SOSH Research Lab - Department of Social Sciences - USMA

Setting targets: Abatement cost, vulnerability, and the agreement of NATO’s Wales Pledge on Defense Investment - Jordan Becker, Paul Poast, Tim Haesebrouck, 2024 Why do countries mutually agree to constraints on their behavior? Why do they comply with such constraints in the absence of enforcement mechanisms? More specif...

1/New Publication!
Setting targets: Abatement cost, vulnerability, and the agreement of NATO’s Wales Pledge on Defense Investment - Jordan Becker, @profpaulpoast.bsky.social, Tim Haesebrouck, 2024 journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

The American Politics Program hosted an election night event at Crest Hall featuring a conversation between Senior Fellow Dr. Frank Luntz and Distinguished Graduate Gen. Wesley Clark, who shared his thoughts on service as the cadets prepare for their careers as citizen-soldiers.

Instructor / Assistant Professor <b>About the Position:</b> The U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY is an academic institution located in the Hudson River Valley, 50 miles from New York City. The historic site is the oldest continu...

🎓 Faculty Opening: International Affairs

The Department of Social Sciences seeks Instructor/Assistant Professor for AY25-26

Shape future military leaders at America's premier military academy!

Full details & apply: www.usajobs.gov/job/817181800

Social Science of War: Technology and the Future of Land Warfare - Modern War Institute Technology is rapidly changing the modern battlefield, making it crucial for armies to adapt how they think, fight, and train. But what should that adaptation look like? How can the […]

Exciting news! Episode 4, Season 2 of the Social Science of War podcast is live. Dr. Alexandra Chinchilla leads a discussion on "Technology and the Future of Land Warfare" with guests Ret. General Robert Abrams, Dr. Jack Watling, and Major Ryan Van Wie. Tune in for expert insights!

Social Science of War: Americans’ Changing Views of Civil-Military Relations - Modern War Institute How have civilian views of deference to military and civilian authority evolved? Are current trends in civil-military relations antithetical to healthy democratic norms? And what can be done to ensure...

Dive into Episode 3 of the Social Science of War podcast: "Americans’ Changing Views of Civil-Military Relations." Host Dr. Gabe Royal (USMA) is joined by Dr. Ron Krebs (Minnesota) and Dr. Scott Limbocker (USMA) as they examine evolving civ-mil dynamics and discuss the path forward.

Military personnel swear allegiance to the Constitution and serve the American people – not one leader or party Members of the military take an oath before service, but it’s to the Constitution, not a specific person. West Point professors explain how young officers learn the importance of their allegiance.

Congrats to SOSH Team members Lee Robinson and Joseph Amoroso on their article in The Conversation! "Military personnel swear allegiance to the Constitution and serve the American people – not one leader or party" discusses the critical role of nonpartisanship in the military.

Bureaucracy and Cyber Coercion Abstract. States are increasingly incorporating militarized cyber technologies, or cyber weapons, into their defense arsenals, but there is vigorous debate

Just released: "Bureaucracy and Cyber Coercion" by Heidi Demarest, Tyler Jost, and Robert Schub in International Studies Quarterly. Congratulations on this insightful research exploring the impact of bureaucracy on cyber warfare strategies!

Social Science of War: Why Defense Reform in Ukraine is Crucial - Modern War Institute Editor’s note: MWI is proud to partner with West Point’s Department of Social Sciences to bring listeners the second season of the Social Science of War podcast. Each episode this […]

Join us for a wide ranging conversation about defense reform and the war in Ukraine. In this episode, Dr. Alexandra Chinchilla is joined in conversation by Dr. Polina Beliakova and Donald Bowser.

Episodes of the Social Science of War are available at the link below or wherever you find podcasts.

Congrats to Richard Yon, Dennis Rice, and Amira Jadoon on their article "Carrot or stick, or both? Examining U.S. presidents' use of counterterrorism tools in Pakistan, 2001–2020" in Presidential Studies Quarterly. A significant contribution to understanding counterterrorism strategies!

Social Science of War: Drone Proliferation to Terrorists Proxies - Modern War Institute Editor’s note: MWI is proud to partner with West Point’s Department of Social Sciences to bring listeners the second season of the Social Science of War podcast. The first episode […]

Just released: "Drone Proliferation to Terrorist Proxies" episode on the Social Science of War podcast. Please join us for a conversation about how the use of drones by non-state actors influences war today.

The episode is available at the MWI website or in the Social Science of War podcast feed.

US raids in Iraq and Syria: How retaliatory airstrikes affect network of Iran-backed militias More than 85 locations linked to militias were hit in a robust response by Washington to an earlier deadly drone attack on a US base in Jordan.

Check out Nakissa Jahanbani (West Point and Combating Terrorism Center) and Sara Harmouch's (American University) latest article on "US raids in Iraq and Syria." Published on The Conversation, this analysis provides crucial insights into the impact of retaliatory airstrikes on Iran-backed militias.

Book cover from Richard Yon's book "Emerging from the Shadows: Vice Presidential Influence in the Modern Era"

Richard Yon, from West Point's Department of Social Sciences and Combating Terrorism Center, unveils "Emerging from the Shadows" in SUNY Press. Congratulations on this groundbreaking study examining vice-presidential influence in the modern era!

Pledge and Forget? Testing the Effects of NATO’s Wales Pledge on Defense Investment Abstract. Do informal international agreements without coercive mechanisms affect states’ behavior? While scholars have long been interested in this question, a

Jordan Becker of West Point's Department of Social Sciences explores NATO's Wales Pledge impact on defense spending in "Pledge and Forget? Testing the Effects of NATO's Wales Pledge on Defense Investment" published in International Studies Perspectives. Congratulations!

How much influence does Iran have over its proxy ‘Axis of Resistance’ − Hezbollah, Hamas and t... Iran has expanded its network of partners across the Middle East. But it isn’t a simple case of Tehran dictating the terms of the alliance.

"How much influence does Iran have over its proxy ‘Axis of Resistance’" by Nakissa Jahanbani (West Point) and Sara Harmouch (American University) is live on The Conversation! Explore the dynamics of Iran's regional strategy and its alliances. Congratulations on this insightful contribution!

"Transatlantic Shakedown" by SOSH team member Jordan Becker and co-authors is now live in the Journal of Conflict Resolution! Explore their research on the effectiveness of presidential shaming in NATO and its implications for burden-sharing.

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Hats off to SOSH team members Vincent Shaw and Theodore MacDonald! Their latest article, "Committing to the All-Volunteer Force," takes center stage in the January-February edition of Military Review. Join us in celebrating their impactful contribution to the discourse on the All-Volunteer Force.

The essays from the 2023 Research Symposium on Challenges for the 21st Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, published in a recent issue of Defense Studies, are now available to read in one place. Please check out the exceptional work done by our scholars and colleagues.

How Iranian-Backed Militias Do Political Signaling Iran and its proxies are using attacks for political signaling. They may be creating escalation challenges that bring them closer to war with the U.S.

Major Kudos to SOSH Department team member Dr. Nakissa Jahanbani and her co-authors for their piece, "How Iranian-Backed Militias Do Political Signaling," which has just been published on Lawfare. Check out their insightful analysis on this important topic in national security and foreign affairs:

We're thrilled to announce the release of this year's edition of the West Point Journal of Politics and Security! Join us in celebrating the hard work of our undergraduates and their peers from esteemed institutions and their dedication to advancing knowledge in the social sciences!

Congratulations to Benedetta Berti, Katherine Kjellstrom Elgin, Gorana Grgic, and Martayn Vandewall for their article examining US Alliance management in the shadow of sino-American competition in the latest issue of Defense Studies.

Congratulations to Andris Banka, Lukas Kulesa, Hugo Meijer, Jeffrey Reynolds, Luis Simon, Morena Skalamera, and Scott Smitson for their article on bridging alliances in the shadow of Sino-American competition appearing in the latest issue of Defense Studies.

Congratulations to Jake Barnes, Seth Benson, Jack Farris, Michael Rosol, and Todd Schmidt for their article on domestic politics, international competition, populism and the importance of understanding rhetoric appearing in the latest issue of Defense Studies.

Congratulations to Jade Guiberteau, Lucas Hellemeir, and Kaija Schilde for their article examining defense industrial policy, changing international order and transatlantic burden-sharing appearing in the latest issue of Defense Studies.

Congratulations to Alexandra Chinchilla, Kyle Atwell, Alexis Bradstreet, Catherine Crombe, and Luther Leblanc for their article exploring irregular warfare in strategic competition appearing in the latest issue of Defense Studies.

Congratulations to Jordan Becker (@jordanbecker.bsky.social), Josh Woodaz, and Wendy Anderson for their publication in the latest issue of Defense Studies, synthesizing the excellent discussions at the 2023 Security Seminar at West Point.

Congratulations to Jane Kaufmann, Kathryn Hedgecock, Nathan Hedgecock, and Olivia Raykhman for their publication in the latest issue of Defense Studies.