Dr Tara McCormack

Lecturer

• Office: Attenborough Tower 918
• Email: tm155@leicester.ac.uk

• Feedback and Support Times (Semester 1, 2020-21): By appointment only
• Dissertation Hour (Semester 1, 2020-21): By appointment only

Personal details

My BA was in Politics from Queen Mary, University of London and my MSc was in International Relations and Government from the London School of Economics. I completed my PhD in international security at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster. Before joining the University of Leicester, I taught European and comparative politics and international relations at the University of Westminster and Brunel University. My research focuses on security, foreign policy and legitimacy.

I contribute regularly to the media including the BBC, LBC, Sky, Al Jazeera, Russia Today, talkRADIO, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, spiked-online and others.

Research

My research falls into three related areas:

•  Security, foreign policy and democratic legitimacy

•  Intervention (including EU)

•  Britain's war powers

Teaching

I currently teach the following:

• International Security Studies (postgraduate campus based and distance learning)
• International Security Studies (undergraduate second year)
• The Changing Character of War (undergraduate final year)

Administrative roles

I am currently the Postgraduate Research Tutor for Politics and IR.

Parliamentary evidence

• 2019 Written and oral evidence, The Role of Parliament in the UK Constitution: Authorising the Use of Military Force Inquiry, Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, 12th March
• 2018  Written evidence submitted to and published, Foreign Policy in a Changed World Conditions Inquiry, report of the House of Lords International Relations Committee, 7th March

• 2017  Written evidence submitted to and cited in Cyber security: UK national strategy in a digital world, report of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy,17th March

Publications

Monographs

• 2019  Britain's War Powers: The Fall and Rise of Executive Authority? (Palgrave Pivot).

• 2009 Critique, Security and Power. The Political Limits to Critical and Emancipatory Approaches (London, Routledge).

Journal articles

• 2016 The Emerging Parliamentary Convention on British Military Action and Warfare by Remote Control, The RUSI Journal, Vol 161, No 2, pp 22 - 29.

• 2015 The British National Security Strategy, Security After Representation, British Journal of Politics and International Relations. Early view online.
• 2011 Human Security and the Separation of Security and Development,  Conflict Security and Development, volume 11,  number 2, pp 235 - 260.
• 2011 The Domestic Limits to American International Leadership After Bush, International Politics, volume 48, issue 2, pp 188 - 206. 
• 2010 The Responsibility to Protect and the End of the Western Century, The Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, volume 4, issue 1, pp 69 – 82.
• 2008 Power and Agency in the Human Security Framework, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, volume 1, issue 21, pp113 – 128.

Chapters

• 2016 Academic Freedom in an Age of Terror in Hudson, C & Williams, J Eds,  Why Academic Freedom Matters (Civitas)

• 2011 From Ethical Foreign Policy to National Security Strategy: Exporting Domestic Incoherence in Daddow, O and Gaskarth, J, Eds,  British Foreign Policy: The New Labour Years (Palgrave).
• 2010 Power and agency in the Human Security Framework in Hynek, N and Chandler, D, Eds, Re-Thinking Human Security (Routledge).
• 2010 The R2P and the End of the Western Century? in Cunliffe, P, Ed, Critical Perspectives on the Responsibility to Protect Doctrine (Lexington).
• 2007 From the State of War to the State of Nature, Human Security and Sovereignty, chapter in Bickerton C, Cunliffe P, & Gourevitch A, Eds, Politics Without Sovereignty: A Critique of Contemporary International Relations (UCL Press)

Media/Public Debate/Opinion

2018

• LBC Radio, Iain Dale programme, discussed Trump's NATO demands and UK defence spending, 11 July

• Russia Today, interviewed about the Amesbury and Skripal poisonings, 5 July
• Sky news, interviewed about the Amesbury and Skripal poisonings with Kay Burley, 5 July
• LSE Brexit Blog, When it comes to defence, Britain is trapped in a Cold War mindset, 2 July
• spiked-online, Review of David Thomson's The Returned, Digging into the domestic roots of Jihad, 29 June
• talkRADIO, discussing the British government's participation in the kidnapping and torture of Abdul Belhaj with Jamie East, 11 May
• Culture on the Offensive, Greg Scorzo and I discuss Syria and other Western military interventions
• BBC Newsnight, interviewed on Syria and 'fake news', 24 April
• Sputnik News Radio, Hard Facts, interview and discussion on The Times, academic freedom and Syria, 24 April
• Al Jazeera, The Listening Post, Red Lines and Military Strikes: Media Coverage of the Syrian War, interviewed, 21st April
• Sky news, debate with Ian Dunt on the legality of the Syrian strikes, 17 April
• LBC Radio, Iain Dale programme, discussed Syria strikes, 16 April

• Radio Leicestershire, morning programme, interviewed about Syria, 13 April

• BBC Radio 2, Jeremy Vine Programme, debated Edward Lucas on the the attempted assassination of a former Russian spy and Corbyn's response, 5 April
• Radio Leicestershire, Martin Ballard programme, interviewed about the attempted assassination of a former Russian spy and UK/Russia relations, 4 April

• Sky News, interview with Rebecca Williams on Syrian conflict, 2 April

• LBC Radio, Nick Ferrari programme, interview on UK/US/Russia reaction to Russian spy scandal, 30 March

• Russia Today, News at 2pm, interview  on UK's reaction to Russian spy scandal, 27 March

• Russia Today, News at 8pm, interview  on UK's reaction to Russian spy scandal, 22 March

• Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Between the Lines, presented by Tom Switzer, debate with Tom Tugendhat MP on spy scandal, 22 March
• Al Jazeera, Newshour 8pm, interview  on UK's reaction to Russian spy scandal, 16 March

• BBC Radio 4, PM programme, debated UK's reaction to Russian spy scandal with Bob Seely MP, 15 March
• LBC Radio, Iain Dale programme, interview on UK's reaction to Russian spy scandal, 15 March

• Sky News, interview with Kay Burley on UK's reaction to Russian spy scandal, 15 March
• Al Jazeera English, Newshour 9pm, interview  on UK's reaction to Russian spy scandal, 15 March
• Russia Today, News at 7pm, interview  on UK's reaction to Russian spy scandal, 15 March
• Radio Leicestershire, Martin Ballard programme, interviewed about the attempted assassination of a former Russian spy and UK/Russia relations, 6 March
• spiked-online, Review of Ivan Krastev's new book, After Europe, 1 March

2017

• spiked-online, Mohammed Bin Salman: A kinder, gentler despot, 18 Dec
• Russia Today, interview on Trump and Russia, 14 Dec
• spiked-online, That's enough of the Russia blame game, 21 Nov

• City University, Panel discussant 'Everything Has Changed? Trump and the Crisis of the Liberal Order', 16 Nov

• University of Edinburgh, Transatlantic Forum, Academics, the media and propaganda, 10 Nov
• spiked-online,  Russia did it! A comforting delusion, 7 Nov

• Panel debate on the New Cold War at the Battle of Ideas at the Barbican, 28/29 October
• Worldbytes Worldwrite, Documentary, 1917 Why The Russian Revolution Matters, interviewed on contemporary Russia, release date 28 Oct
• Voice of Islam Radio, The Breakfast Show, interviewed about Trump and North Korea, 12 Oct
• Sputnik News Radio, Level Talk with John Harrison, Myth of Russia interference in US election is destroying American democracy, 7 Sep
• BBC West Midlands Radio, The Paul Franks Show, interviewed about North Korean crisis, 4 Sep
• BBC Radio 5 Live, Afternoon Edition, interviewed about North Korean crisis, 4 Sep
• RIA Novosti, written commentary on the G20 Trump Putin meeting, 10 July
• spiked-online podcast on Syria, 30 June
• spiked-online, What is the US doing in Syria?, 28 June
• Sputnik News Radio, Level Talk with John Harrison, Are US-Europe relations really on the rocks?, 1 June
• Sputnik News Radio, Brave New World, How Long with the Russia Bashing Game Go On?, 10 March

• BBC The Big Questions, discussant on Russia, Cybersecurity and democracy, 19th Feb
• Occupy IR Theory podcast, discussed the New McCarthism, Russia, Trump and the pro war left, 18 Feb,
• The New European, interview on European Defence, 17 Feb
• BBC Radio 4, 'witness' on The Moral Maze, 8 Feb

2016

• spiked-online, East Aleppo: a catastrophe of the West's making, 1 Dec
• BBC Scotland, Morning Programme, interviewed on European proposals for joint defence, Trump and British security and defence policy, 23 Nov
• LBC Radio, Ian Collins Programme, interviewed on the US/UK ‘special relationship’, 7 Nov
• LBC Radio, Shelagh Fogerty Programme, interviewed on media presentation of the Syrian conflict, 19 Oct
• Remote Control Project, interview on the new Parliamentary convention authorising war and new modes of 'remote control', warfare, 12 Oct
• Radio Leicestershire, Jonathan Lampon programme, interviewed about the attempted coup in Turkey, 18 July
• Radio Leicestershire, Jonathan Lampon programme, interviewed about Brexit vote and implications for Britain in the world, 24 June
• University of Leicester, podcast on Brexit and implications for Britain's role in the world, 23 May
• Radio Leicestershire, Jonathan Lampon programme, interviewed about Brexit, international security and Britain's role in the world, 26 May
• Novosti, Live panel discussion with Moscow experts on Russian policy in Syria, 17 March

2015

• Radio Leicestershire, Jim Davis programme, interviewed about the House of Commons Syria vote and home-grown terrorism, 3 Dec
• Battle of Ideas, panel debate: Shifting sands, understanding the Middle East today 18 October
• spiked, The Western media have lost the plot in Syria, 16 Oct
• Cheltenham Literary Festival, The Sunday Times Debate: A New Cold War? 4 October
• Radio Leicestershire, Jonathan Lampon programme, discussion about the anniversary of Hiroshima and nuclear weapons, 6 August
• The World Weekly, Interview on current crisis in Ukraine
• spiked, Clueless Cameron is playing PR-politics over Ukraine
• spiked, Years of Western meddling has pushed Ukraine over the edge

2014

• Battle of Ideas, Panel debate on Ukraine: Cold War Rebooted?, 19 October, Barbican Centre, London
• Radio Leicestershire, Jonathan Lampon programme, debate on ISIS and intervention, 25 September
• spiked, Podcast on Israel, double standards and anti-Semitism, 22 August
• Russia Today, 6pm News, interviewed on the topic of the current crisis in Ukraine, 4 June
• Radio 4, The Moral Maze, invited ‘witness’ on the topic of intervention, morality and foreign policy, 5 March
• spiked, Bosnia: The Limits to EU Rule
• WorldBytes TV, Discussion on the Sochi Olympics and Western attitudes to Russia, February 9

• I am also a member of the Battle of Ideas committee