Dr. Matthew P. Dearing is Professor of International Security Studies at the College of International Security Affairs (CISA). He is course director of the elective Conflict and Cooperation in Africa and the CISA capstone Portfolio course. He also serves as Academic Lead for the annual NDU Alumni Continuing Education Security Seminar (ACESS).
Dr. Dearing’s research areas include comparative political violence, irregular warfare, and regional studies in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. He is author of Militia Order in Afghanistan: Guardians or Gangsters (Routledge 2021) and is writing a historical narrative of the Malawi Young Pioneers. He has also published on terrorism, conflict stabilization, security sector reform, and field research methods in a range of peer-reviewed journals.
For several years, Dr. Dearing served in leadership positions at CISA including Acting Dean of Faculty and Academic Programs, Associate Dean of Academics, and Director of the South and Central Asia Program. Prior to joining CISA, he served as an irregular warfare advisor in Afghanistan, a research associate at the Naval Postgraduate School, and a rifleman in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Dr. Dearing obtained his Doctoral and Masters degrees at the National Security Affairs Department, Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. He obtained a Bachelors degree in International Political Economy at the University of California Berkeley. In his spare time, he is an avid outdoorsman and participates in several wildlife conservation activities.