Episode 148 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast explores why militant groups form alliances, and what the content of those alliances can tell us about their organizational capacity.
Based on research by Professor Chris Blair and Phillip Potter, this episode explores why militant groups form alliances. Rather than signaling strength, these networks often help groups compensate for key weaknesses. After 9/11, al-Qaeda used alliances to expand its global reach. The Islamic State, after splitting from al-Qaeda, built partnerships to boost its ideological credibility. We unpack how these strategies shaped both groups’ networks – and what the findings mean for disrupting militant alliances today, especially as attention shifts toward great power competition.
The article is here: The Strategic Logic of Large Militant Alliance Networks.
General Joseph Votel is the current distinguished chair of West Point’s Combatting Terrorism Center. He is a retired Army 4-star officer who in his last active duty assignment served as the commanding general of U.S. Central Command. During his 39 years in the military he commanded Special Operations and conventional military forces at every level.
Dr. Chris Blair is an Assistant Professor at Princeton University in the Department of Politics. Professor Blair’s research mainly engages with questions of how counterinsurgency policies affect civilian and rebel behavior and how prospective host countries respond to forcibly displaced people. He has published prolifically in top academic journals as well as publications such as Foreign Affairs and the Washington Post.
Alisa Laufer hosts this episode. Please reach out to the Irregular Warfare Podcast team with any questions about the episode or the broader mission of the show.
The Irregular Warfare Podcast is a production of the Irregular Warfare Initiative (IWI). We are a team of volunteers dedicated to bridging the gap between scholars and practitioners to support the community of irregular warfare professionals. IWI generates written and audio content, coordinates events for the IW community, and hosts critical thinkers in the field of irregular warfare as IWI fellows. You can follow and engage with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn.
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All views expressed in this episode are the personal views of the participants and do not represent those of any government agency or of the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project.
Intro music: “Unsilenced” by Ketsa
Outro music: “Launch” by Ketsa
Photo: Cover image generated using AI-assisted digital art tools.
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