His research interests are in civil war, international security, and ethnic politics, primarily in South Asia. His current book project and related articles examine organizational cohesion and fragmentation in insurgent groups. Other work studies civil-military relations, pro-state paramilitarism in civil wars, Indian and Pakistani foreign and internal security policy, and the politics of insurgency and terrorism. Professor Staniland's work has been published in Civil Wars, Comparative Political Studies, Journal of Conflict Resolution, International Security, Security Studies, and the Washington Quarterly, among others. He teaches courses on civil war and military politics, with a focus on the developing world.