Lawrence of Arabia on War - Out now

Dr Rob Johnson’s latest book, Lawrence of Arabia on War: The campaign in the Desert 1916–18, was been published today with Osprey.

One hundred years ago, Captain Lawrence and an unlikely band of Arab irregulars captured the strategic port of Aqaba after an epic journey through waterless tracts of desert. Their attacks on railways during the Great War are well known and have become the stuff of legend, but while Lawrence himself has been the subject of fascinating biographies, as well as an award-winning film, the context of his war in the desert, and his ideas on war itself, are less well-known.

This new title offers a high-paced evaluation of T. E. Lawrence ‘of Arabia' and the British military operations in the Near East, revising and adding to conventional narratives in order to tell the full story of this influential figure, as well as the Ottoman-Turkish perspective, and the Arabs' position, within the context of the war. It is also a study of warfare and the manner in which Lawrence and others made their assessments of what was changing, what was distinctive, and what was unique to the desert environment. This book sets Lawrence in context, examines the peace settlement he participated in, and describes how Lawrence's legacy has informed and inspired those partnering and mentoring local forces to the present day.

The title is now available to order as hardback or ebook. You can also buy the audiobook, read by the author.

Gendering the border effect - Article by Annette Idler and Julia Zulver

Annette Idler and Julia Zulver, working on the CONPEACE project, have authored a paper on “Gendering the border effect: the double impact of Colombian insecurity and the Venezuelan refugee crisis”

In the Colombian–Venezuelan borderlands, the reconfiguration of armed group presence and mass migration create and reinforce conditions of high violence and risk. Against this backdrop, we ask: What are the gendered security implications of the double crisis in the borderlands? Based on fieldwork in four regions along the border, this article argues that the border effect is gendered; the very factors that coalesce to produce this effect exacerbate existing gendered power dynamics, particularly as these relate to gender-based violence. Accordingly, this article demonstrates the specific ways in which the border – as a facilitator, deterrent, magnet and/or disguise – reinforces experiences of gendered insecurity in this region. The article finishes by outlining the implications for other international borderland settings.

The article appears in Third World Quarterly.

The Double Crisis in the Colombian Borderlands

This brief from the CONPEACE team is the result of the cross-stakeholder forum "The Double Crisis in the Colombian Borderlands: Addressing the Humanitarian-Security Nexus"  hosted in February 2020 at the Canadian Embassy to Colombia in Bogotá. 

This was a dialogue space between representatives from the Colombian government, academia, international organisations, and civil society around the migrant and refugee crisis, and the peace deal implementation in borderland areas. 

Melissa Skorka quoted in article on the Taliban

Melissa Skorka, a Research Associate at CCW, has been quoted in a CNN article on Sirajuddin Haqqani and the Taliban.

“What the New York Times didn't tell readers about its Taliban op-ed is shocking” is a criticism of the op-ed by Haqqani, described as the “deputy leader of the Taliban”, published in the New York Times last week.

Melissa has also written directly to the New York Times, with her letter published on the 26 February.

Melissa L. Skorka has cmpleted her DPhil with CCW. Melissa arrived at CCW after a decade of serving as an advisor and practitioner, specializing in international security with an emphasis on U.S. foreign policy, violent non-state actors, natural resource conflict, and governance institutions in Central Asia and Africa.

Melissa has published a pair of articles on Haqqani recently:

The Era of Armed Non-state Actors - Risks of Global Chaos by Michael von der Schulenburg

The Era of Armed Non-state Actors - Risks of Global Chaos

by Michael von der Schulenburg

Michael von der Schulenburg has written a short article for CCW’s Changing Character of Conflict Platform blog.

Michael is a former UN Assistant Secretary General (for Political Affairs); in 2018 he held a Visiting Research Fellowship with CCW.

Interests, Ethics and Rules - New report from Rob Johnson

Interests, Ethics and Rules: Renewing UK Intervention Policy

Published: Tuesday 11th February 2020

Paul Cornish, Nigel Biggar, Robert Johnson and Gareth Stansfield

Intervention is regaining its place in the national strategic debate in the UK and elsewhere. Sophisticated and urgent questions are once again being asked of governments, international organisations, political and military strategists and civil society; questions which deserve a considered response.

Commissioned by the Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre of the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence, Interests, Ethics and Rules: Renewing UK Intervention Policy is an invitation to think closely and constructively about the circumstances in which the UK national interest might become engaged in some natural or man-made crisis around the world, and what that engagement would imply in organisational, decision-making and practical terms.

Prepared by academic experts in the field of international security and the use of armed force, the report acknowledges that intervention has been, and remains, a deeply contested concept, on political, diplomatic, moral, legal and strategic grounds. The authors argue, nevertheless, that intervention operations could reasonably be undertaken on humanitarian grounds or for ‘systemic’ reasons, in order to maintain the rules-based international system. Intervention can cover a wide range of possibilities, from non-military to military. And when military forces are involved in intervention operations, their posture can vary from unarmed (e.g. supporting the provision of aid and logistics in a benign environment) to armed (e.g. for purposes of force protection and mission security in an uncertain environment) to full spectrum or ‘war fighting’ military operations against armed and violent adversaries. Whatever the cause, rationale, type and intensity of an intervention operation, it is also a highly complex undertaking. The decision to intervene should be the result of a sophisticated assessment and decision-making process and requires political, strategic, organisational and logistic support at every stage.

Deadline Extended: Postdoctoral Research Fellowship on Transatlantic Defence

Application Deadline: 14th February 2020

The Changing Character of War Centre (CCW) wishes to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the field of Transatlantic Defence. CCW conducts interdisciplinary research on armed conflict from historical, legal, philosophical, sociological, economic, anthropological and political perspectives. The Centre is based at Pembroke College, and the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford, with a range of global partners. 

The fellowships are open to applicants of any nationality, and are tenable for two years from 20 April 2020. The post-holder will be responsible for research on US relations with Northern Europe in the field of Defence Studies. They will also pursue their own research in one of the core disciplines of the Centre.

Applicants should have a doctorate in the relevant field of research.  We particularly welcome applications from candidates who can demonstrate:

  • Strong research skills and the potential to contribute research and  published outputs in the specified field of the highest standards, commensurate with their career stage;

  • Experience in high quality journal publication

  • Knowledge and understanding of the Centre’s research agenda, particularly in this field, and a demonstrable ability to develop, plan and implement the Centre’s strategic aims in consultation with the Director;

  • Experience of engaging both academic and practitioner audiences in research activities and advanced research methods;

  • Experience of managing projects and developing individuals, especially experienced or senior professionals, government, and senior armed forces personnel.

 The Research Fellow will be expected to engage in high level research in the field of transatlantic defence and disseminate this knowledge with academic and practitioner audiences. In addition, they will provide advice to the Centre’s Visiting Research Fellows in this field. They will contribute to the overall activities of CCW, for instance, by engaging in research conversations, seminars, conferences and collaborations. They will be expected to be actively involved in sharing and communicating their research. The Research Fellow will be based at Pembroke College, where they will work under the supervision of Dr Robert Johnson, Director of CCW.

Applications should be submitted by email to elizabeth.robson@pmb.ox.ac.uk by noon on Friday 14th February 2020 and should include:

1.       A letter of application indicating briefly how your training, education, and work plans/history meet the selection criteria outlined in the further particulars;

2.       A separate statement of no more than 2000 words setting out current and future research, and in particular, what work you envisage doing in this Centre,

3.       A detailed curriculum vitae/resume;

4.       You are asked to arrange for two referees to email in support of your application by the closing date.


Please see the Further Particulars for full information. The University Terms and Conditions shown elsewhere on this site do not apply.

 The salary for the role is £32,000 per annum.  Benefits include a shared office and all lunches and dinners when the college kitchens are open.

 The College is an equal opportunities employer. Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in Oxford.

Funding extended for CONPEACE project

CCW’s project, ‘From Conflict Actors to Architects of Peace: Promoting Security and Development across Borders’, has been awarded continued funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development of the Government of Canada until September 2020.

The project, which began in November 2018, strengthens civil society to identify and express security concerns to national-level policy-makers, in the context of the peace treaty between the FARC and the government of Colombia. Its research also contributes to increasing the knowledge and understanding of the UN and the Colombian government on the reconfiguration of armed actors and the impact of the humanitarian crises at Colombia’s borders with Venezuela and Ecuador.

This is part of a wider CONPEACE programme running since 2016, in partnership with UNHCR, and also funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), the Fritz-Thyssen Foundation and the Oxford-Berlin Initiative.

Job Opportunity: Postdoctoral Research Fellow

The Changing Character of War Centre is seeking to employ a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join a research team for CCW’s “From Conflict Actors to Architects of Peace (CONPEACE) programme directed by Dr Annette Idler.

The project is a new and exciting research strand under the umbrella of CCW’s CONPEACE programme (https://conpeace.ccw.ox.ac.uk) which explores changing security landscapes in transitions from war to peace. In 2016, the Colombian government and the country’s largest rebel group, the FARC-EP, signed a remarkable peace deal. While this agreement led to the FARC’s demobilization, major challenges remain to achieve sustainable peace and to guarantee basic security conditions, especially for those living in the country’s most marginalized regions. Moreover, the cross-border effects of the unstable situation in neighbouring Venezuela further contributes to the complexities of a successful transition from war to peace.

Against this backdrop, this project, implemented in close partnership with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), investigates the changing security landscape along and across the Colombia-Venezuela and Colombia-Ecuador border. We trace how distinct configurations among various violent non-state groups (what we call “non-state order”) near and across the border influence security, yielding specific protection challenges. We also analyse how the “border effect” intensifies insecurities in these vulnerable borderlands in the context of the arrival of a large number of Venezuelans. The project has three major components:

  • Enhance knowledge through research and analysis,

  • Strengthen civil society capacities to mitigate the border effect and the spillover of the Venezuelan crisis through knowledge exchange,

  • Enhance understanding of the centre-periphery disconnect in the region through cross-stakeholder engagement.

The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will be expected to engage in advanced independent research in the field of conflict, peace, and/or security studies, with a focus on the Andean borderlands and its international context, to publish research of an internationally excellent standard, and participate fully in the research life of the Changing Character of War Centre. 

The duties of the Post-doctoral Research Fellow will include carrying out research, assisting the Project Director in the academic and practical organisation of academic events in Oxford and in Colombia; to assist with publications; and to assist with the development of plans for the future extension and consolidation of CCW’s CONPEACE programme in Oxford.

Grade and salary : Grade 7.1: £32,236 per annum

Hours: Full time – 37.5 hours per week

Contract type: The fixed-term appointment will start as soon as possible, for a duration of one year in the first instance, with a possibility of contract extension for up to three years, subject to funding availability.

Location: Pembroke College, St Aldates, Oxford, OX1 1DW

Deadline: Tuesday 17 December

Ax:son Johnson grant announced

The Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit generously fund the work of CCW.  A private foundation, Ax:Son Johnson promotes scientific and scholarly research with a strong current focus on the humanities and social sciences. The Foundation supports individuals, ideas and scholarly projects that perhaps run the risk of being ignored by current trends, and which are of decisive benefit to the public interest by preserving vital traditions and by renewing and developing society. It is an organisation true to the principles and aspirations of the Enlightenment, and fosters a community of scholars.  

The Ax:son Johnson Foundation has announced 3 years of funding which will allow us to stage our public seminars, specialist symposia, and our critical policy engagement work. Above all, it allows us to continue our deep research in armed conflict.

Looking ahead, we intend to recruit a new team member to work on the Trans-Atlantic defence relationship with the UK and Northern Europe.

We would like to express our gratitude to the Foundation for this support of our work, and the opportunity to host visiting research fellows at Oxford.

Justice, Politics, and Security: Understanding Transitions across Colombia’s Margins

Forum: Justice, Politics, and Security: Understanding Transitions across Colombia’s Margins

Nuffield College, University of Oxford

7-8 November 2019

CONPEACE held its first collaborative workshop with colleagues from the Institute of Latin American Studies (LAI), Freie Universität Berlin, at Nuffield College on 7 and 8 November 2019. The workshop was the first contribution to a joint research activity between the two partners in the context of the Oxford Berlin Research Partnership. A year earlier, the initiative had won a grant from the seed funding of the partnership.

During the two days, we held a keynote panel discussion and a collaborative research workshop with presentations on the most cutting-edge research from both sides. During the panel discussion, CONPEACE’s Annette Idler discussed questions from Sérgio Costa with Deputy Head of the Colombian mission to the UK, Vicente Echandía. During the workshop on the following day Prof. Sérgio Costa, together with Edna Martinez, Manuel Góngora, and Sergio Coronoda from Berlin discussed their research on Ex-FARC women combatants, the effects of human rights and constitutional courts on the transitional justice process, and land disputes in post-accord Colombia, respectively. From Oxford, Dr Jan Boesten, Dr Annette Idler, Dr Daire McGill, and Dr Katerina Tkacova presented their work on institutional trajectories in the course of transitions, borderland struggles in Colombia, marginality and participation in Colombia, and a new research paradigm to quantitatively study Colombia’s conflict, respectively. The event was not only successful because the discussions generated various new research leads to be united in a report and followed up with future research, but also because the keynote discussion attracted numerous visitors, including former Colombian President, and Peace Nobel Prize laureate, Juan Manuel Santos.

Photo 7 November.jpg

Lawrence of Arabia on War

Dr Rob Johnson’s book “Lawrence of Arabia on War: The Campaign in the Desert 1916- 1918” will be published on 30 April 2020 with Osprey.

Lawrence of Arabia on War is a critical appraisal of T. E. Lawrence’s ideas on war, examining his guerrilla campaign and his theories on strategy, juxtaposed against the operations conducted by the Ottoman Empire and those of the Allied army in Palestine. Dr Rob Johnson set out the strategic and political context of Lawrence’s thinking, contrasting this with his understanding of the nature of war, and how he conceived of strategic success beyond the tactical activities of insurgents.

This work traces the evolution of Lawrence’s ideas about guerrilla warfare, from theoretical beginnings at university to hard-won experience on the battlefield. It concludes with a survey of how Lawrence has been used by his successors, not least by military personnel in countering insurgency, and by those seeking to celebrate his achievements as heroic champion of liberation.

CCW co-hosts discussion on defending the Baltic States

Dr Rob Johnson travelled to Washington DC. to take part in a CCW event co-hosted with the Jamestown Foundation.

“New Perspectives on How to Defend the Baltic States,” was multi-panel discussion of the military, political and civil-military issues that the NATO alliance needs to address in order to more credibly secure its northeastern flank. The half-day event featured key US, UK and Allied military voices, including former ISAF Commander General (ret.) John Allen and former NATO Allied Land Forces Commander General (ret.) John W. “Mick” Nicholson, as well as defence experts with decades of experience looking into issues of defence and deterrence in Europe.

Dr Johnson was the moderator for the first panel on “A Military Perspective on Deterrence and Defense of the Baltic States”


Dr Kate Tkacova leads event with VC Louise Richardson for OxWiP

Dr Katerina Tkacova (CCW) was the moderator for the Oxford Women in Politics (OxWiP) latest event.

Dr. Louise Richardson, Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford and member of the CCW Advisory board, led the discussion in an intimate fireside chat with woman interested in politics. The discussion focused around the themes of national security, terrorism and challenges faced by women involved in this field as researchers, policy advisors and practitioners.