professorsheehan

MEDIA REQUESTS / SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS / SPECIAL EVENTS

SHEEHAN | Trump Sanctions Set Stage for Necessary Regime Change in Iran | The Hill | 4 AUG 2017

On August 4, 2017, Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan – Associate Professor of Public and International Affairs – authored an op-ed in the congressional newspaper The Hill on the value of the bipartisan passage of the sanctions legislation directed at Iran, North Korea, & Russia. The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 (H.R. 3364) passed through both chambers of the U.S. Congress with more support than almost any piece of major legislation in recent memory. Dr. Sheehan’s scholarship on regime change, policy-oriented writing, and media appearances have been influential in shaping Washington’s thinking on the prospect of a democratic transition in Iran and curtailing Tehran’s state-sponsored terrorism through sanctions and support of the Iranian opposition.

During summer 2017, Dr. Sheehan authored a number of influential op-eds that were shared thousands of times via social media and circulated in Washington’s policy community. The articles raised themes that were subsequently picked up by prominent U.S. officials in public remarks and prior to important votes. These included:

SHEEHAN | Trump Sanctions Set Stage for Necessary Regime Change in Iran | The Hill | 4 AUG 2017

SHEEHAN | Iran Ripe for Regime Change Two Years After Nuclear Deal | New York Daily News | 14 JUL 2017

SHEEHAN | Trump et Macron devraient décourager les entreprises d’investir en Iran | Translation | Trump and Macron Should Jointly Discourage Businesses from Investing in Iran | La Tribune | 13 JUL 2017

SHEEHAN | Trump is Right to Focus on Iran’s Support of Terrorism | The Baltimore Sun | 26 JUN 2017

SHEEHAN | In Discussing Middle East Policy, US Should Acknowledge the Goal of Regime Change | Townhall | 19 JUN 2017

SHEEHAN et al | Why the World Needs a Metropolitan Compact: A New Vision for the Future of Sustainability | Citiscope | 19 JUN 2017

SHEEHAN | When Iran Votes For President Friday, Is It A Referendum On The Future Or More Of The Same? | Independent Journal Review | 17 May 2017

Dr. Sheehan‘s article in New York Daily News was published on the second anniversary of the conclusion of negotiations that resulted in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran (JCPOA) and proposed a formal shift in U.S. policy consistent with American national security interests and Department of State rhetoric. Learn more here.

In the article that follows, Dr. Sheehan was invited by the French newspaper La Tribune to weigh in on the Trump-Macron summit in Paris. The op-ed was translated into French as the heads of state met in private and shared with U.S. and E.U. dignitaries. Read the original article in English here and learn more here.

Dr. Sheehan also published two widely circulated articles in June that addressed terrorism and U.S. policy in Middle East, including one in The Baltimore Sun.

Each of the the policy-oriented commentaries were in keeping with remarks that Dr. Sheehan made at a panel discussion for U.S. officials in Europe earlier this summer where he spoke alongside former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge and joined a distinguished international research delegation.

This past June, Dr. Sheehan also served as the Moderator for the National Geographic Channel premiere of Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria & the Rise of ISIS in Washington, D.C. The documentary – by Academy-Award nominated filmmaker and New York Times #1 best-selling author Sebastian Junger and Emmy award winner Nick Quested – traced the origins of the Syrian crisis and the rise of Islamic State. In June Dr. Sheehan also delivered a keynote address at a think-tank in Paris, France and co-authored a Citiciscope article.

Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan is the Director of the graduate programs in Negotiations & Conflict Management and Global Affairs & Human Security in the College of Public Affairs at the University of Baltimore. For research or media related updates or to learn more about Dr. Sheehan, follow him at @ProfSheehan or link to his research profiles.

Social Media: @ProfSheehan / @PublicAffairsUB

2 Comments »

Sheehan Joins Distinguished U.S. Delegation at 2017 Conference for Democracy in Iran

Posted in @BPC_Bipartisan, @DHSgov, @HouseGOP, @POTUS, @realDonaldTrump, @RepublicanStudy, @Senate_GOP, @SpeakerRyan, @TheIranDeal, academic freedom, advisory board, afghanistan, analysis, assad, assessment, authoritarian, baghdad, ballistic missiles, bipartisan, briefing, chemical weapons, CIA, civil liberties, civil unrest, college of public affairs, conflict, congress, counterintelligence, counterterrorism, covert, crimes against humanity, delisting, democracy, democrat, Department of Homeland Security, deterrence, diplomacy, dissident, Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan, education, european union, farsi, foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, freedom, fundamentalism, gingrich, global, gulf cooperation council, haider al-abadi, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism and Non-Proliferation, human rights, human security, IAEA, inspections, intelligence, international relations, international security studies, iran, iraq, irgc, ISIS, israel, Ivan Sascha Sheehan, leadership, Louis Freeh, media, MEK, MI6, middle east, military, mossad, NCRI, netanyahu, nonproliferation, nuclear, opposition, P5+1, paris, PMOI, policy, political repression, political science, politics, preemptive, Professor Ivan Sascha Sheehan, protest, regime change, regime change from within, republican, research, rouhani, Rudy Giuliani, Saudi Arabia, scholarly, security studies, senate, senate foreign relations committee, sheehan, social science, stability operations, state department, strike, sunni, syria, teaching, tehran, terror tagging, terrorism, The Baltimore Sun, the hill, think-tank, threat, Tom Ridge, townhall, trump, u.s. foundation for liberty, University of Baltimore President's Faculty Award, unrest, voice of america, war, weapons, white house, yemen with tags @ProfSheehan, @PublicAffairsUB, College of Public Affairs, Congress, Counterterrorism, Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Global Affairs and Human Security Graduate Program, Iran, Iraq, ISIS, israel, Ivan Sascha Sheehan, MEK, Middle East, NCRI, Negotiation and Conflict Management Graduate Program, nuclear agreement, nuclear deal, PMOI, Policy, Professor Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Regime Change, School of Public and International Affairs, Sheehan, Terrorism, University of Baltimore, White House on July 10, 2017 by Professor Sheehan

MEDIA REQUESTS / SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS / SPECIAL EVENTS

In July 2017, Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan – Associate Professor of Public and International Affairs – traveled to Paris as part of a distinguished research delegation examining the Iranian opposition in the lead up to the second anniversary of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran. The theme of the conference – regime change in Iran – was consistent with Dr. Sheehan’s policy-oriented writing, scholarship, and media appearances, as well as analyses he has provided to policymakers in the U.S. Congress.

An invited guest of the organizing committee, Dr. Sheehan met with bipartisan U.S. officials during his visit to discuss Middle East policy as well as his scholarship on regime change. He also spoke at panel discussion featuring former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge and participated in extensive media coverage of the event. Topics raised by Dr. Sheehan in recent op-eds were also discussed by prominent U.S. and world leaders. The annual conference – which featured crowds estimated at more than 100,000 – is the largest annual gathering of the democratic Iranian opposition in exile and featured remarks by leaders from more than fifty countries, a bipartisan delegation of senior U.S. officials, and prominent academics from around the world. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran, democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and the deteriorating situation in neighboring Syria and Iraq were discussed. The events, which were carried live in the U.S. by Fox News and The Washington Times, were also broadcast inside Iran by Voice of America and featured prominently in Arab newspapers.

Dignitaries in attendance included former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich; former FBI Director Louis Freeh, former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge; former U.S. Attorney General Judge Michael Mukasey; and former National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush, Frances Townsend, and many others. Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud, former Director of the Saudi General Intelligence Directorate in Saudi Arabia’s Intelligence Agency, pledged his commitment to regime change in Iran and expressed strong support for the Iranian resistance. Dr. Sheehan has written and spoken extensively on the concept of regime change in Iran in both scholarly and news outlets.

Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan – Associate Professor of Public and International Affairs – is the Director of the graduate programs in Negotiations & Conflict Management and Global Affairs & Human Security in the College of Public Affairs at the University of Baltimore. For research or media related updates or to learn more about Dr. Sheehan, follow him at @ProfSheehan or link to his research profiles.

Social Media: @ProfSheehan / @PublicAffairsUB

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

2 Comments »

Sheehan Moderates National Geographic TV Film Premiere on ISIS in Washington, D.C.

Posted in 9-11, @BPC_Bipartisan, @DHSgov, @HouseGOP, @POTUS, @realDonaldTrump, @RepublicanStudy, @Senate_GOP, @SpeakerRyan, @TheIranDeal, afghanistan, al-Awlaki, analysis, assad, authoritarian, baghdad, ballistic missiles, biodefense, bioterrorism, bipartisan, chemical weapons, CIA, civil liberties, civil unrest, college of public affairs, congress, counterterrorism, covert, crimes against humanity, delisting, democracy, democrat, Department of Homeland Security, deterrence, diplomacy, dissident, Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan, foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, freedom, fundamentalism, Gary Knell, global, gulf cooperation council, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism and Non-Proliferation, human rights, human security, IAEA, inspections, intelligence, international order, international relations, international security studies, interview, iran, iraq, irgc, ISIS, israel, Ivan Sascha Sheehan, killing, leadership, maliki, martyrdom, martyrdom operations, media, MI6, middle east, military, mossad, National Geographic, National Geographic Channel, National Geographic TV, Nick Quested, nonproliferation, nuclear, nyt, obama, opposition, policy, political repression, political science, politics, preemptive, Professor Ivan Sascha Sheehan, putin, regime change, regime change from within, republican, research, resistance studies, rouhani, sanctions, Saudi Arabia, scholarly, Sebastian Junger, sectarian conflict, security studies, senate, senate foreign relations committee, sheehan, shiite, social science, state department, strike, suicide, suicide attacks, suicide missions, suicide operations, suicide terrorism, sunni, syria, teaching, tehran, terror tagging, terrorism, think-tank, threat, Tribeca Film Festival, trump, turkey, united kingdom, united nations, University of Baltimore President's Faculty Award, unrest, war, warships, weapons, white house with tags @NatGeoChannel, @NatGeoTVUS, @ProfSheehan, @PublicAffairsUB, College of Public Affairs, Congress, Counterterrorism, Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Global Affairs and Human Security Graduate Program, Iran, Iraq, ISIS, israel, Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Middle East, National Geographic, National Geographic Channel, National Geographic TV, Negotiation and Conflict Management Graduate Program, Nick Quested, Policy, Professor Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Regime Change, School of Public and International Affairs, Sebastian Junger, Sheehan, suicide attacks, suicide terrorism, syria, Terrorism, White House on June 11, 2017 by Professor Sheehan

MEDIA REQUESTS / SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS / SPECIAL EVENTS

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

FILM PREMIERE | Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria & the Rise of ISIS | National Geographic Channel

On June 6, 2017, Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan – Associate Professor of Public and International Affairs – served as the Moderator for the National Geographic Channel premiere of Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria & the Rise of ISIS in Washington, D.C. The documentary – by Academy-Award nominated filmmaker and New York Times #1 best-selling author Sebastian Junger and Emmy award winner Nick Quested – traces the origins of the Syrian crisis and the rise of Islamic State.

Learn more @ http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/hell-on-earth/

Time Magazine notes that the film “traces how the bloody crackdown on youth dissent in March 2011 metastasized into the intractable conflict that today has left an estimated 500,000 dead and millions uprooted.”

“Syria became a civil war in response to the violence of the government; eventually Iran got involved through Hezbollah to support the Assad regime. The Kurds got involved. Turkey got involved. The Arab Gulf states got involved. Eventually all the world powers and all the regional powers had some investment in the war in Syria and in many cases were actively involved in the fighting.”

Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria & the Rise of ISIS – which featured at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival has been screened to wide acclaim by critics and audiences around the world – debuts on National Geographic Channel on Sunday, 11 June at 9 PM EST.

About the Film Co-Directors:

Sebastian Junger is an Academy-Award nominated filmmaker and New York Times No. 1 best-selling author of books including War and Tribe. As an award-winning journalist, a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, and a special correspondent at ABC News, he has covered major international news stories around the world and has received both a National Magazine Award and a Peabody Award. Nick Quested is executive director and owner of Goldcrest Films, one of the world’s premiere documentary brands. He has earned two Emmys for his work.

This is the second film premiere for which Dr. Sheehan has been commissioned by National Geographic Channel. To contact him with media inquries or book him for special events, please visit

Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan is the Director of the graduate programs in Negotiations & Conflict Management and Global Affairs & Human Security in the College of Public Affairs at the University of Baltimore. For additional research or media related updates or to learn more about Dr. Sheehan, follow him at @ProfSheehan or link to his research profiles.

Social Media: @ProfSheehan / @PublicAffairsUB

Sheehan Presenting at 2017 Annual Southern Political Science Association Conference

Posted in academic freedom, afghanistan, american political science association, analysis, APSA, assad, authoritarian, baghdad, baltimore, civil liberties, civil unrest, college of public affairs, congress, counterinsurgency, counterintelligence, counterterrorism, democracy, deterrence, diplomacy, dissident, Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan, education, evidence-based, foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, freedom, fundamentalism, global, human rights, human security, intelligence, international relations, international security studies, iran, iraq, irgc, ISIS, israel, Ivan Sascha Sheehan, media, middle east, military, New Orleans, nonproliferation, nuclear, opposition, policy, political repression, political science, politics, Professor Ivan Sascha Sheehan, regime change, regime change from within, research, resistance studies, rouhani, sanctions, scholarly, sectarian conflict, securitization, security studies, senate, senate foreign relations committee, sheehan, social science, southern political science association, state department, syria, teaching, tehran, terrorism, threat, war, weapons, yemen with tags @ProfSheehan, @PublicAffairsUB, College of Public Affairs, Counterterrorism, Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Global Affairs and Human Security Graduate Program, Iran, Iraq, ISIS, Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Middle East, Negotiation and Conflict Management Graduate Program, nuclear agreement, nuclear deal, Policy, Professor Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Regime Change, School of Public and International Affairs, Sheehan, Terrorism, University of Baltimore on January 10, 2017 by Professor Sheehan

SHEEHAN | 2017 Annual Southern Political Science Association Conference | New Orleans, Louisiana | 12-14 Jan 2017

Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan – Associate Professor of Public and International Affairs – will both present and chair panels at the 88th Annual Southern Political Science Association Conference at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans on January 12-14, 2017. #PDF

Dr. Sheehan is scheduled to participate in the following panel discussions:

Panel: Domestic Politics & International Relations of MENA
Section: International Relations and Domestic Politics
Role: Chair
Panel: Normative Political Theory: History & Politics
Section: History and Politics
Role: Panelist – Gandhi’s War of Resistance: Religious, Secular, and Realist Influences
Panel: Human Security, Human Rights, & International Law
Section: International Politics: Global Issues, IPE, Human Rights
Role: Chair
Panel: Propaganda, Violence, & the Islamic State
Section: International Politics: Conflict and Security
Role: Discussant

The Southern Political Science Association is one of the oldest and largest political science organizations in the United States. Founded in 1929, its principle goals are to improve teaching, to promote interest and research in theoretical and practical political problems, to encourage communication, and to develop standards of competence and respect between persons engaged in the professional study and practice of government and politics.

For additional research or media related updates or to learn more about Dr. Sheehan, follow him on Twitter @ProfSheehan or link to his research profiles.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Social Media: @ProfSheehan / @PublicAffairsUB

@SPSAnet #PoliSci

SHEEHAN: Balancing Ends, Ways, and Means: The Case for Reviving Support for ‘Regime Change from Within’ in Iran | The Journal on Terrorism and Security Analysis | Syracuse University | Spring 2015 | 10th Edition

Posted in 9-11, afghanistan, analysis, arak, ashraf, assad, baghdad, ballistic missiles, bioterrorism, brussels, camp liberty, chemical weapons, CIA, civil unrest, clinton, congress, council on foreign relations, counterinsurgency, counterterrorism, covert, crimes against humanity, debate, delisting, democracy, deterrence, diplomacy, dissident, Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan, european union, fordow, foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, freedom, fundamentalism, geneva, global, haider al-abadi, hostages, human rights, human security, IAEA, intelligence, international relations, international security studies, iran, iraq, irgc, ISIS, israel, Ivan Sascha Sheehan, kerry, kurd, maliki, media, MEK, MI6, middle east, military, mossad, mousavi, natanz, NCRI, negotiation, netanyahu, nuclear, obama, P5+1, paris, PMOI, policy, political science, politics, preemptive, Professor Ivan Sascha Sheehan, protest, qum, rajavi, regime change, regime change from within, research, rouhani, sanctions, security studies, senate foreign relations committee, sheehan, shiite, state department, strike, sunni, syria, tehran, terror tagging, terrorism, threat, u.s. foundation for liberty, unrest, war, weapons, white house, yemen, zakaria, zarif with tags Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Professor Ivan Sascha Sheehan on March 7, 2015 by Professor Sheehan

Access a full PDF of the newly published article here.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

SHEEHAN: Balancing Ends, Ways, and Means: The Case for Reviving Support for “Regime Change from Within” in Iran | The Journal on Terrorism and Security Analysis | Syracuse University | Spring 2015 | 10th Edition

As a March 31 deadline looms and world powers scramble to negotiate over Iran’s nuclear program – and on the heels of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s warnings to a joint session of Congress this week – Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan has published his latest paper titled Balancing Ends, Ways, and Means: The Case for Reviving Support for ‘Regime Change from Within’ in Iran in The Journal on Terrorism and Security Analysis (Syracuse University). In the paper he argues that “the U.S. needs to abandon the idea that pressure on Iran in the form of support for “regime change from within” will only derail talks. As Kenneth Pollack has pointed out, Iran does not moderate when the pressure is off but when it is high.

Excerpt: The regime’s expanding use of proxies to destabilize its neighbors is another matter of urgent concern. Iran still provides small arms shipments and training to the Taliban in Afghanistan. In addition, and despite its pledge to support Iraq’s stabilization, it gives regular guidance and training to Shia militants in Iraq. It has also deployed several hundred military specialists, including senior Quds Force commanders to Syria and is believed to have spent billions of dollars to support the Assad regime as it continues its brutal crackdown on the Syrian people, a crackdown that has resulted in the deaths of more than 70,000 civilians. Additionally, Iran has been sending weapons to secessionist movements to foment dissent and destabilize Yemen. These activities too are unlikely to stop in the presence of a nuclear deal, if one occurs. As Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, indicated as recently as November 2013, Iran is determined on “challenging the influence of America in the region and extending its own influence”and it does not appear to be inclined to change how it pursues its influence “one iota.”

Further, to support these activities and defend against potential fallout, Iran has intensified a brutal crackdown on its own citizens. While the regime’s record on human rights has always been poor, its repression of ordinary Iranians reached new heights in the wake of the disputed elections of 2009. Protestors were arrested en masse, tortured, raped and killed in prison. Today, as many as 500 Iranian dissidents, including minority rights and women’s activists, are still behind bars. Leading opposition figures such as Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard have now been held under house arrest for three years without charges or trial, and “despite President Rouhani’s numerous promises to respect people’s rights following his June 2013 electoral victory,” serious rights abuses continue. One of the most alarming trends is the surge in executions. Iran is now ranked number one, above China, in executions per capita. According to Ahmed Shaheed, Iran’s UN special rapporteur for human rights, 176 people were put to death in January, February, and early March of 2014 alone. Several were executed in public and many sources believe the numbers are much higher. According to other reports, including the Human Rights Documentation Center, more than 500 people have been executed since Rouhani took office. These trends, coupled with the regime’s record of arbitrary detention and unfair trials, discrimination against minorities, mistreatment of political prisoners and restrictions on freedom of expression, led the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, to deliver a sharp rebuke to Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, as recently as March 2014. The problem is that such abuses not only affect individuals and communities. In “a world of complex interdependencies and trans-border activities,” they also have “spillover effects.” In particular they can increase the flow of refugees with destabilizing effects in neighboring countries. In addition, as Tim Dunne points out they “diminish the constraining capacity of key norms” and in the process give a “green light” to other states to engage in similar repression in blatant violation of international standards of behavior.

For additional research or media related updates or to learn more, follow Dr. Sheehan on Twitter @ProfSheehan.

/ #About / #News / #Scholarship /

Sheehan to Speak at Syracuse University National Security Studies Conference

Posted in 9-11, afghanistan, analysis, arak, ashraf, assad, baghdad, brussels, camp liberty, CIA, civil unrest, clinton, congress, counterterrorism, covert, crimes against humanity, data, delisting, democracy, deterrence, digest of middle east studies, diplomacy, dissident, DOMES, Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan, education, european union, evidence-based, fordow, foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, freedom, fundamentalism, geneva, global, homicidality scale, hostages, human rights, human security, IAEA, intelligence, international relations, international security studies, international studies association, iran, iraq, irgc, ISA, ISIS, Ivan Sascha Sheehan, kerry, maliki, martyrdom, martyrdom operations, media, MEK, MI6, middle east, middle east dialogue, military, mossad, NCRI, netanyahu, New Orleans, nuclear, obama, P5+1, paris, PMOI, policy, policy studies organization, political science, politics, preemptive, Professor Ivan Sascha Sheehan, protest, qum, rajavi, regime change, regime change from within, research, sanctions, scholarly, sectarian conflict, security studies, senate, senate foreign relations committee, sheehan, shiite, social science, state department, suicide, suicide attacks, suicide missions, suicide operations, suicide terrorism, sunni, syria, tehran, terror tagging, terrorism, threat, u.s. foundation for liberty, unrest, weapons, white house with tags Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Professor Ivan Sascha Sheehan on February 12, 2015 by Professor Sheehan

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan has been invited to speak at a conference – The Global Threat: Emerging Issues in National Security – hosted by the prestigious Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University on February 27-28, 2015.

Dr. Sheehan is also scheduled to speak next week at the 2015 Annual Conference of the International Studies Association (ISA) in New Orleans and the week after at the 2015 Middle East Dialogue (MED) conference hosted by the Policy Studies Organization in Washington, D.C.

For additional research or media related updates or to learn more, follow Dr. Sheehan on Twitter @ProfSheehan.

/ #About / #News / #Scholarship /

SHEEHAN: Are Suicide Terrorists Suicidal? A Critical Assessment of the Evidence

Posted in 9-11, afghanistan, analysis, CIA, counterterrorism, databases, deterrence, evidence-based, foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, fundamentalism, global, homicidality scale, intelligence, international relations, international security studies, iran, irgc, ISIS, killing, martyrdom operations, media, MI6, middle east, military, murder, policy, politics, preemptive, research, scholarly, security studies, sheehan, social science, state department, suicide, suicide attacks, suicide missions, suicide terrorism, tehran, terrorism, threat, war, weapons with tags Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Iran, Iraq, ISIS, Ivan Sascha Sheehan, martyrdom, Professor Ivan Sascha Sheehan, suicide attacks, suicide missions, suicide terrorism on December 9, 2014 by Professor Sheehan

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

SHEEHAN: Are Suicide Terrorists Suicidal? A Critical Assessment of the Evidence | Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience | Sept-Oct 2014

Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan has published a new peer-reviewed study titled Are Suicide Terrorists Suicidal? A Critical Assessment of the Evidence in the journal Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience.

The literature on suicide terrorism, the most lethal form of terrorist violence, is largely dominated by the fields of Political Science and International Relations where the prevailing wisdom is that suicide terrorists are without mental illness. Individuals who commit acts of suicide terrorism are believed to do so for religious, cultural, strategic, political, or sociological reasons, or because they are driven by hopelessness, revenge, love, hate, despair, or a desire for attention. Whether suicide terrorists suffer from psychopathology, exhibit clinical signs of suicidality/ homicidality, or are otherwise without mental illness and motivated by purely strategic, religious, or political agendas, however, is a matter of contention. Knowing whether suicide terrorists are in fact suicidal has policy implications for prevention, rehabilitation, and the “softer” side of counterterrorism designed to win hearts and minds. This study examines the history of suicide terrorism and the theoretical arguments, as well as empirical evidence, for and against the possibility that suicide terrorists may be suicidal with the goal of placing these arguments in the context of a broader range of explanations for suicide violence. The paper also highlights the need for more systematic data collection using structured diagnostic tools to accurately frame the problem of suicide violence.

#PDF – Are Suicide Terrorists Suicidal? A Critical Assessment of the Evidence | Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience | Sept-Oct 2014

#WEB – Are Suicide Terrorists Suicidal? A Critical Assessment of the Evidence | Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience | Sept-Oct 2014

Sheehan Homicidality Tracking Scale (S-HTS) – Dec 14 Updates

Dr. Sheehan is scheduled to present at several international conferences in 2015. For additional research or media related updates and to learn more, follow Dr. Sheehan on Twitter @ProfSheehan.

/ #About / #News / #Scholarship /

Sheehan to Speak at 2015 Middle East Dialogue

Posted in 9-11, afghanistan, analysis, arak, ashraf, baghdad, bioterrorism, chemical weapons, CIA, congress, counterterrorism, data, databases, democracy, digest of middle east studies, dissident, DOMES, education, evidence-based, foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, fundamentalism, global, homicidality scale, IAEA, intelligence, international relations, international security studies, international studies association, iran, iraq, irgc, ISA, ISIS, kerry, killing, media, MEK, MI6, middle east, middle east dialogue, murder, NCRI, New Orleans, nuclear, P5+1, paris, peace, PMOI, policy, policy studies organization, politics, protest, regime change, regime change from within, research, rouhani, sanctions, scholarly, sectarian conflict, security studies, senate, senate foreign relations committee, sheehan, shiite, social science, state department, strike, suicide terrorism, sunni, syria, teaching, tehran, terror tagging, terrorism, threat, u.s. foundation for liberty, unrest, war, weapons, westphalia press, white house with tags Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Iran, Iraq, ISIS, Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Professor Ivan Sascha Sheehan, suicide terrorism on November 17, 2014 by Professor Sheehan

Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan has been invited to speak at the 2015 Middle East Dialogue, a conference hosted by the Policy Studies Organization on February 26, 2015. The annual meeting — held at the historic Whittemore House in Washington, D.C. — attracts academics, analysts, and government officials with an interest in policy issues impacting the Middle East.

Dr. Sheehan’s presentation – “Suicide Terrorism: Competing Explanations and Policy Implications for the Middle East” – will feature the results of his forthcoming study in a special issue of the journal Clinical Innovations in Neuroscience (“Suicide Terrorism: A Critical Assessment of the Evidence”). The presentation will challenge the conventional thinking on suicide terrorism in the Political Science and International Relations literatures by examining the theoretical and empirical evidence for and against the possibility that suicide terrorists may suffer from psychopathology.

This is Dr. Sheehan’s third time presenting at the Middle East Dialogue (2013, 2014, 2015). He has also twice published in the peer-reviewed journal Digest of Middle East Studies (2013, 2014) and also in a Policy Studies Organization edited volume (2014).

In February 2015, Dr. Sheehan is also scheduled to speak at the Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association in New Orleans where he will discuss his latest study on regime change in Iran, as well as serve as a chair and discussant for other panels related to his scholarship.

Stay tuned for updates and follow Dr. Sheehan on Twitter @ProfSheehan

/ #About / #News / #Scholarship /

1 Comment »

Sheehan to Speak at International Studies Association Conferences in 2014 & 2015

Posted in afghanistan, analysis, arak, ashraf, assad, baghdad, ballistic missiles, bioterrorism, camp liberty, chemical weapons, CIA, civil unrest, clinton, college of public affairs, counterterrorism, covert, crimes against humanity, debate, delisting, democracy, deterrence, digest of middle east studies, diplomacy, dissident, DOMES, education, european union, evidence-based, fordow, foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, freedom, fundamentalism, global, haider al-abadi, hostages, human rights, human security, IAEA, intelligence, international relations, international security studies, international studies association, iran, iraq, ISA, ISIS, israel, kerry, kurd, maliki, media, MEK, MI6, middle east, military, mossad, mousavi, natanz, NCRI, negotiation, New Orleans, nuclear, obama, P5+1, paris, PMOI, policy, politics, preemptive, protest, rajavi, regime change, research, rouhani, sanctions, scholarly, sectarian conflict, security studies, sheehan, shiite, social science, state department, strike, sunni, syria, tanter, teaching, tehran, terror tagging, terrorism, threat, turkey, u.s. foundation for liberty, university of baltimore, unrest, war, warships, weapons, white house, zarif with tags Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Professor Ivan Sascha Sheehan on September 20, 2014 by Professor Sheehan

SHEEHAN: Conflict Transformation as Counterinsurgency | Peace Review: A Journal of Social Justice | March 2014

Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan has been invited to speak at several international meetings organized by the International Studies Association in 2014 and 2015. In addition to delivering papers, Dr. Sheehan has also been asked to serve as a chair and discussant for panels on a range of topics related to his research. Panel I / Panel II / Panel III

2015 International Studies Association 56th Annual Convention
Global IR & Regional Worlds: A New Agenda for Int’l Studies
New Orleans, Louisiana / #PDF
February 18th – 21st, 2015

International Studies Association’s 56th Annual Convention, Global IR and Regional Worlds: A New Agenda for International Studies. “What is “Regime Change from Within?” Unpacking the Concept in the Context of Iran.” At Panel on “Vying for regional supremacy in the Middle East: Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey,” New Orleans, Louisiana. February 18-21, 2015.
Chair, International Studies Association’s 56th Annual Convention, Global IR and Regional Worlds: A New Agenda for International Studies. At Panel on “Networks, violence and non-state actors,” New Orleans, Louisiana. February 18-21, 2015.
Discussant, International Studies Association’s 56th Annual Convention, Global IR and Regional Worlds: A New Agenda for International Studies. At Panel on “Effective Counterterrorism Strategies: Causes, Connections, and Innovations,” New Orleans, Louisiana. February 18-21, 2015.

2014 International Studies Association Northeast Annual Conference
Concept & Conceptualization in International Relations
Baltimore, Maryland / #PDF
November 7th – 8th, 2014

International Studies Association (Northeast Regional Meeting), At Panel on Conflict and Healing. “Untangling the Concept of Regime Change from Within,” Baltimore, MD, November 7-8, 2014.
Chair/ Discussant, International Studies Association (Northeast Regional Meeting), At Panel on Terrorism, September 15, 2014, Baltimore, MD, November 7-8, 2014.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

/ #About / #News / #Scholarship /

1 Comment »

SHEEHAN: Conflict Transformation as Counterinsurgency | Peace Review: A Journal of Social Justice | March 2014

Posted in 9-11, afghanistan, analysis, baghdad, college of public affairs, conflict resolution, conflict transformation, congress, council on foreign relations, counterinsurgency, counterterrorism, courses, data, databases, democracy, diplomacy, education, evidence-based, foreign policy, foreign policy analysis, framing, global, human rights, human security, international relations, international security studies, international studies association, iraq, ISA, media, middle east, militarization, military, obama, peace, peace and conflict studies, peace review, peacebuilding, pedagogy, petraeus, policy, politics, research, scholarly, securitization, security studies, sheehan, social science, soldier, stability operations, state department, teaching, terrorism, transformation of war, university of baltimore, war on March 17, 2014 by Professor Sheehan

/ #About / #Media / #News / #Scholarship / #Inquiries

Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan is published in the March 2014 edition of Peace Review: A Journal of Social Justice. Dr. Sheehan’s latest study — Conflict Transformation as Counterinsurgency — is an empirical examination of the increasing usage of conflict transformation concepts in the context of counterinsurgency doctrine. Peace Review is a peer-reviewed journal published by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC/ Routledge that addresses current issues and controversies that underlie the promotion of a more peaceful world.

Excerpt | Conflict Transformation as Counterinsurgency | Peace Review: A Journal of Social Justice | March 2014 –

…By October of 2008, Colonel Patrick Kelleher, in a report submitted to the Joint Military Operations Department at the Naval War College, had proposed that conflict transformation be embraced wholesale by the U.S. government as the primary framework and a “paradigm” for “Security, Stability, Transition and Reconstruction Operations (SSTR)” in what was now being called the “Long War” against insurgency. Borrowing from Lederach the importance of implementing a process to achieve “sustainable results” and from other influential work by Miall, Ramsbotham, and Woodhouse, he addressed the need to achieve transformation at five levels: “context transformation,” “structural transformation,” “actor transformation,” “issue transformation,” and “personal and group transformation.” But at each level, although he used the language of conflict transformation (paying attention to “basic human needs” and “empowering civil society”), he cast its intent in clearly utilitarian and prescriptive terms, such as to “win the peace,” “to establish a new domestic order,” and “to further U.S. objectives.”

Retrieve in #PDF Format – SHEEHAN: Conflict Transformation as Counterinsurgency | Peace Review: A Journal of Social Justice | March 2014

/ #About / #News / #Scholarship /

Bridging the Academic/Policy Divide / Elliot School of International Affairs / George Washington University / Washington D.C. / October 4 – 6, 2013

Sheehan to Speak at 2013 ISA ISSS-ISAC Joint Annual Conference

Posted in afghanistan, analysis, APSA, college of public affairs, counterterrorism, data, elliot school of international affairs, evidence-based, foreign policy, george washington university, international relations, international studies association, iraq, ISA, middle east, military, peace, policy, research, scholarly, security studies, sheehan, teaching, terrorism, university of baltimore on August 19, 2013 by Professor Sheehan

Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan will deliver a presentation titled Conflict Resolution in the Context of Counterinsurgency: When Academic and Policy Discussions Collide at the 2013 International Studies Association’s joint International Security Studies/ International Security and Arms Control Section Conference in Washington, D.C. The presentation is part of a panel titled Conflict Management in Theory and Practice. Dr. Sheehan is also serving as the chair and discussant for a panel titled Security in a Post-Conflict Environment.

The 2013 meeting of the International Security Studies Section of the International Studies Association and the International Security and Arms Control Section of the American Political Science Association will be hosted by the Elliott School for International Affairs at the George Washington University in Washington D.C. between October 4-6, 2013.

The conference theme is Bridging the Academic/Policy Divide. The location of this year’s conference – in the U.S. capital, across the street from the State Department and a few short blocks from the White House – creates a unique opportunity to cultivate a discussion among security scholars and practitioners…We believe that much can be gained from an interchange between academic researchers who study deterrence, arms control, military intervention, terrorism, civil conflict, counterinsurgency, peace-building, interstate war, non-traditional threats, and human security and those in the policy world who seek the intellectual tools to help protect national interests, ameliorate conflict and lower its costs and risks, and improve human conditions…

/ #About / #InTheNews / #ConferenceProgram

Sheehan Delivers Talk on Suicide Terrorism

Posted in afghanistan, analysis, counterterrorism, data, evidence-based, foreign policy, framing, homicidality scale, international relations, middle east, research, scholarly, sheehan, suicide terrorism, terrorism, threat on May 15, 2013 by Professor Sheehan

Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan delivered a talk titled Suicide Terrorism: A Critical Assessment of the Evidence at an international meeting of medical professionals in San Francisco on May 21, 2013. The talk examined the social, political, cultural, and economic factors that are sometimes implicated as sources of suicide terrorism from an interdisciplinary perspective. The talk was part of a symposium titled The Changing Face of Suicide: Assessment, Treatment, Epidemiology, Cultural Issues, and the Emerging Problem of Suicide Terrorism and featured scholars from around the world.

@: Sheehan Homicidality Tracking Scale

Sheehan Selected to Participate in Conference at Council on Foreign Relations

Posted in afghanistan, analysis, briefing, council on foreign relations, counterterrorism, data, databases, democracy, development, diplomacy, evidence-based, foreign policy, human rights, human security, international relations, iran, middle east, military, negotiation, nuclear, policy, research, scholarly, sheehan, state department, teaching, terrorism, university of baltimore, war on March 30, 2013 by Professor Sheehan

Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan was nominated to participate in a conference for university faculty at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on April 11-12, 2013. The event will feature a policy briefing on the Middle East and remarks by Ambassador Richard Haas. Founded in 1921, CFR is frequently cited as the nation’s most influential foreign policy think tank.

Was the Decline in Terrorist Attacks Predictable?

Was the Decline in Terrorist Attacks Predictable?

Posted in afghanistan, analysis, counterterrorism, evidence-based, foreign policy, global, international relations, iran, obama, policy, scholarly, sheehan, state department, terrorism, threat on August 7, 2012 by Professor Sheehan

My commentary published by United Press International on the recent State Department report documenting a decline in worldwide terrorist incidents.