RACHEL E. TECOTT [email protected]
EDUCATION
2015 – MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Ph.D. Candidate, Political Science Fields: Security Studies, International Relations Dissertation: “The Cult of the Persuasive: The Causes and Consequences of United States Influence Strategies in Military Assistance” Committee: Barry Posen (chair), Roger Petersen, Vipin Narang
2008 – 2011 WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY Bachelor of Arts (Phi Beta Kappa) Fields: Government (with Honors); International Relations
PUBLICATIONS
2019 Will to Fight: Returning to the Human Fundamentals of War, RAND Corporation (contributing author)
2018 “What We Learned at the Future Strategy Forum,” Duck of Minerva (with Sara Plana)
2018 Security Cooperation in Support of the Mission to Deter Russian Aggression: A Strategic Evaluation of Logistics in the Baltics. RAND Corporation, forthcoming, (contributing author)
2017 “The Double-Edged Legacy of Obamawar,” War on the Rocks
2016 “Targeted Killing: Thinking Through the Logic,” War on the Rocks
2016 “Maybe the police aren’t militarized enough. Here’s what police can learn from soldiers,” The Washington Post (with Sara Plana)
WORKING PAPERS
“Campaign Analysis: Demystifying the Method” (with Andrew Halterman)
“Building Armies: Strategies of Military Assistance and Recipient Military Effectiveness”
“The Cult of the Persuasive: Explaining the Preference for Persuasion over Coercion in U.S. Military Assistance”
“Garrison States or Democratic Restraint: The Influence of U.S. Security Force Assistance on Civil- Military Relations in Recipient States” (with Renanah Miles Joyce)
“Beyond the Secure Second Strike: Overlooked Pathways to Nuclear Use”
1 WORK EXPERIENCE
2018 – Adjunct Researcher, RAND Corporation Conduct interviews and archival research to inform the U.S. Army’s efforts to improve the design and implementation of Security Cooperation (SC) and Security Force Assistance (SFA). Current research focuses on U.S. efforts to develop the Iraqi Security Forces
2012 – 2015 Associate, Veracity Worldwide Advised clients operating in emerging markets on political, security, corruption, legal, and reputational risks facing prospective investments and business operations in the defense, energy, infrastructure, telecommunications, and real estate sectors
2011 – 2012 Research Assistant, Woodrow Wilson Center Conducted research, drafted, and edited chapters for International Security Studies’ Director Robert Litwak’s book Outlier States: American Strategies to Change, Contain, or Engage Regimes (2012, Woodrow Wilson Center Press) examining the conditions under which states violate nuclear norms and the U.S. policy options for risk mitigation
INVITED TALKS and PRESENTATIONS
2020 Invited Talk, “All the Guns and All the Butter: U.S. Security Force Assistance and the Preference for Persuasion over Coercion in Iraq, 2003-2014,” Ministry of Defence of the Netherlands
2020 Presenter, “Building Armies: Strategies of Military Assistance and Recipient Military Effectiveness,” International Studies Association annual meeting
2020 Presenter, “The Cult of the Persuasive: Explaining the Preference for Persuasion over Coercion in U.S. Military Assistance,” International Studies Association annual meeting
2019 Co-Presenter (with Renanah Miles Joyce), “Garrison States or Democratic Restraint: The Influence of U.S. Security Force Assistance on Civil-Military Relations in Recipient States,” American Political Science Association annual meeting
2019 Invited Talk, “All the Guns and All the Butter: U.S. Security Force Assistance and the Preference for Persuasion over Coercion in Iraq, 2003-2014,” University of Montreal Workshop on the Politics of Foreign Military Training
2017 Invited Talk, “Insurgent Adaptation Under Fire,” Olympia Summer Academy
2017 Invited Talk, “Obamawar,” NAVAIR Global Perspectives Seminar (twice repeated)
TEACHING and RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
2018 - Research Assistant, Seminar XXI Develop academic curriculum and provide analysis of academic literature for current and future leaders in the U.S. national security and foreign policy interagency
2 2018 - Research Assistant, Professor Barry Posen Conducted research and drafted paper examining the conduct of diplomacy under multipolarity
2017 Teaching Assistant, Professor Stephen Van Evera “American Foreign Policy: Past, Present, and Future:” undergraduate lecture course, section discussions
2017 Research Assistant, Professors Barry Posen and Roger Petersen Provided syllabus research support for “Great Power Military Intervention,” a graduate seminar
2016 Research Assistant, Professor Vipin Narang Provided research support for Professor Narang’s forthcoming book on regional nuclear powers’ proliferation strategies
AWARDS and FUNDING
2018 - 2019 World Politics and Statecraft Fellowship, Smith Richardson Foundation
2019 Manfred Wörner Seminar Fellow, German Marshall Fund
2018 New Era Fellow, Bridging the Gap
2017-2018 Carnegie Junior Scholar, Carnegie International Policy Scholars Consortium
2015 - 2019 MIT Political Science Department Fellowship (full tuition and stipend)
2011 Phi Beta Kappa, National Honor Society
2011 Davenport Award, Wesleyan University (excellence in government and politics)
2010 Parker Prize, Wesleyan University (excellence in public speaking)
2010 White Fellowship, Wesleyan University (excellence in government)
Various Dean’s List, Wesleyan University
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
2018 – Co-Founder and Co-Chair, Future Strategy Forum (FSF) FSF is an annual conference series and network of women academics and practitioners supported by CSIS, the Kissinger Center, Bridging the Gap, and MIT. FSF aims to bridge the divide between academia and policy in international security, build cross-disciplinary networks, and amplify women experts. The first annual conference, the “Future of Force,” examined the changing character of warfare. The second annual conference, the “Future of Statecraft,” examined the changing nature of cooperation in international politics and featured Ambassador Susan Rice as keynote speaker. The third annual conference, the “Future of Technology and National Security,” will examine how emerging technologies are reshaping international competition and battlefield escalation
3 dynamics, host Jaclyn Schneider’s wargame exploring technology and escalation management, and feature Michele Flournoy as keynote speaker
2017-2019 Co-Chair of Women in International Politics and Security
2018-2019 Chair of the MIT International Relations Works in Progress
2018 Discussant, International Studies Association (ISA) annual meeting
2017-2018 Co-Chair of the MIT Security Studies Working Group
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Member of the American Political Science Association
Member of the International Studies Association
Member of the Bridging the Gap Network
Member of the Carnegie International Policy Scholars Consortium
Member of Women in International Politics and Security
REFERENCES
Barry Posen, Ford International Professor of Political Science, MIT, [email protected], 617-253-8088
Roger Petersen, Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science, [email protected], 617-253-6781
Vipin Narang, Associate Professor of Political Science, MIT, [email protected], 617-258-7363
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