Lecturer in International Politics

BA (BHAM), MA (KCL), MRes (BHAM) PhD (BHAM) 

Contact Details

• Tel: +44 (0)116 252 2703
• Fax: +44 (0)116 252 5082
• Email: ajf57@leicester.ac.uk 
• Room 1009 Attenborough Tower

Background

Andrew joined the Department as a Lecturer in International Politics in January 2012.  Prior to this he was a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Birmingham and a Teaching Fellow at the University of Warwick.

Research Interests

My research is primarily concerned with nuclear weapons issues; including ballistic missile defence policy and the shifting nature of nuclear and strategic deterrence.  More broadly, I am also interested in contemporary issues in US foreign policy, diplomatic history and strategic studies.

Current Research

My current research looks at the changing nature of nuclear deterrence and the shifting role on nuclear weapons in contemporary international security.  I am currently in the process of finalising my monograph on the evolution of the US ballistic missile defence debate after the Cold War, and in the process of writing articles on US nuclear deterrence thinking under Barack Obama, the future of the US strategic nuclear triad, and on the changing nuclear balance in Asia-Pacific.

Recent Research Activities

• In May 2012, I gave a paper on US nuclear deterrence strategy at the RUSI UK Project on Nuclear Issues annual conference in London.
• In April 2012 I contributed to a roundtable on Obama's foreign policy at the Centre for Citizenship, Globalization & Governance, University of Southampton.
• In March 2012 I was asked to provide comments and analysis on the 2012 nuclear security summit for the Slovakian newspaper Pravda, and on North Korean nuclear policy for the Washington DC-based, nknews.
• In February 2012 I presented a paper on the changing nature of US nuclear deterrence at the University of Birmingham.
• In October 2011 I gave a paper on the rise of missile defence and the implications for US security at the Centre for Science and Security at Kings College London.
• In September 2011 I gave a paper on nuclear weapons policy under Obama at the BISA US foreign policy working group conference at the University of Oxford .
• In April 2011, I gave a joint paper (with Benjamin Zala) on non-nuclear challenges for nuclear rivalries at the Nuclear Rivalries conference at Aberystwyth University.

PhD Supervision

I am interested in supervising projects relating to nuclear weapons policy, nuclear deterrence and nuclear non-proliferation issues; projects relating to contemporary US foreign and security policy; and projects in strategic studies or diplomatic history.

I currently supervise Ashley Cox (America's wars of choice) and Talat Farouq (US-Pakistan relations after the Cold War).

Teaching

2011-2012

• PL2019 The Making of Contemporary US Foreign Policy
• PL3123 Presidential Peace Making Since 1945

2012-2013

• PL2019 The Making of Contemporary US Foreign Policy
• PL3129 The Politics of Nuclear Weapons
• PL7091 Strategy in the Modern World

Most Recent Publications

Recent Journal Articles

• "Advanced conventional weapons and nuclear aboliton: why the Obama plan wont work", under review at The Nonproliferation Review, (with Benjamin Zala) 
• "The elephant in the room: US ballistic missile defence is thriving under Barack Obama", Defense & Security Analysis, 28:1 (2012) pp3-16
• "NATO, ballistic missile defence and the future of US tactical nuclear weapons in Europe", European Security, 20:4 (2011) 547-562
• "Getting the balance right: US ballistic missile defence and nuclear non-proliferation", Comparative Strategy, 30:3 (2011) 254-267
• "Short-term tactical gains and long-term strategic problems: the paradox of the troop surge in Iraq", Defence Studies, 10:1-2 (2010) 196-215 (with David H Dunn)

Selected Recent Professional Publications

• "Why US nuclear weapons in South Korea are not a good idea", nknews.org, (20th May 2012)
• "Nuanced US deterrence: treating the symptoms of drivers of nuclear threats", RUSI Project on Nuclear Issues, (May 2012)
• "Will Japan shoot down North Korean rocket?", nknews.org, (22nd March 2012)
• "Obama's nuclear weapons policy in a changing world", in The United States after Polarity, LSE IDEAS Special Report, (December 2011)
• "South Korea to deploy ballistic missile defences", nknews.org, (April 2011)
• "The implications of a deliverable North Korean nuclear weapon", nknews.org, (March 2011)
• "Regardless of New START, Obama is likely to limit US missile defence", World Politics Review, (September 2010)
• "U.S. must prioritise BMD cooperation with Russia", World Politics Review, (July 2010)
• "Sensitive rationalisation or overlooked expansion? Obama's new missile defence plan for Europe", BASIC Getting to Zero Papers, No13 (March 2010)
• "A strategic conundrum: why Obama will continue a policy that will make the reduction of nuclear weapons harder", Argentia, 3:1 (2009)
• "Where now for ballistic missile defence: opportunities and constraints for the Obama administration", World Defence Systems, 12:1 (2009) 199-122 (with David H Dunn)