middle East with Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Dr. Eli Berman. This is the second of a two-part discussion on fighting irregular warfare through proxy forces.
Intro music: "Unsilenced" by KetsaOutro music: "Launch" by KetsaCC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Proxy Wars, Part 1: War Through Local Agents in Africa

In this episode of the Irregular Warfare Podcast, Kyle Atwell and Shawna Sinnott discuss proxy and partner warfare in Africa with retired Maj. Gen. Marcus Hicks and Dr. Eli Berman. Eli and Mark discuss the objectives of proxy and partner warfare, the tools available to influence local agents, and whether the United States should increase or decrease its military and diplomatic footprint across Africa in an era of renewed great-power competition. The episode is the first in a two-part series on proxies and irregular warfare.
Intro music: "Unsilenced" by KetsaOutro music: "Launch" by KetsaCC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Inside Insurgency: Nonstate Armed Groups in Syria and Iraq

In this episode of the Irregular Warfare Podcast, Kyle Atwell and Nick Lopez discuss the inner workings of nonstate armed groups in Syria and Iraq with Dr. Vera Mironova of Harvard University and Dr. Daniel Milton of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. The conversation is based on analysis of ISIS documents captured on the battlefield and hundreds of interviews with civilians and fighters on the front lines.
Intro music: "Unsilenced" by KetsaOutro music: "Launch" by KetsaCC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Irregular Warfare Oversight in DC

What are the mechanics and politics that determine how the US government approaches irregular conflicts? That's the question at the center of this episode of the Irregular Warfare Podcast. Hosts Nick Lopez and Kyler Atwell are joined by Mark Mitchell, former acting assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, and Pete Villano, who spent a decade as a professional staff member on the House Armed Services Committee.

Does Building Partner Military Capacity Work?

This episode of the Irregular Warfare Podcast features a conversation with two guests about an important question: Does building partner military capacity work? Dr. Stephen Biddle is a professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University and served as an advisor to Gen. David Petraeus and Gen. Stanley McChrystal during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Matt Cancian is a doctoral candidate in political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a former Marine officer who has researched Western efforts to build partner capacity among the Kurdish Pershmerga during the fight against ISIS.
Intro music: "Unsilenced" by KetsaOutro music: "Launch" by KetsaCC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Leadership Targeting and Drones: An Effective Counterterrorism Strategy?

In the second episode of the Irregular Warfare Podcast, a collaboration between the Modern War Institute and Princeton University’s Empirical Studies of Conflict Project, hosts Nick Lopez and Shawna Sinnott speak to Dr. Jenna Jordan and Dr. Asfandyar Mir. They discuss counterterrorism, the use of drones, and whether targeting terrorist groups' leaders is an effective strategy.
Intro music: "Unsilenced" by KetsaOutro music: "Launch" by KetsaCC BY-NC-ND 4.0

What are Small Wars?

The Irregular Warfare Podcast is a new collaboration between the Modern War Institute at West Point and Princeton University's Empirical Studies of Conflict Project. In this inaugural episode, hosts Kyle Atwell and Nick Lopez talk to Jake Shapiro, co-director of ESOC and Col. Pat Howell, director of MWI. The conversation tackles important questions about what are often called "small wars," including material covered in Jake's book, Small Wars, Big Data.
New episodes of the Irregular Warfare Podcast will be released every two weeks.
Intro music: "Unsilenced" by KetsaOutro music: "Launch" by KetsaCC BY-NC-ND 4.0