About
AT A GLANCE:
Assistant Professor, National Defense University
RESEARCH AREAS:
鈥� Foundations and Drivers of Violent Conflict Within Sub-Saharan West Africa
鈥� African Contemporary Security Contexts writ Large
鈥� Conflict Analysis and Resolution as a Field
BIOGRAPHY:
Ian Edgerly (Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, Nova Southeastern University)
is an Assistant Professor of International Security Affairs with the Joint Special
Operations Master of Arts program within the College of International Security Affairs
at the National Defense University. His teaching and scholarly efforts focus on foundations
and drivers of violent conflict within sub-Saharan West Africa, African contemporary
security contexts writ large, and conflict analysis and resolution as a field. Prior
to joining NDU, Dr. Edgerly built, directed, and taught within the Regional Expertise
and Culture program at the US Army鈥檚 1st Special Forces Command at Ft. Liberty, North
Carolina from its inception in 2017 while serving as its senior instructor. Prior
to that initiative he served as a policy advisor on National Defense Authorization
Act initiatives within the G5 at the US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) and
was the lead instructor for the African Security seminar within the Regional Studies
program at the US Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School before that. He previously
served as a Psychological Operations officer within US Army Special Operations where
he focused on West African problem sets, and as an Infantry officer in the 1st Brigade
of the 82nd Airborne prior to that.
Dr. Edgerly has published articles and book chapters ranging from discussions on non-normative
Just War Theory in West Africa, the entanglement of ethnic conflict, banditry, and
violent extremism in the Sahel, and Tuareg nationalism characteristics as potential
drivers of facets of conflict in the West African Sahel. He is currently working on
projects attempting to utilize complexity science approaches to form a better picture
of conflict dynamic realities in sub-Saharan West Africa and working to develop a
better understanding of the changing nature of the state in West Africa.
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