Research Focus: Terrorism Studies • Military Policy • Gender & Security

“Global Security Analysis on Female-Based Terrorism: A Survey Study on the Efficiency of Female Terrorists with Security Policy Experts”

What research challenge did your dissertation address?

My research focuses on the challenges military personnel face with rules of engagement while deployed in hostile or combat regions, where they must make split-second decisions about whether an approaching person is a friend or foe. The goal was to build a better understanding of how gender factors into those decisions, and how proper diplomatic relations and positive treatment of innocent civilians can help avoid further straining relations with populations caught in the middle of conflict.

What inspired you to pursue this research?

Two experiences shaped my interest in this topic. First, I was present during the 1996 terrorist attack on Khobar Towers in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, while serving in the military, an experience that made me pay close attention to terrorism coverage ever since. Second, at the end of a DLP residency, I witnessed a tense security screening at the Seattle airport involving a woman and a group of male TSA agents. Once an agent asked whether she’d had a prior negative experience with a group of men, female agents arrived within minutes and took over the situation with a very different outcome. That moment made clear to me how much gender differences matter in how security protocols are actually carried out, and led me to study how that plays out in a much higher-stakes military context.

What did your research find, and what is its impact?

My research points to the need for an established protocol for investigating incidents involving mixed-gender groups, and for clearer guidance on how rules of engagement should account for gender differences when military personnel are deployed in hostile zones. More broadly, I hope this work encourages more rigorous, less assumption-driven thinking about gender and security, including deeper consideration of the societal factors that shape any individual’s path toward violence, so that policy in this space is built on evidence rather than long-standing stereotype.

“Policy in this space is built on evidence rather than long-standing stereotype.”

Wes Farmer