Rodger Shanahan

Dr Rodger Shanahan

Biography

Publications

Dr Rodger Shanahan is a former Nonresident Fellow at the Lowy Institute.

A former army officer, he had extensive service within the Parachute Battalion Group (PBG) and has had operational service with the UN in South Lebanon and Syria, with the PBG in East Timor, in Beirut during the 2006 war, and in Afghanistan. He was the former director of the Army's Land Warfare Studies Centre, and has also been posted to the Australian Embassies in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. Dr Shanahan has MAs in International Relations and Middle East Studies from the ANU, and a PhD in Arab and Islamic Studies from the University of Sydney.

He is also a part-time member of the Refugee Review Tribunal. He has written numerous journal, media and policy articles, is a frequent commentator on Middle East issues for Australian and international media, has appeared as an expert witness for several terrorism trials in Australia and is the author of Clans, Parties and Clerics: the Shi’a of Lebanon.

Syria: Losing lives and land

With populations displaced, land ownership is sure to feature as a key source of internal friction for years after the conclusion of hostilities.

The popes and the Islamists

The bomb attacks on Coptic churches in Egypt highlights the occasional focus by Islamist groups on Christian targets in the Middle East.

Missile strikes do not signal US shift on Syria

Trump has set the boundaries back to what they have traditionally been, and put Russia and Iran on notice that Washington's patience has run out.

Assad set to outlast the many who wanted him out

It's worth considering how successful Assad’s ‘wait it out’ strategy has been by examining the fate of some of the world leaders who have called for his removal over the years.

Civilian casualties and the media

Determining the facts in operational incidents takes military experience and time.

Syrian safe zones: A planning nightmare

The more heavily populated areas are either under Syrian government or Islamist opposition control who won't be parties to ceasefires that aren't to their advantage.

Muddying the Syrian waters

There is great potential for conflict and collision in the increasingly crowded battlespace in northern Syria.

The race for Raqqa

The most difficult aspect of the Raqqa operation is not the seizure of the city but the post-seizure governance.

Infighting in the Syrian civil war

US-led coalition strikes on al-Qaeda affiliated groups seem to have increased since the latest in-fighting occurred.

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