Writing
Selected publications
A representative selection. For the complete record, see the full curriculum vitae (PDF) or the Brookings profile.
Op-Eds & Commentary
- May 2026
- Apr 2026
Resilience without capacity: the fatal flaw in America's new cyber strategy
War on the Rocks
With Jesse R. Humpal, Emily Valentine
- Apr 2026
When the war in Iran comes home: Why the US isn't ready for increasing hybrid threats
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
With Mike Nelson
- Apr 2026
- Mar 2026
- Feb 2026
- Jan 2026
Why the Pentagon's security cooperation activities must address disaster response
Small Wars Journal
With Corey Broschak
- Jan 2026
Total defense for an era of total war
Foreign Affairs
- Dec 2025
- Nov 2025
- Nov 2025
- Oct 2025
Why the US needs a total defense strategy based on resilience
Brookings Institution
With Jesse R. Humpal
- Oct 2025
- Oct 2025
The war for America's networks
Newsweek
- Jun 2025
- May 2025
Allies of resistance: America needs more porcupine partners
Small Wars Journal
- Mar 2025
Kenya's shaky handshake deals
Journal of Democracy
- Mar 2025
- Jan 2025
The pitfalls of power sharing
Journal of Democracy
- Dec 2024
- Nov 2024
- Oct 2024
- Jul 2024
- Jul 2024
How to get away with a coup
Newsweek
- May 2024
How to stop an invasion
Newsweek
- Jul 2023
- Jun 2023
The Case for Governance First US Security Policy
Hoover Institution
- May 2023
Ecuador Has 99 Problems But a Coup Isn't One
Political Violence at a Glance
- Nov 2023
- Jan 2024
- Sep 2019
- Sep 2019
- Jan 2019
- Aug 2018
What's Next for Zimbabwe?
Center for Strategic and International Studies
- Apr 2018
In Africa, Presidential Term Limits are Working
Washington Post
- Feb 2018
Could a Power-Sharing End Protests in Togo?
Washington Post
- Nov 2017
What Sparked Zimbabwe's Coup de Grace?
War on the Rocks
- Sep 2017
Will Protests Change Togo?
Washington Post
With Joel Amegboh
- Nov 2015
To Beat Mugabe, Zimbabwe Needs United Opposition
New York Times
- Oct 2015
Writing Constitutions in Africa
Washington Post
With Nic Cheeseman
- Jul 2015
Some Lessons for Togo's Opposition
Washington Post
With Jules Ahlin
- May 2015
Did Burundi Just Have a 'Good Coup'?
Washington Post
- Dec 2013
Cleaning House in Kenya's Police Force
Foreign Policy
- Jan 2012
Zimbabwe's Unsavory Path to Peace
New York Times
- Jan 2012
Usher Mugabe's Men to the Exits
International Herald Tribune
- Mar 2009
Think Twice on Bashir
Newsweek (international edition)
With Paul B. Stares
- Jan 2009
Finally, an Urgency to Aid Zimbabwe
Boston Globe
Reports
- Apr 2025
Exploring the strategic potential of expanded security cooperation support to American irregular warfare
RAND Corporation
With Daniel Egel, Annie Yu Kleiman
- Jan 2022
Competition and Governance in African Security Sectors
RAND Corporation
With Stephen Watts, Gabrielle Tarini
- Dec 2021
Taking Stock of RAND's Security Cooperation Research
RAND Corporation
- Jul 2021
- Jun 2021
Globalization and the COVID-19 Pandemic in Sub-Saharan Africa
RAND Corporation
With Jacqueline Burns
- May 2021
Leveraging Security Cooperation in Strategic Competition
RAND Corporation
With Ashley L. Rhoades, Michael J. McNerney, Meagan Smith, Michael J. Mazarr, Caitlin McCulloch
- Jun 2020
Assessing Globalization Trends in Sub-Saharan Africa
RAND Corporation
With Mary Kate Adgie
- Feb 2020
A New Zimbabwe? Assessing Continuity and Change After Mugabe
RAND Corporation
- Jun 2019
Water Diplomacy as a Potential Driver for Stability in Africa and the Middle East
Institute for Defense Analyses
- Sep 2018
African Militaries' Sustainment and Logistics Shortfalls
RAND Corporation
With James Schear, Kimberly Jackson, Ryan Schwankhart, Sarah Heintz
- Sep 2017
The Risk of Violent Extremism in Tanzania and Zanzibar
Institute for Defense Analyses
- Nov 2012
Civil-Military Relations in Madagascar during the Transition
Institute for Defense Analyses
- Sep 2012
Political Shift in Zimbabwe Increases Risk of Electoral Violence
Institute for Defense Analyses
- Jun 2008
States at Risk: Lessons for Preventive Action
Council on Foreign Relations
- Dec 2007
The Future of Conflict Prevention: A Symposium
Council on Foreign Relations
Chapters & Journal Articles
- 2020
Security Sector Reform in Zimbabwe
Oxford Handbook of Zimbabwean Politics (Oxford University Press)
- 2020
Defense Institution Building in Africa
Parameters (U.S. Army War College Quarterly), 50(1)
With Ashley Bybee, Paul Clarke
- 2018
African Regional Organizations and Post-Election Governments of National Unity
African Foreign Policies in International Institutions (Palgrave Macmillan)
In Jason Warner, Timothy Shaw (eds.)
- 2013
Power Sharing and Civil-Security Relations in Kenya and Zimbabwe
African Studies Quarterly, 13(4)
- 2013
From Conceptual to Operational: The African Union Continental Early Warning System
International Peacekeeping, 20(3)
With Janette Yarwood