CGSC

Tackling global security challenges through multi-method analysis, research-led teaching, and international policy dialogue

More
More

People

We are a large research centre, collaborating across methodological approaches and subject area specialisations

More
More

Research

We apply our multi-method expertise to a range of important global security challenges

More
More

Journals

CGSC is home to three major journals:

The European Journal of International Security, which is edited by two CGSC researchers – Professors Newman and Ralph (as well as Prof True, Monash). Published by Cambridge University Press, EJIS is an official journal of the British International Studies Association.

The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, hosted by CDE, is edited by four CGSC researchers – Drs Honeyman, Hayton, and Anderson, and Prof Holland (as well as Dr Edyvane in CDE). BJPIR is an official journal of the UK’s Political Studies Association.

Civil Wars, which started here in 1998, has returned to Leeds, edited by Drs Worrall and Waterman.

Teaching

SThis book cover shows a grey brick wall against a muted blue-grey sky. Security is written in large white letters sitting atop the wall, while 'A Critical Introduction' and the authors' names - Lee Jarvis and Jack Holland - are written on the wall beneath.taff in the Centre contribute teaching to BA International relations, as well as MA/MSc programmes in Security, Terrorism and InsurgencyConflict, Development and Security, and Security, Conflict and Justice, offering modules such as the popular second-year Security Studies, third-year Nuclear Weapons and Global Politics and postgraduate Terrorism module.

Our teaching is research-led, drawing on our own funded project findings and publications, as well as pedagogical publications and textbooks. We work closely with the Centre for Teaching Innovation and Scholarship and have a vibrant research community that includes taught undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as doctoral and postdoctoral researchers. Our award-winning teaching has been recognised through several national teaching prizes and we regularly publish pedagogical research.

Global security challenges

Some examples of our recent research projects which focus on security challenges around the globe.

Static google map

President Biden's foreign and security policy

Assisted by three RAs, Drs Holland, Fermor and O’Connor lead and execute a project analysing the emerging Biden doctrine.

Conflict in the Lake Chad region

Professor Edward Newman, with Professor Anna Mdee, is exploring the drivers of conflict in the Lake Chad basin region

Protest and Reform: The Arab Spring in Oman

Dr James Worrall is an expert on conflict in the Middle East, including Oman.

Hezbollah

Dr Gordon Clubb is an expert on terroris and has written, with Dr James Worrall, on Hezbollah’s development.

Australian foreign and security policy

Dr Holland has written about Australia’s foreign policy during the War on Terror

Hollywood and Homeland

Dr Louise Pears analyses film and television depictions of terrorism and counter-terrorism, such as in Homeland and Bodyguard.

The rise of China

Dr Kingsley Edney is an expert on China’s politics and foreign policy

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)

As part of her work on international nuclear politics, Dr Laura Considine attended the negotiations of the TPNW at the UN Headquarters in New York

GARVE Network

Dr Sahla Aroussi is part of the Gender Resistance to Violent Extremism project with partners at The Technical University of Mombasa.

International Green Academy

Dr Ian Shaw’s project the International Green Academy partners with the Universities of Glasgow and Arizona.

The role of the EU in global security

Dr Neil Winn’s research examines EU defence and security cooperation and management of global challenges.

Get directions

Trust in Health Diplomacy

Drs Emma-Louise Anderson and Laura Considine research the role of trust in health diplomacy in Malawi.

Get directions

COIN Doctrines

Dr Alex Waterman has researched counter-insurgency in Northeast India, visiting the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi during extensive fieldwork.

Get directions

The war on drugs

Estefania Pizarro‘s doctoral research explores distributive injustice during the War on Drugs in Colombia and Mexico.

Southeast Asian field work

Dr Adam Tyson regularly conducts empirical field research in countries such as democratic Indonesia

Political violence in Ghana

Gordon Clubb’s research on political violence has led to extensive collaborations and field work in Ghana

Nuclear weapons and nuclear legacy

Dr Laura Considine has given invited talks on nuclear legacy in Japan, as part of her research into nuclear weapons and WMD

The history of conflict in Yemen

Dr James Worrall has run student-focused workshops on the complex history of Yemen, on the back of his extensive country and regional expertise

Obama's foreign policy in Libya

Dr Ben Fermor’s research includes extensive analysis of the lead-up to Obama’s policy of ‘leading from behind’ in Libya in 2011

9/11 and Afghanistan

Dr Holland’s research considers the US response to 9/11, including Bush’s use of language to justify military intervention in Afghanistan

The Syrian Civil War

Professor Ralph and Dr Holland have coauthored an article in Review of International Studies on UK foreign policy in Syria. Dr Holland has also written a book on the Syrian Civil War, with Cambridge University Press. Sam Mace’s doctoral research takes Syria as a case study for explorations of the political role of the exception in relation to sovereignty.

The normalization of 'exceptional' counter-terrorism powers: the case of France.

Marine Guegin’s doctoral research considers French counterterrorism strategy and its acceptance by the French public audience.

Italian defence

Migena Pengili’s doctoral research explores “Models of public-private partnerships in (inter)national defence policy: 5-D epistemic influence of Italian and Israeli industries”

European foreign, security and defence policy

Dr Neil Winn has longstanding expertise in the history and politics of European defence

The Iraq War

Professor Ralph and Dr Holland have both written extensively about the Iraq War and its legacy

Prevent, counter-terrorism and education

Dr Natalie James’ doctoral research explored the implementation of Prevent in further education in and around Manchester

Arabic news framings of terrorist attacks

Waad Arif’s doctoral research explores the contrasting framings of terrorist attacks on US and Arabic TV news outlets, such as CNN International and CNN Arabic

Trump and Jacksonian America

Drs Fermor and Holland have published three articles on Trump’s language and his relationship to the Jacksonian tradition in American political history

global threats such as climate change, health epidemics, food insecurity

Markus Fraundorfer’s Research looks at global threats such as climate change, health epidemics, food insecurity. He is an expert, in particular, on Brazil and South American more broadly

Thai politics and political violence

Former Head of School Duncan McCargo is one of the world’s foremost experts on Thai politics and political violence

News, Blog & Events

View all Posts

A POLIS research team, led by Professor Garrett W. Brown, was awarded an ESRC grant to investigate the sustainability of...

more

We are delighted to welcome Scott Edwards to the Centre for Global Security Challenges. Scott Edwards is a research fellow...

more

  Call for Papers – Centre for Global Security Challenges and European Journal of International Security Conference, University of Leeds...

more

Opportunities for a quantitative PhD in Politics and International Relations at the Centre for Global Security Challenges at the University...

more

View all Events

Join the CGSC and the Priestley Centre on 1st June for a talk by Dr Elizabeth L. Chalecki.

more

The Global Insecurities Centre, University of Bristol and Centre for Global Security Challenges, University of Leeds, are holding an IdeasLab...

more

Upcoming workshop: Professionals and Professionalism(s) in International Criminal Justice The Centre for Criminal Justice Studies (School of Law) and the...

more

Join the CGSC and EJIS on 18th - 19th May, University of Leeds. Full programme now available to view.

more