The Altman firebombing attempt and the "No Data Centers" shooting at Councilman Gibson's home aren't isolated incidents, they fit a recognizable historical pattern. My new latest article in the Sentinel piece on AI, grievance, and the future of political violence: ctc.westpoint.edu/beyond-misus...

Beyond Misuse: Artificial Intelligence, Grievance, and the Future Landscape of Political Violence - Combating Terrorism Center at West Point

Abstract: The scholarly literature on artificial intelligence and terrorism has organized itself around three questions: (1) how violent non-state actors currently misuse AI, (2) how that misuse may e...

ctc.westpoint.edu

Thank you ABC for highlighting how the manosphere is impacting schools—and for featuring our new ANROWS guide, designed to help teachers understand and respond to these harmful online spaces 👇 www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03...

The rise of the 'manosphere' is being felt in the classroom

Teachers say misogynistic behaviour from young, male students has been getting worse. Now there's a guide to help.

abc.net.au

We are excited to share our new ANROWS guide for teachers and school staff. It explains the manosphere, its harms, and how boys and young men are drawn in via social media—helping schools better understand and respond 👇 www.anrows.org.au/resources/gu...

Some personal news, we “eloped” in the Caribbean ❤️

🚨 Call for Special Issue Papers for Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, please share widely! @ginavale.bsky.social and I are excited to announce the call for papers for our upcoming special issue on insurgent-run education. Proposal deadline is 8 January 2026, and full details are below👇🏼

🚨 Call for Papers! @alexphelan.bsky.social and I are excited to announce the call for papers for our upcoming special issue on "Learning from Insurgent-Run Education" for Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, please share widely. Proposal deadline is 8 January 2026, and full details below 👇

🚨 Call for Special Issue Papers for Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, please share widely! @ginavale.bsky.social and I are excited to announce the call for papers for our upcoming special issue on insurgent-run education. Proposal deadline is 8 January 2026, and full details are below👇🏼

Full article: Rhetoric or Reality? An Analysis of the PYD as a Gendered Insurgent Organization from 2011 to 2018 Studies in Conflict & Terrorism @alexphelan.bsky.social Christina Schmid www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Rhetoric or Reality? An Analysis of the PYD as a Gendered Insurgent Organization from 2011 to 2018

Using the framework of “gendered organizations,” this article argues that the PYD strategically constructed its gender relations in its propaganda campaign and governance strategy through four diff...

tandfonline.com

🚨It’s out! Our new article (co-authored with soon-to-be Dr. Christina Schmid) examines how shifts in gender relations advanced the PYD’s broader politico-military strategy during three phases of insurgent control (2011–2018). It’s open access below!👇🏼 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

🚨It’s out! Our new article (co-authored with soon-to-be Dr. Christina Schmid) examines how shifts in gender relations advanced the PYD’s broader politico-military strategy during three phases of insurgent control (2011–2018). It’s open access below!👇🏼 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

🚨 Our new RUSI commentary, Guns, Goods, and Governance: Illicit Economies and the Foundations of Insurgent Rule, unpacks the complex and under-appreciated relationship between militancy, criminality and legitimacy 👇 www.rusi.org/explore-our-...

Guns, Goods and Governance: Illicit Economies and the Foundations of Insurgent Rule

Research across different geographies has increasingly reshaped how the relationship between militancy, criminality and legitimacy is understood, with important implications for conflict prevention an...

rusi.org

📣 We’re on the search for our next Head of School and Professor in the School of Social Sciences at Monash University! This is a fantastic chance to lead a vibrant school, work alongside brilliant colleagues, and become part of one of the world’s top unis. 👇 careers.pageuppeople.com/513/cw/en/jo...

Thrilled to share our latest article in the TPV special issue on motivations! We explore how gendered narratives and misogyny act as a powerful shared language—connecting identity factors across far-right movements in Australia and the UK 👇🏼 doi.org/10.1080/0954...

At least 18 killed in Colombia in two separate attacks— a drone attack on a helicopter and a car bombing—both attributed to FARC dissidents. www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/...

At least 18 killed in Colombia in drone attack on helicopter, car bombing

Colombian President Gustavo Petro says armed dissidents, drug trafficking cartels should be considered ‘terrorists’.

aljazeera.com

I was recently interviewed by @profil.at for this great feature on the PKK’s disarmament, and comparisons with the peace settlement with FARC 👇🏼

profil@profil.at · last yr.

Seit über 40 Jahren kämpft die kurdische PKK gewaltsam für Autonomie. Jetzt will sie Frieden schließen. Wird das gelingen? Von @rbossniak.bsky.social​

A sincere thank you to Dr. Lawrence Cline for their review of my book, The Combination of All Forms of Struggle: Insurgent Legitimation and State Response to FARC, in Small Wars and Insurgencies. It's wonderful to see parallels drawn to the FMLN 👇 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Book review

Published in Small Wars & Insurgencies (Ahead of Print, 2025)

tandfonline.com

Thank you so much RUSI for hosting our event, Peace or Profit? Illicit Economies and Armed Conflict in Colombia and Beyond. It was a fantastic event with such great insight from our audience, which Jose, Jenny, Michael, Antonio and I are very grateful for.

I was interviewed by E-IR about my work on insurgent legitimation, political violence in Colombia and the nexus between gendered-radicalisation and technology 👇 www.e-ir.info/2025/06/17/i...

Interview - Alexandra Phelan

Alexandra Phelan explores insurgent legitimation, gender, and political violence, with a focus on Latin America, terrorism, and post-conflict transitions.

e-ir.info

🚨 In London on the 25 June? I am extremely excited to announce our research collaboration event, Peace or Profit? Illicit Economies and Armed Conflict in Colombia and Beyond, with @rusi.bsky.social's Organised Crime and Policing team 👇 my.rusi.org/events/peace...

Peace or Profit? Illicit Economies and Armed Conflict in Colombia and Beyond

Can peace compete with profit? Join us to explore how illicit economies can derail peace processes, using Colombia’s experience to inform other conflict contexts.

my.rusi.org

New article out in New Media & Society: Dror Walter @drorwalter.bsky.social, Yotam Ophir @ophiryotam.bsky.social , Edu Fabregas, and I examine how the Wayfair conspiracy theory moved across platforms. We find Twitter and Reddit played very different roles. journals.sagepub.com/eprint/KUIFU...

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

Now that all promotion outcomes have been communicated, I’m delighted to share that I’ve been promoted to Senior Lecturer in Politics and IR at Monash Uni, effective 1 July. I'm excited and incredibly grateful for a workplace and colleagues who support not only my research, but me as a person🙏🏼

🚨NEW🚨 @surajlakhani.bsky.social and my new edited collection is out! Hard copy available in a few months. academic.oup.com/book/60071

The Sociology of Violent Extremism: Theoretical and Sociological Approaches

This book is an essential collection addressing key challenges in studying violent extremism. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, terrorism

academic.oup.com

🚨Discount code below👇🏼 and thank you @craigwhiteside.bsky.social for your review!🚨

Columbia University Press@columbiaup.bsky.social · last yr.

Now available! This book sheds new light on the Colombian conflict and provides rich theoretical understanding of the role of legitimacy in counterinsurgency more broadly. buff.ly/fIXy1wN #Colombia #FARC #Insurgency #Legitimacy #Negotiations #Counterinsurgency

Link to my book talk with my friend Omar Mohammed from GWU's Program on Extremism theisisreader.substack.com/p/violent-no...

Violent Non-State Special Operations: a book talk

April 24, 2025 recording of a book talk with GWU Program on Extremism

theisisreader.substack.com

A friendly reminder that applications close on 19th April for the candidate to start in mid July! We are a fantastic section and you'll love working with us 😊

Alexandra Phelan@alexphelan.bsky.social · last yr.

🚨Come work with us! Our Politics and IR department at Monash Uni is hiring a Level B for a 3 year fixed-term position. Applicants with expertise in politics and/or international relations are encouraged 👇🚨 careers.pageuppeople.com/513/cw/en/jo...

🚨Come work with us! Our Politics and IR department at Monash Uni is hiring a Level B for a 3 year fixed-term position. Applicants with expertise in politics and/or international relations are encouraged 👇🚨 careers.pageuppeople.com/513/cw/en/jo...

Check out my new article for CTC Sentinel: "The New Syrian Government’s Fight Against the Islamic State, Hezbollah, and Captagon" ctc.westpoint.edu/the-new-syri...

The New Syrian Government’s Fight Against the Islamic State, Hezbollah, and Captagon - Combating Terrorism Center at West Point

Abstract: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s background as a former branch of the Islamic State and al-Qa`ida has created a perception that it is untrustworthy when it comes to security concerns of the United Sta...

ctc.westpoint.edu

New article out with Don Rassler in the CTC Sentinal: “On the Horizon: The Ukraine War and the Evolving Threat of Drone Terrorism.” We explore how Ukraine has become a proving ground for drone warfare—and what that means for future terrorist threats. ctc.westpoint.edu/on-the-horiz...

On the Horizon: The Ukraine War and the Evolving Threat of Drone Terrorism - Combating Terrorism Center at West Point

Abstract: This article analyzes the evolution of terrorist drone usage and forecasts its future trajectory in light of the tactical and technological innovations emerging from the Russo-Ukrainian War....

ctc.westpoint.edu

🚨Thrilled to share our new research note: "In the Trenches: A Hands-on Approach to Teaching Data Collection in Terrorism Studies." Co-authored w/ Dr. Sarah Carthy & based on a course that trained 400+ grad students at Leiden in open source data collection. pt.icct.nl/article/tren...

It's finally here 😭 my labour of love! This book wouldn't have been possible without the help and support of so many people, in Colombia and abroad. I'm so excited to share my @columbiaup.bsky.social book,The Combination of All Forms of Struggle, with you... cup.columbia.edu/book/the-com...