Military Medicine
In a 2014 article in International Security, I argued that scholars suggesting that war is on the decline have overstated their case. The strongest empirical basis for the “declinist theory of war” is a decline in battle deaths. But over the same time period that battle deaths have declined, there have been dramatic improvements in military medicine. The effects of military medicine are especially evident in mortality rates for militaries of advanced industrialized states where, as a percentage of those deployed, more military personnel are returning home having survived injuries they would not have survived in past conflicts. I have extended this research into a book—Military Medicine and the Hidden Costs of War (2024: Oxford University Press)— in which I argue that improvements in military medicine, alongside the expansion of veterans benefits, have increased the long-term, downstream costs of war for the United States. But these costs of war are underappreciated; in a 2021 article in International Studies Quarterly that reports on a series of survey experiments, I show that the US public is generally indifferent to the war wounded as casualties of war.
In a related project, funded by USAMRDC, I examine the relationship between military medicine and military effectiveness, via cross-national historical analysis (with Pedro Accorsi) and surveys of military personnel and veterans (with Tracey Koehlmoos, Jessica Korona, and Jane Sumner). I have also conducted research on health diplomacy in the context of great power competition (with Logan Stundal) and in the context of pandemics.
Laws of War
My 2018 book, Wars of Law: Unintended Consequences in the Regulation of Armed Conflict (Cornell University Press), is on the consequences of the proliferation of the laws of war over the past two centuries. The first argument of the book is that belligerents in both interstate and civil war use the laws of war very strategically. The second argument of the book is that the nature of this strategic relationship varies tremendously between states engaged in interstate war and rebel groups engaged in civil war. For example, I argue that the proliferation of codified law of war provides an explanation for the declining use of declarations of war to begin interstate war and peace treaties to conclude these wars. Secessionist rebel groups engaged in civil war, on the other had, behave quite differently when it comes to the laws of war. For these groups, engaging positively with international law is a means to signal their willingness and capacity to be good citizens of the international community. I continue to work on issues relating to international humanitarian law, particularly on the questions of why some rebel groups commit to abiding by the laws of war (with Rita Konaev), whether armed groups that self-identify as Islamic subscribe to a different view of the laws of war (with Emilia Powell and Jessica Stanton), and when and why the International Committee of the Red Cross violates its practice of discretion and “goes public” in condemnation of armed conflict actors (with Minju Kwon).
Secessionism
I have worked on several projects related to secessionism. Ryan Griffiths and I argue that the benefits of becoming a state have increased over time, and that this increase has translated into the rise of secessionism we observe today. In much of my work on internal armed conflict, I highlight how the political aims of rebel groups, especially secessionists, condition how they conduct themselves in war. In other work, I highlight what I call the “Secessionists’ Dilemma” – the idea that secessionists believe they should abide by norms set out by existing states, but are rarely rewarded for their good behavior.
Work in Progress
“International Power in the Anthropocene.” With Page Fortna.
“Military Medicine and Military Morale.” With Jessica Korona, Tracey Koehlmoos, and Jane Sumner.
“Islamic Humanitarian Law and Islamic Insurgent Groups.” With Emilia Powell and Jessica Stanton.
“Mapping US and Chinese Health Diplomacy.” With Logan Stundal.
“Military Medicine and Military Effectiveness.” With Pedro Accorsi.
“Naming, Shaming, and the Laws of War: When Does the ICRC Go Public?” With Brooke C. Greene and Minju Kwon.
“What is the International Community?”
“The Causes and Consequences of Outsourcing NDCs.” With Yoonsoo Kim and Maria Sanchez.