To compete and thrive in the 21st century, democracies, and the United States in particular, must develop new national security and economic strategies that address the geopolitics of information. In the 20th century, market capitalist democracies geared infrastructure, energy, trade, and even social policy to protect and advance that era’s key source of power—manufacturing. In this century, democracies must better account for information geopolitics across all dimensions of domestic policy and national strategy.
Terrorists, rebels, and insurgents commonly break down and split apart, with new groups emerging from the ranks of existing organizations. Militants from Syria to Iraq to Afghanistan have splintered and proliferated in this way, producing fragmented oppositions that significantly complicate the conflict landscape. However, these new groups often exhibit very different trajectories, with some lasting for decades and becoming highly radicalized while others quickly fall apart.
This seminar examines variation among militant splinter groups, and the speaker argues that how and why they break away is key to explaining their ultimate behavior. This research not only demonstrates that how militants form strongly shapes their long-term trajectory, but it also calls into question key assumptions that are central to U.S. counterinsurgency policy.
Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.