Scott Nicholas Romaniuk is a Doctoral Researcher in International Studies at the University of Trento, Italy, and is a recipient of the Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK) grant focused on “International Politics and Conflict Resolution.” He specializes in international relations, security studies, asymmetric warfare, terrorism and political violence.  Francis Grice is a Visiting Assistant Professor at McDaniel College, USA. His areas of research specialization include Chinese security and foreign policy, security studies, insurgency and counterinsurgency, and civil wars and intra-state conflict.  Daniela Irrera is an Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Catania, Italy. She has been Research Fellow at Stony Brook University and Visiting Scholar at the Clinton Institute for American Studies, University College Dublin, University of Delaware, Université Libre de Bruxelles, and the University of Oxford.  Stewart T. Webb is the Editor for Defence Report. He holds a BA in Political Science from Acadia University and an MA in Security Studies from Aberystwyth University. He was a Visiting Research Fellow for the Rideau Institute for Defence and International Affairs, and a Research Associate for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.