In the News: Sean McFate
McFate Discusses Tensions Between Iran and Israel with Business Insider, Global News
Iran's retaliation was a way to show the international stage that the country had a backbone after Israel's airstrike in Damascus, says Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs. But, more broadly, Saturday's attack shows just how effective Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel was at stoking chaos in the Middle East, he says.
See related: Conflict, Defense & Security, International Affairs, Middle East & North Africa
McFate Weighs In on Russia’s Nuclear Ambitions in Space in Daily Express, The Hill Articles
“Having a nuclear weapon in space like that permanently would be a clear violation of international norms,” says Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs. “That can create a nuclear space race. I think that’s the bigger threat.”
See related: Congress, Russia, U.S. National Security, United States
McFate Speaks With Fox News About Secret Chinese Lab Simulating an Attack on US Warships
"It's possible they just did this to simply freak out the American people and the U.S. Navy," says Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs.
See related: China, Defense & Security, International Affairs, National Security
McFate Weighs In on the Future of Gaza in Daily Mail Article
"Post-conflict Gaza is more theory than fact. It is unknown how much Israel feels compelled to rebuild Gaza (after defeating Hamas). In the Israel-Hezbollah war of 2006, the IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] destroyed much of Lebanon's infrastructure in the south and did not rebuild it," says Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs.
See related: Conflict, International Affairs, Middle East & North Africa, Terrorism & Extremism
McFate Quoted in USA Today Article on Biden, Zelenskyy Condemning Russian Aggression at the UN
Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs, says the U.N. mission of preventing and ending wars has "become a punchline," citing struggles in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Zaire and Somalia and genocides in Rwanda, Darfur and Iraq.
See related: Conflict, Defense & Security, Government, International Affairs, Russia, United States
McFate Speaks with USA Today About the War in Ukraine
"Things are going nowhere for Ukraine," says Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington Programs. "Wars are no longer won like World War II by taking the enemy’s land, killing their troops and flying your flag over their capital."
See related: Conflict, Defense & Security, Government, International Affairs, Russia, Ukraine, United States
McFate Talks to RadioFreeEurope, VOA News About the Coup in Niger
“This is an alarming trend,” says Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs. “The more coups happen, the more success they enjoy, the more temptation there will be for future juntas around Africa.”
See related: Africa (Sub-Saharan), Conflict, Government, International Affairs
McFate Offers Perspective on the NATO Summit and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in USA Today Article
Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs, thinks Zelenskyy is in trouble. McFate says Zelenskyy kept pushing NATO countries for increasingly sophisticated weapons on the promise that Ukraine would have a decisive spring offensive. "When the offensive happened, it was summer and failing,'' he says.
See related: Defense & Security, NATO, Ukraine
McFate Speaks With NPR About the Repercussions of the Wagner Group's Rebellion in Russia
"The problem of private warfare is control and accountability. And you have very little of it, especially in a conflict zone. So right now, we have the problem—well, Putin has a problem, is he can give amnesty temporarily to Wagner Group and to Prigozhin," says Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs.
See related: Conflict, Government, National Security, Russia
McFate Weighs In on North Korea’s Failed Military Reconnaissance Satellite Launch in The Independent
Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs, says the North's satellite launch is mostly for "domestic political consumption" and unlikely to have a substantial impact. "Kim’s autocracy is legitimized by the 'enduring threat' of the U.S., and this demonstration shows he’s fulfilling his social contract with North Koreans."
See related: Defense & Security, East Asia, International Affairs
McFate Weighs In on US Developing Portable Laser Weapons in South China Morning Post Article
“Everyone wants light and portable laser weapons but it’s far off. Essentially, you also need a portable power plant, which is unrealistic…Lasers are more hype than reality, and the U.S. is investing US$1 billion a year to bridge this gap. However, it may go on for years,” says Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs.
See related: China, Defense & Security, International Affairs
McFate Comments on China’s Military Capabilities in South China Morning Post Article
Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs, says China is far from being able to take the island. “China’s military is not ready to take Taiwan, which is why Xi Jinping ordered the military to be ready to take Taiwan by 2027, if told to do so,” he says.
See related: China, Conflict, East Asia, International Affairs
McFate Speaks With Newsweek About the Exodus of Wagner Group Soldiers
"Most of the old guard have sought to remain in places like Mali, or in Africa, away from the Ukraine fight, because the guys I talked to before the invasion were not supportive of the invasion," says Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs.
See related: Conflict, International Affairs, Russia, Ukraine
McFate Talks to Newsweek About the Rift Between the Wagner Group and the Russian Military
"There's an ongoing public split between Wagner and the Russian military, and both sides are looking for symbolic wins," says Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs.
See related: Conflict, International Affairs, Russia, Ukraine
McFate Provides Stratagems on How To Defeat Russian Mercenaries in Newsweek
"Those who think international law can curb mercenarism are unrealistic. Even if we had solid laws (which we do not), who will go into Ukraine and arrest all those mercenaries? Not the UN or NATO. The market for force resists arrest, which is why mercenaries are the second oldest profession. Now they are back, and we must re-learn strategies to fight this unique form of warfare," writes Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs.
See related: Conflict, International Affairs, Russia
McFate Weighs in on US Providing a Patriot Missile Defense System to Ukraine in Washington Examiner
“I think the first implication is that it is a signal to Russia. It's a signal to NATO. It's a signal, perhaps, to Republicans in Washington, D.C., that this is an escalation that is not on par with things in the past, even like HIMARS,” says Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs.
McFate Piece on Irregular Warfare, Strategic Competition Published in The Hill
"Today’s defense community has forgotten that strategic competition is won through irregular warfare—a dangerous mistake," writes Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs.
See related: Government, United States
McFate Quoted in Federal Times Article on Defense Contractors Donating to Election Deniers
"This is business as usual," Sean McFate, adjunct professor in the Maxwell-in-Washington program, tells Federal Times. "It’s a form of corruption, essentially. It’s a well-known problem without a solution."
See related: U.S. Elections, United States
McFate Discusses Putin’s Partial Mobilization of Russia in Newsweek Article
"I think it's an act of desperation," says Sean McFate, adjunct professor in the Maxwell-in-Washington program, of Putin's announcement.
McFate Comments on Putin’s Military Tactics in Ukraine on NPR
Sean McFate, adjunct professor in the Maxwell-in-Washington program, discussed Putin's military tactics in Ukraine on NPR's "All Things Considered."
See related: Defense & Security, Russia, Ukraine