Beyond Black Hawk Down: Intervention, Nation-Building, and Insurgency in Somalia, 1992-1995
The story of Black Hawk Down is a familiar one. On 3 October 1993 two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down, and in the ensuing Battle of Mogadishu eighteen Americans and hundreds of Somalis were killed. But very few appreciate that this was just one day in a two-and-a-half-year operation; the most ambitious attempt in history to rebuild a nation.
Conventional and Unconventional Deterrence from Ukraine to Taiwan: The Strategic Interactions of NATO, Russia, China, and the United States
Following a recent simulation of a scenario where there was a ‘failure of deterrence’, Rob Johnson examines the implications of recent geopolitical developments, asking how accurate our analyses are. He examines the challenges of critical evaluation in this period of change in the international situation and how urgent it is for scholars to develop a better understanding of escalation, deterrence, and coercion.
Expanding the European Defense Technological Industrial Base for Deterrence
How does Europe plan to defend itself amidst constrained resources and geopolitical uncertainty? This presentation explores the fundamental role of the European Defense Technological Industrial Base (EDTIB) in providing materiel for a sustainable and credible deterrent, analyzing its status and challenges, assessing initiatives in progress, and providing potential options for policymakers.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Johannes Porst
Johannes is a DPhil candidate in Politics at the Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR), specialising in international security and European politics. Supervised by Professor Lucas Kello, his doctoral research examines the impact of Ukraine’s innovative adoption of drone warfare and its broader implications for the country's war efforts.
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Institutional Genes: The Origins of China’s Institutions and Totalitarianism
China Centre Book Talk: Institutional Genes: The Origins of China’s Institutions and Totalitarianism
by Chenggang Xu (Cambridge University Press, 2025)
This book explores the origins and evolution of China’s institutions and communist totalitarianism in general. Contemporary China's fundamental institution is communist totalitarianism. Introducing the concept of Institutional Genes (IGs), the book examines how the IGs of Soviet Russia merged with those of the Chinese imperial system, creating a durable totalitarian regime with Chinese characteristics.
by Chenggang Xu (Cambridge University Press, 2025)
This book explores the origins and evolution of China’s institutions and communist totalitarianism in general. Contemporary China's fundamental institution is communist totalitarianism. Introducing the concept of Institutional Genes (IGs), the book examines how the IGs of Soviet Russia merged with those of the Chinese imperial system, creating a durable totalitarian regime with Chinese characteristics.
Governing Digital China
China Centre Book Talk: Governing Digital China by Daniela Stockmann and Ting Luo