School of Politics and International Studies

Research Interests

I am interested in the linkage between domestic politics and state behaviour in the international system. Recently I have tended to focus upon the effectiveness of US coercive diplomacy towards Iran and North Korea. I am currently conducting an ESRC funded project examining British public attitudes towards the use of international force.

PhD Supervision

I am keen to supervise students in the following fields.

• US foreign policy
• International Conflict Analysis
• Coercive Diplomacy
• North Korean and Iranian foreign policy
• Public Attitudes towards conflict
• Domestic influences on state behaviour.

Key Publications

Journals

• 'Strategic Conflict Avoidance, the War in Iraq and the Behaviour of the 'Axis of Evil'', Journal of Peace Research,  (May 2008)Vol. 45, No. 3, 385-399.
• 'Inside Out or Outside In: The Impact of Domestic Politics and the Great Powers on Iranian-US Relations 1990-2004' , Foreign Policy Analysis (May 2008)Volume 4 Issue 3, Pages 209 - 225
• 'Coercion or Engagement? A Quantitative Test of the Effect of Regional Actors on North Korean Behaviour.' British Journal of Politics and International Relations , Vol 9, No.3. (August 2007), pp.477-493
• 'US Presidential Popularity and Opportunities to Coerce North Korea: A Quantitative Test 1990-2000'. International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, Vol. 7, No. 2. (May 2007), pp. 129-53.
• 'Domestic Strife and the Initiation of International Conflicts 1950-1982'. Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 46, No. 5. (October 2002), pp. 672-692.

Media Contact Areas

• Iranian nuclear negotiations
• North Korean nuclear negotiations
• Public attitudes to international wars
• US foreign policy