Tricia Bacon

Steven Schwartz, former U.S. Ambassador to Somalia with deep African conflict experience, and Tricia Bacon, scholar of foreign fighters and author of The Counterinsurgency Dilemma, discuss when small numbers of outsiders amplify or undermine insurgencies. They explore combat skills and funding outsiders bring, the cultural and legitimacy costs, al-Shabaab’s local evolution, and using foreigner presence as a diagnostic of insurgent strength.