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Theory and Practice of Proxy Warfare in Strategic Competition
Theory and Practice of Proxy Warfare in Strategic Competition
ratings:
Length:
52 minutes
Released:
Feb 20, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
This episode tackles the subject of proxy warfare—specifically its role in a strategic environment characterized by great power competition. Why do states engage in proxy warfare? How does what scholars call principal-agent theory explain the way proxy warfare actually plays out—particularly the challenges that arise when the interests of a principal and a proxy diverge? And as the US military continues to prepare for large-scale combat operations, how should the ability to leverage proxies factor into planning? For the US Army in particular, these questions are vital.
To explore them, host Kyle Atwell is joined by three guests. Dr. Nakissa Jahanbani is an assistant professor in West Point's Department of Social Sciences and a researcher at the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Dr. Vladimir Rauta is a lecturer in politics and international relations at the University of Reading and the editor of the forthcoming Routledge Handbook of Proxy Wars. And retired Lieutenant General Ken Tovo served for almost forty years in the Army, including as commanding general of US Army Special Operations Command.
To explore them, host Kyle Atwell is joined by three guests. Dr. Nakissa Jahanbani is an assistant professor in West Point's Department of Social Sciences and a researcher at the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Dr. Vladimir Rauta is a lecturer in politics and international relations at the University of Reading and the editor of the forthcoming Routledge Handbook of Proxy Wars. And retired Lieutenant General Ken Tovo served for almost forty years in the Army, including as commanding general of US Army Special Operations Command.
Released:
Feb 20, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (14)
The War That Shall Not Be Named: Lessons from Afghanistan for the Army: This episode looks back at twenty years of the US-led war in Afghanistan to find lessons for the US Army. How should the war inform the way we make strategy going forward? What are the keys to effective security force assistance? And is it possible to disrupt the US government's tendency to overmilitarize efforts from the tactical to the strategic level? Three guests join this episode to discuss these questions and more. Retired Lieutenant General Doug Lute has had a long and distinguished career culminating in a series of senior positions, including US permanent representative to NATO, and is currently the Robert F. McNamara distinguished chair at West Point's Department of Social Sciences. Dr. Jason Lyall is an associate professor in the Department of Government at Dartmouth College, has conducted fieldwork in Afghanistan as a scholar, and is the author of the book Divided Armies: Inequality and Battlefield Perfo by Social Science of War