HOT SPOT BRIEFING – From Chechnya to Ukraine: Resisting Russian Aggression

On Wednesday, March 25, 2026, the Strauss-Clements Intelligence Studies Project will host a public event, “HOT SPOT BRIEFING – From Chechnya to Ukraine: Resisting Russian Aggression” with Dr. Michael Dennis, Associate Professor of Practice at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and ISP Fellow. Dr. Dennis is a former U.S. Intelligence Community subject matter expert on Chechnya and former aid-worker in Chechnya during the Second Russo-Chechen War. 

Join us for our “Hot Spot Briefing” series, where attendees receive a deep dive into the region’s history and security-related issues. The event is free and open to the public.

• Registration is RECOMMENDED. Registrants will receive any updates regarding the event.

• Garage parking is available for a fee at the Manor Garage and the San Jacinto Garage. Parking will not be validated.

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Michael P. Dennis is an Associate Professor of Practice at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. Previously, Dr. Dennis served as Chief of Intelligence Operations and Chief of Strategic Futures at Army Futures Command and was a member of the Intelligence Community, serving at the National Ground Intelligence Center as a Senior Intelligence Analyst. During this time, he was appointed an Exceptional Analyst Research Fellow at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and taught at the National Intelligence University’s Center for Strategic Intelligence and Research. He also served as an Instructor for U.S. Army Special Forces at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. Throughout his tenure, he supported policymakers at the executive and congressional-level; senior decision-makers in diplomacy, intelligence, and defense; and operational units deployed abroad. In recognition of his work and impact, he was named Analyst of the Year.

Dr. Dennis is a leading expert on Chechnya, the North Caucasus insurgency, and Chechen foreign fighters in Ukraine and Syria. During the Second Russo-Chechen War, he was an aid-worker with the International Rescue Committee in Chechnya and Ingushetia, Russia, and later served as Co-Director of the Chechnya Advocacy Network, an international non-governmental organization created to improve human rights and security in Chechnya, provide legal and asylum procedure assistance for Chechen refugees, conduct research on issues related to the Russo-Chechen Wars, and raise awareness and funds to improve infrastructure, physical and psychological rehabilitation, and education in the Republic of Chechnya. For his doctoral and post-doctoral fieldwork, he lived for over four years with Chechen refugees and rebels in several countries exploring the lived experiences of displaced Chechens and the conditions under which they support political violence. The next stage of his research investigates how the war in Ukraine is influencing political dynamics in the Chechen diaspora and driving renewed calls for Chechen separatism.

Dr. Dennis’ research has been published in Security Studies and referenced in Foreign Affairs, and he is completing an academic book manuscript based on his decades-long work with Chechen refugees. He earned a B.A. and Ph.D. in Government from The University of Texas at Austin, an M.A. in Political Science from Miami University (Ohio), and studied at Novgorod State University in Russia, and the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. He is a former Fulbright Scholar and speaks Chechen and Russian.

Prior to university, Dr. Dennis served as an enlisted U.S. Marine Corps Rifleman with the 2^nd Battalion, 5^th Marine Regiment and deployed with the 11^th Marine Corps Expeditionary Unit-Special Operations Capable to Africa to support combat operations in Somalia and the evacuation of American personnel from Rwanda during the 1994 genocide. He spent his final year as a Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestler with the Marine Wrestling team.