W. Travis Morris

Travis Morris joined the faculty of Norwich University in 2011. He directs NU’s Peace and War Center. Morris holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from Northern Illinois University, a Master of Science in criminal justice from Eastern Kentucky University, and a doctorate from the University of Nebraska. He has published on information warfare and the relationship between policing, peacekeeping, counterterrorism, and counter-insurgency and is the author of the recent book, “Dark Ideas: How Violent Jihadi and Neo-Nazi Ideologues Have Shaped Modern Terrorism.” He has conducted ethnographic interviews in Yemen and published on how crime intersects with formal and informal justice systems in a socio-cultural context. His research interests include violent extremist propaganda analysis, information warfare, and text network analysis. He is an active teacher in and out of the classroom and has created a series of recent grant-funded student learning trips in the Balkans, Central Asia, and the Middle East.

Professor Morris specializes in Information Warfare, Propaganda Analysis, Transnational Crime, and Terrorism/Violent Extremism. His work focuses on how state and non-state actors use narratives, digital platforms, and illicit networks to shape perceptions, mobilize supporters, and destabilize regions without kinetic force.

He studies propaganda as a strategic weapon — how messages are crafted, amplified, and weaponized — and examines how criminal and extremist networks exploit weak governance and contested information spaces.

At Norwich, he links research to real-world needs by developing tools, models, and partnerships that help students, practitioners, and policymakers understand and counter emerging information and security threats. His collaborations span leading military academies, defense institutions, government agencies, and international organizations.

Terrorism
Policing
Homeland Security
Criminology