To Disrupt Russia’s Shadow War, Follow the Money
Editor's note: The "Short of War" Podcast discussing this article is AI-generated. Just before eight o’clock on a September evening in 2021, two men opened a conversation on Telegram about how to kidnap a Russian fugitive. One, Orlin Roussev, was a Bulgarian information technology
IWI is a public 501(c)3 charity and not part of a government agency. The views expressed are those of the authors.
Podcasts
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Hidden Costs of Precision
How do drone strikes shape civilian behavior? Episode 164 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast explores research using 12 billion cell phone records from Yemen, revealing civilian displacement on par with natural disasters, and discusses what this means for the strategic logic of precision airpower.
The Future of War Part IV: Special Operations on a Global Battlefield
This episode of the Irregular Warfare Podcast concludes our four-part Future of War series, pairing author and futurist August Cole with senior special operations leaders to explore how tomorrow’s conflicts may unfold.
From Subversion to Resistance: Lessons from Russia’s War in Ukraine
This episode examines how Russian operatives and local militants in 2014 transformed political unrest in eastern Ukraine into an armed insurgency—and what it teaches us about subversion, resistance, and state resilience. Dr. Celeste Wallander and Dr. Serhiy Kudelia are the guests.
Events
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Maritime Autonomous Systems Featuring Ukraine's SBU — Center on IW and Armed Groups 2026 Symposium
Co-director of IWI’s Maritime Program, Christopher Booth chaired a panel of guests invited by IWI as part of the Naval War College’s Center on Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups (CIWAG) 2026 Symposium – as supported by the Naval War College Foundation - to discuss autonomous maritime vessels.
Strategic Resources in Competition: Critical Minerals & Rare Earth Elements
21–22 July 2026 · 0830–1600 Carahsoft HQ · 11493 Sunset Hills Road, Reston, VA The Irregular Warfare Initiative (IWI) and the Special Operations Association of America (SOAA) will host a two-day conference at Carahsoft Headquarters in Reston, Virginia, focused on the role of critical minerals and rare earth elements
Join Us at the 2026 CIWAG Maritime Symposium
The maritime domain is entering an era of gathering storms and shifting tides. Join leading practitioners, scholars, and policymakers at the 2026 CIWAG Maritime Symposium, taking place 22–24 June 2026 in Newport, Rhode Island, for discussions on some of the most pressing challenges shaping maritime security today. Topics include
Articles
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Before Rogers' Rangers: Legitimacy, Partnership, and the Limits of External Sponsorship
Editor's note: The "Short of War" Podcast discussing this article is AI-generated. In June 1752, a war party of roughly two hundred and fifty Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi tribal warriors led by the French-Canadian Charles de Langlade descended on the town of Pickawillany. This
Mind the Gap: Asymmetric Maritime Warfare in Southeast Asian Chokepoints
Editor's note: The "Short of War" Podcast discussing this article is AI-generated. Armed men jumped off a helicopter to capture the Galaxy Leader. The Houthis took control of the ship in November 2023 as part of their campaign against Israel that eventually evolved to sinking
Cornered, Not Conquered: Turkish Intelligence and the End of the PKK Insurgency
Editor's note: The "Short of War" Podcast discussing this article is AI-generated. In May 2025, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced it would dissolve and lay down its arms, closing an insurgency that had cost Türkiye on the order of forty thousand lives. The timing
Russian Psychological Operations and Informational Warfare in the Middle East and North Africa
Editor's note: The "Short of War" Podcast discussing this article is AI-generated. The speed of Ukrainian counter-messaging and will to fight has rendered Russian psychological operations in Ukraine ineffective. However, throughout the Middle East, Russia has successfully used information operations to frame the Israel-
Terrorism After Ideology
Editor's note: The "Short of War" Podcast discussing this article is AI-generated. On April 29, two Jewish men were stabbed in north London in what British police declared a terrorist incident. Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), an "Islamic resistance" group that
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
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