Kirstin Braithwaite
Associate Professor of International Relations | Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI, UNITED STATES
Kirstin Braithwaite specializes in international relations and is interested in questions of nationalism, identity and military conflict.
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Biography
Professor Brathwaite earned an M.A. in Comparative Ethnic Conflict from Queens University, Belfast and an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Notre Dame. She specializes in international relations and is interested in questions of nationalism, identity and military conflict.
Her current research focuses on soldiers' motivation in combat as well as civil-military relations during counterinsurgency conflicts. She teaches a broad range of courses, including Introduction to World Politics, International Security, Crisis Negotiation Through Simulation, and Popular Culture in International Politics.
Industry Expertise (2)
Education/Learning
International Affairs
Areas of Expertise (7)
Civil-military Relations
Nationalism and Identity
Military Conflict
Conflict Processes & War
Civil War
Strategic Studies
Gender and War
Accomplishments (1)
Ken and Sandy Waltzer Teaching Excellence Award (professional)
2020
Education (3)
University of Notre Dame: Ph.D., Political Science 2014
Queen's University Belfast: M.A., Comparative Ethnic Conflict 2008
Gordon College: B.A., Political Science 2007
Affiliations (2)
- International Studies Association
- American Political Science Association
Links (3)
News (3)
Excluding Women from the Band of Brothers: the False Flag of Small Unit Cohesion | Guest Post
Duck of Minerva online
2015-09-12
The graduation of two women from Army Ranger school last month along with the apparent intention of the Marine Corps to request an exemption to the Department of Defense’s plan to lift the combat exclusion policy has led to an outpouring of opinion pieces regarding the advisability of allowing women to participate in combat operations. Some argue that Capt. Greist and Lt. Haver’s success in one of the most demanding military training courses in the world proves that women are physically able to do the job. Others suggest that a few exceptions should not overthrow the rule. But a large number of those arguing against the inclusion of women in combat units accept that while some women may be physically capable of combat, their sex is a disruption to the most sacred of military institutions – the socially cohesive Band of Brothers.
The Real Key to Victory in Ukraine
Foreign Affairs online
2022-06-29
Why Sustaining the Fight Is Everything in a War of Attrition
U.S. officials are talking about urban warfare. Here’s what urban warfare really involves.
The Washington Post online
2020-06-04
How do you “mass and dominate the battlespace” in a U.S. city?
Event Appearances (3)
“Subterranean Warfare: How Militant Groups Enhance their Combat Effectiveness"
2020 | Militias and Armies: Developments in Combat and Political Performance of Armed non-state and State Actors Conference Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies | Doha, Qatar
“Symbols and Sacrifice: Nationalism and the Will to Fight in the British Imperial Army”
2019 | National Security Policy Center University of Virginia
“Small Wars, Big Cities: Combat Effectiveness in Urban Environments”
2018 | Center for Strategic Studies Tufts University
Journal Articles (3)
War in the city: Urban ethnic geography and combat effectiveness
Journal of Strategic Studies2022 How does the urban environment, and the ethnic geography at its heart, influence the combat effectiveness of democracies conducting counterinsurgency operations? We argue that the city’s ethnic geography – whether it is ethnically homogenous, segregated, or mixed – influences combat effectiveness through two main mechanisms: intelligence and public opinion. There is no ‘ideal’ urban ethno-demographic setting where militaries are likely to be effective in combat. Rather, different ethno-geographies lead to different challenges with respect to intelligence and public opinion, which in turn affect combat effectiveness. We test our arguments through a structured focus comparison of the Troubles and the First Palestinian Intifada.
Dangerous neighborhoods: State behavior and the spread of ethnic conflict
Conflict Management and Peace Science2019 This article argues that the spread of ethnic conflict across international borders is a result of purposive repressive state action combined with political opportunity which allows the ethnic group to mobilize in response. We test our argument using a bivariate probit model to simultaneously estimate the risk of repression escalation and the spread of ethnic conflict (1976–2009), and find that the likelihood of both increases in the presence of relatively large, territorially concentrated transnational ethnic groups, and that nationalist governments are more likely to escalate repression amidst nearby ethnic violence. Political crises also exacerbate the risk of ethnic conflict spread.
Effective in battle: conceptualizing soldiers’ combat effectiveness
Defence Studies2018 How do we understand combat effectiveness – soldiers’ performance in battle? Despite the broad consensus that understanding combat effectiveness is important both for scholars and policymakers, there is widespread disagreement about what combat effectiveness is. More specifically, studies of effectiveness tend to focus on either the skill of soldiers in battle, or their will to fight. Yet both skill and will are essential components of an effective fighting force.
