Riley McCabe

Associate Fellow, Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program
Riley McCabe

Riley McCabe is an associate fellow with the Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). His research focuses on military operations, irregular warfare, and terrorism and political violence. His writing has appeared in the Washington Post, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and elsewhere. He was previously an editor at the Irregular Warfare Initiative. Riley is a public service fellow pursuing an MA in international relations at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and holds a BA from Occidental College.

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Russia-Ukraine War in 10 Charts

Four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, the war in Ukraine has reshaped European security, global markets, and the balance of power. These 10 charts break down the battlefield, economic strain, military aid shifts, reconstruction costs, and what comes next.

Commentary by CSIS Scholars — February 24, 2026

Russia’s Grinding War in Ukraine

Despite claims of success in Ukraine, new CSIS data shows that Russia is paying an extraordinary price for minimal gains, with over 1.2 million casualties. Russia is also in decline as a major economic power with slow growth, weak productivity, and declining manufacturing.

Brief by Seth G. Jones and Riley McCabe — January 27, 2026

Strengthening National Security Resilience in Japan

Japan has many strengths that give it tremendous potential for resilience. However, further investments are required to bolster relatively undeveloped elements of national security resilience that China or another foe may seek to exploit.

Report by Daniel Byman, Nicholas Szechenyi, and Riley McCabe — December 18, 2025

Ideological Trends in U.S. Terrorism

The Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program examines the state of terrorism in the U.S., finding left-wing violence has risen in the last decade but from very low levels and still well below historic levels of violence by right-wing and jihadist actors.

Analysis by Daniel Byman and Riley McCabe — September 26, 2025