Dr 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.

Khalid Sharrouf: Once was a citizen
Khalid Sharrouf: Once was a citizen
Loyalty to the country of which you are a citizen is a fundamental tenet of citizenship.
The problem with any US strategy on Syria
The problem with any US strategy on Syria
Russian and Iranian sunk costs in maintaining the Assad regime in Syria are significant, while Washington's are minimal.
Once were moderate, vetted warriors
Once were moderate, vetted warriors
Every armed group that is not Islamic State can be considered moderate in the context of Syria, but radical to the West.
Kandy's sweet victory
Kandy's sweet victory
I knew before coming to Sri Lanka on holidays that cricket was in season, but I never guessed that my sporting nirvana would be realised in South Asia.
Syria and the problem with numbers
Syria and the problem with numbers
Both sides of the conflict understand the Western news cycle and try to use it to their advantage by providing their own version of events.
'Tis the season to be wary
'Tis the season to be wary
The Ankara assassination is the most shocking but perhaps the least concerning in a perverse sort of way.
What exactly did the rebel defence of east Aleppo achieve?
What exactly did the rebel defence of east Aleppo achieve?
Why didn’t the world’s media shift some focus onto the armed groups inside Aleppo and ask what they were achieving by being there?
'First we take Aleppo, then we take Idlib'
'First we take Aleppo, then we take Idlib'
The gradual isolation and strangulation of Aleppo is part of a much broader strategy that has taken shape over the past year.
'If the aim is to save civilian lives, rebels must leave Aleppo'
Commentary
'If the aim is to save civilian lives, rebels must leave Aleppo'
In an opinion piece in The Australian, Rodger Shanahan writes that rebels need to concede Aleppo to save civilian lives. Photo: Getty Images/Anadolu AgencyRodger Shanahan
Top