Kirstin Braithwaite
Associate Professor of International Relations
Kirstin Braithwaite specializes in international relations and is interested in questions of nationalism, identity and military conflict.
Get in touchBiography
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
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Politics, International Security, Crisis Negotiation Through Simulation, and Popular Culture in International Politics.
Education
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
Selected Press
Excluding Women from the Band of Brothers: the False Flag of Small Unit Cohesion | Guest Post
Duck of Minerva | 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 | 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 | 2020-06-04
How do you “mass and dominate the battlespace” in a U.S. city?
