Dr Tara McCormack

Lecturer

Office: Attenborough Tower 918
Email: tm155@leicester.ac.uk
Twitter: @McCormack_Tara
Office Hours (Semester 2 2017/18): Tuesdays 12pm-1pm and Thursdays 12pm-1pm

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)

Parliamentary evidence

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

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.

Monographs

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

Chapters

2016 Academic Freedom in an Age of Terror in Hudson, C & Williams, J Eds, Why Academic Freedom Matters (Civitas) http://www.civitas.org.uk/reports_articles/academic-freedom-in-an-age-of-terror/

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

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 http://www.cultureontheoffensive.com/military-mccormack-media/
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, http://occupyirtheory.info/2017/02/18/episode-1-the-new-mccarthyism/
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