Dr. 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 and a Senior Non-Resident Fellow with the University of South Florida Global and National Security Institute. 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’s 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.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-edgerly/