News

Dr Roham Alvandi speaks on Deutche Welle

Dr Alvandi spoke with Deutche Welle about the similarities and differences between the Iraq War of 2003 and the Iran War of 2026. Is the U.S. war in Iran repeating the mistakes of Iraq 2003?

Watch the interview in full HERE

Prof Kristina Spohr has been busy lately on Trump, climate change, and the heated geopolitical situation in the Arctic

In Germany, she was invited as guest speaker to the 100th episode of the German podcast Die Message to talk about “Power Politics in lieu of Rules: Why the Arctic is a key battleground of our future”  with the host-duo Ulrich Voss and Oliver Howard.

Click here to hear their 44 min conversation

In Brazil, she was interviewed extensively in Folha de Sao Paolo, the country's largest newspaper, by the journalist, LSE Alumna Angela Boldrini in her article, 'Trump's interest in Greenland and Venezuela contradicts climate change denialism'.

Read the article HERE

"History holds the key to understanding the crises facing our oceans" - Dr Ron Po pens new LSE blog post 

Oceans are in crisis. Fish stocks are collapsing. Plastic pollution is overwhelming. Climate change is warming seas. In a new blog for LSE European Politics, Dr Ron Po makes the case that history can help us make sense of how we ended up in this position, and how we can work towards meeting these challenges with greater intentionality and realism. He also explores what separates surviving from sustaining, and why that matters for envisioning our future.

Read Dr Po's blog post HERE

The Department and Iranian History Initiative welcome Dr Farian Sabahi

Dr Farian Sabahi joins us for a period as a Visiting Research Fellow from the University of Insubria where she is an Associate Professor of Contemporary History. Dr Sabahi will be an affiliate of the Iranian History Initiative during her stay.

Read more about Dr Sabahi and her work HERE

Dr Alex Mayhew's recent book 'Making Sense of the Great War' has enjoyed rave reviews over the last few months!

Dr Mayhew's book, which received Honourable Mention for the 2025 Tomlinson Prize, has seen the following excellent reviews over the last few months...

‘This is a sophisticated and elaborate study of mental survival and fortitude among a discrete group of men in an immeasurably challenging time and place. As such, it adds greatly to the military history of morale during the First World War, offering new insights into Englishness, subjecthood and the belief systems men were fighting for during this fraught and terrifying time.’ (Nicoletta Gullace, English Historical Review)

‘[T]his book is a major contribution and deserves to stand in the canon … as a “standard work” on the morale of the British soldier in the Great War.’ (Tom Thorpe, Stand To! The Journal of the Western Front Association)

‘Making Sense of the Great War offers insights to scholars and could also be used well in the classroom. It is highly readable … this book is a fresh look at … familiar ground and a welcome addition to the conversation surrounding morale.’ (Elizabeth Stice, First World War Studies) 

’This fine monograph … both advances our understanding of morale and highlights the fundamental difficulties which remain at the heart of this endeavour.’ (Vanda Wilcox, War in History)

‘Mayhew’s analysis paints a rich picture of the various ways in which men made sense of the war … Making Sense of the Great War offers points of reflections not just for the historian, but also for scholars of psychology, sociology, and military processes.’ (James Sewry, LSE Review of Books).

See here for a link to Dr Mayhew's book

Dr Alex Mayhew hosts student trip to the National Army Museum

Last week, Dr Alex Mayhew took a group of our HY120 students on another of this term’s archive trips. This time they joined curator Justin Saddington in the archive of the National Army Museum where he introduced the group to different archival documents, stretching from the English Civil War to the First World War. A big thanks to Dr Mayhew for taking time out of his busy schedule to take the students on the visit.

'The Everyday Life of Colonial Collections in German Museums in the Modern Era'

On Tuesday, 17 February, Prof Anja Laukötter spoke at the British Museum for a small group of students and members of the public.

Her talk looked at how European collectors, ethnologists, and anthropologists travelled to colonial territories around the turn of the twentieth century to “rescue” cultural objects from perceived decline and preserve them in museums under supposedly scientific conditions, historical records reveal a troubling reality behind these institutions. The everyday existence of these collections was also marked by dust, pests, fire, theft, overcrowded storage, and sometimes wrong handling—all contributing to the deterioration of the very objects meant to be safeguarded. Despite the supposed security of museums, there were no guarantees for the preservation of the artefacts removed from their original contexts.

The cultural "extractivism" that began in the colonial era not only led to the destruction of many objects but continues to have lasting consequences till today. The lecture illustrated these developments by drawing on the histories of various German museums.

The Department is proud to announce the 20^th anniversary of the LSE-PKU Double Degree programme MSc in International Affairs!

We want to take this moment to reflect on what has been an extremely enriching programme for our department and thank all those colleagues whose hard work over the years has contributed to its growth and success.

Sharing this important programme with Peking University over the last two decades has been a source of great pride to the department as we have seen students enjoy the wide range of combined resources and learning opportunities offered across both institutions. Students on this programme enjoy the chance to live and study across two great world cities, London and Beijing.

The programme was first set up in 2006, building on a shared commitment between LSE and Peking University to foster rigorous, globally engaged scholarship in international affairs and to strengthen academic exchange between the UK and China at the postgraduate level. Conceived as one of the earliest structured double-degree collaborations between the two institutions, it was designed to combine LSE’s long-standing strengths in international history and international relations with PKU’s expertise in Chinese and Asia-Pacific studies. The programme offers an outstanding opportunity for graduate students and young professionals to study the international relations of China and the Asia Pacific region, as well as the theory and history of global international relations.

Graduates from this double degree have gone on to careers in international organisations, government service, diplomacy, global finance, think tanks, non-governmental organisations, and academia, with many alumni continuing to build bridges between China, the UK, and wider international communities. The network of alumni across both institutions remains one of the programme’s most significant and lasting achievements.

Anniversary-related activities are already being incorporated into our departmental visit to Beijing in April. In addition, we plan to hold a related event in the Department in the coming academic year, ideally involving our colleagues from Beijing. Further details will follow!

HY120 students visit LSE Archives

Alongside Dr Leo Shipp, our first-year undergraduates visited the LSE Archives as part of their module HY120: Historical Approaches to the Modern World. Dr. Gillian Murphy introduced them to some of the jewels from the LSE collections, and they even got to look around the archive itself.

This week, Dr Alex Mayhew is taking a group to the National Army Museum Archives, and in March thirty students will attend a workshop at the National Archives!

Dr Qingfei Yin speaks about her exciting recent research projects in new interview

Dr Qingfei Yin was interviewed recently by the International Strategy and Academic Partnerships (ISAP) team in Philanthropy and Global Engagement Division (PAGE) here at LSE where she spoke about her recent research projects. Qingfei spoke about how she benefited from the Global Research Fund to spend time on her latest project ‘Building Mao’s “Railway on the Sea”: A Global History of China’s Ocean Shipping during the Cold War’ and shares her experience of spending time in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. 

The International Strategy and Academic Partnerships (ISAP) team leads LSE’s global engagement. They develop and manage strategic partnerships with world‑leading universities, create innovative student mobility opportunities, and support collaborative, high‑impact research that addresses global challenges.

Read Qingfei's interview in full HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr appears on podcast 'The Rest is History'

In 'Contested Arctic: Where missile trajectories are short' -  the latest episode of Deutschlandfunk’s Podcast series 'The Rest is History’ -  Prof Spohr discusses in German the issues and dynamics surrounding the scramble for the Arctic from the Viking Age to Trump’s attempted Greenland grab.

Listen to her speak HERE

Jack Roush has penned a new article for Diplomatic History entitled ‘Mehdi Samii and the 1964–1968 Iran-US Arms Negotiations’

Jack Roush's (one of our PhD students) new article reassesses a pivotal moment in relations between Iran and the United States by examining the role of Mehdi Samii, governor of the Central Bank of Iran and a key arms negotiator.

It shows how Samii’s technocratic credibility and economic diplomacy with the Soviet Union were instrumental in pushing the Johnson administration to accommodate Iran’s strategic ambitions.

Read the article HERE

Dr Artemis Photiadou publishes new article, 'The ABCs of Nazism: The Political Screening and Classification of German Prisoners of War in Britain in the Aftermath of the Second World War'

In her recent article, published in The English Historical Review (Oxford Academic), she discusses how nearly half a million German prisoners of war were in Britain when the Second World War ended, all of whom were sorted into one of three categories: anti-Nazi, unpolitical, or Nazi, correspondingly known as A, B, C.

This article focuses on the screening process that determined in which category an individual belonged. Drawing on approximately 400,000 screening outcomes between 1945 and 1947, it shows that the process was developed in a wartime intellectual environment that attributed National Socialism to a militant German ‘national character’.

Under those initial assumptions, many of those interrogated were classified as Nazi. However, the system quickly moved towards a more situational interpretation of ideology, turning screening into a convenient tool that facilitated practical policy objectives, rather than a mechanism of ideological classification.

Read the article in full HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr speaks across two days at the LSE German Symposium 2026

Prof Spohr kicked off the 25th LSE German Symposium as she chaired and moderated a conversation between Susanne Baumann (Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Kingdom) and Andrew Mitchell (HM Ambassador to Germany) on British-German affairs. 

On the second day of the Symposium, she discussed with ex-Chancellor Olaf Scholz Germany’s “Zeitenwende,”  the current challenges for European security, and the ongoing transformation of world order. 

Professor Piers Ludlow contributes new chapter 'Roy Jenkins: the frustrations of pro-European constancy'

Prof Ludlow's chapter appears in a recently released book, 'The Labour Party and European Integration: A Biographical Approach' (pp. 174 - 191).

Roy Jenkins stands out from many other Labour politicians because of the consistency of his European beliefs. From the late-1950s onwards, Jenkins championed the cause of Britain in Europe through his public speaking, his political actions, and his extensive writing. 

The overview the chapter will provide of Jenkins’ lengthy career will underline both the importance and the consistency of his European creed – and the fashion in which this differentiated him from most other Labour politicians of his era.

Welcome Dr Caitlín Doherty, the inaugural David McClure Visiting Fellow!

We extend a warm welcome to Dr Caitlín Doherty who will be joining us for the 2026-27 academic year as the inaugural David McClure Visiting Fellow. The fellowship, generously supported by the David McClure Trust Fund, assists writers and scholars who are committed to producing a significant, original non-fiction book or work for a mass readership. The fellowship will enable the creation of work intended for a general audience, that is rigorously researched, non-partisan, and of contemporary relevance. 

Caitlín is a reporter and critic. She studied English Literature and the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge and has a PhD in the history of aviation. After graduating, she worked as an editor at Verso Books, then New Left Review. She writes regularly for NLR and the New Statesman, and has been published by Harper’s, The Baffler, Film Comment, New Internationalist, and Jacobin. 

Caitlín's work combines local narrative with global history, and focuses on European politics, economics, technology and culture. During the fellowship she will complete a study of the Swiss town of Davos, to be published by Faber & Faber and One Signal. She is thrilled to join the academic community of LSE and to have the opportunity to work with the renowned International History department.

Dr Roham Alvandi writes new essay for Engelsberg Ideas entitled 'The stakes of a Pahlavi restoration'

Dr Alvandi argues that Iran’s last Shah presided over rapid economic growth, social transformation, and expanding opportunity, particularly for women. Yet the unresolved political legacy of Pahlavi rule continues to haunt Iran’s opposition.

Read his essay HERE

Dr Dina Gusejnova organises roundtable discussion: 'Education in the Age of Global Insecurity: Dilemmas of foreign policy in the face of war and authoritarianism'

Dr Gusejnova hosted a critical discussion at LSE as part of the Grimshaw Society Annual Symposium for the visit of Eleni Vossou from the European External Action Service.

This expert panel spoke on how conflict, authoritarian repression, and digital technologies threaten education and knowledge communities worldwide. They examined the intersections of international relations and education, focusing on policy implications from the Russian war against Ukraine, authoritarianism in Russia, Syria, and beyond.

Our distinguished speakers — including experts from LSE, Cambridge, the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, and the European External Action Service — explored how grassroots initiatives protect democratic values, debate sanctions on educational institutions, and consider obligations of international bodies toward epistemic communities at risk.

Dr Roham Alvandi makes appearance on CNN

Dr Alvandi spoke to CNN’s Eleni Giokos today about uprising in Iran against the Islamic Republic. He provided some historical perspective on the Iranian Revolution and President Jimmy Carter’s approach to Iran in 1979, in contrast with President Trump’s policy of sable rattling today.

Watch the interview HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr quoted in recent Sydney Morning Herald article on the Europe, Trump, and the Greenland brawl

She stated: "Europeans have to hold on to the principles of sovereignty, territory, integrity and self- determination – for the Greenlanders, the Danes and themselves altogether. Because only that ensures an international order where small and middle-sized powers are respected. And, for Arctic security at large, from Alaska and Greenland to northern Norway and Finland, it is imperative that allies cooperate and collectively build up their deterrence and defence capabilities vis-à-vis their imperialist and belligerent Russian neighbour and an increasingly assertive China." Spohr concluded that the erratic US president Trump "only understands clear red lines and therefore Europeans, as part of the EU and NATO, cannot allow themselves to be bullied."

Dr David Motadel and Dr Roham Alvandi are co-editors of new book 'The Making of Iranian Modernity'

The new volume celebrates Professor Houchang E. Chehabi, one of the leading scholars in the field of Iranian Studies. Since the 1980s, Chehabi’s interdisciplinary body of work has made major contributions both to the study of modern Iran’s social and cultural history, as well as to the understanding of Iran’s broader political evolution and place in the world. 

View full details on the book HERE

Dr Jeff Hawn pens new article 'The Decline of Russia's Railroads' in online magazine Riddle

Dr Hawn's analysis of the declining condition of the state owned Russian railroads, points to broader systemic issues within the economy. In this analysis Jeff identifies that the Russian railroads which are a vital part of the broader Russian economy are in severe finicial trouble and beginning to see very tangible impacts on operations. With as much as 20% of rolling stock idle even as profits collapse by up to 90%. The railroads are still moving thanks to forced loans from Russian banks, but as Russia's currency reserves run dry and no clear solution appears. It seems likely Russia's railroads and its broader economy are facing a renewed crisis. 

Read the article HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr spoke live on Firstpost to discuss Trump's Davos speech

She condemned his aggressive rhetoric, his bully-boy tactics, and totally destructive political actions that are rupturing the international legal world order and threatening to tear the transatlantic alliance apart.

She highlighted the importance of summitry and face-to-face encounters such as at Davos, especially to achieve some cooling of the inter-allied tensions over his complete obsession, his necessity to “get Greenland”  at all cost for the US security.

She ended by adding that, if anything, Trump - the  “great disruptor “ - is playing into Russian and Chinese hands – as the Putin’s war continues in Ukraine and China is vying for Taiwan.

Watch her speak HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr discusses how Trump's ego is pushing NATO to the brink in her latest El Pais column

In "Power, Profit, & Personal Psychology” she examines how Trump’s ego and his obsession to demonstrate power & to “own” is pushing NATO (and the EU) to the brink.

She asserts that If Europeans believe in an international legal and institutional order they will have to put their Euros (or pounds) where their mouth is and hit back at Trump economically. They will have to call his bluff, otherwise NATO/EU will look hollow and Greenlanders will be  the victims of a miserable sell-out, as their Arctic homeland, Kalaallit Nunaat, is turned into a US mineral extraction pit.

Preserving this unique Arctic nation and country, preserving our hard-won laws, norms, and principles in Europe, at all cost – that must be the political duty of Europe’s leaders. They must remind Americans that the USA's  postwar strength and vast appeal lay in being an empire by invitation not an empire by imposition.

Read her column HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr appears in TV interview to discuss the current political situation in the Arctic

Professor Spohr gave an extensive TV interview on India's Firstpost global news outlet ahead of last week's meeting between Greenland’s and Denmark’s Foreign Ministers with US Vice President and Secretary of State in Washington.

She stressed the utmost importance of face-to-face talks at the highest levels at a time when temperatures and tensions rise as viewpoints are expressed 24/7 by megaphone diplomacy via social media. Equally she underlined the significance for NATO allies to reassess jointly the present security situation in the Arctic.

Watch her interview HERE

Professor Kristina Spohr weighs in on the Trump Greenland annexation discussion with two new articles

Professor Spohr has been busy commenting extensively on the world’s latest geopolitical hotspot Greenland in German media interviews.

She states: "With Trump’s bold Greenland-annexation talk, we are witnessing a brutal show of force and an act of intimidation against the Inuit and Europeans. This is plainly about his ego, resources, and profits; and a demonstration of American superpower. To channel the turmoil and avoid escalation, it is imperative", Spohr argues, "for Europeans to use NATO for intensive and proactive diplomacy – for the Greenlanders’ (and Arctic) security and defense firmly belongs within the Alliance."

Read her articles here:

• Free article available HERE
• Paid article available HERE

Dr Leo Shipp’s recent book received an excellent review in the journal Cultural and Social History

Dr Shipp's book 'The Poets Laureate of the Long Eighteenth Century, 1668–1813' received a glowing review in Cultural and Social History. 

His book discusses how the office of the poet laureate of Britain was a prominent, relevant and respectable institution throughout the eighteenth century. First instituted for John Dryden in 1668, the laureateship developed from an honorific into a functionary office with a settled position in court (c.1689–1715), and was bestowed upon Robert Southey in 1813, whose tenure eventually transformed the office. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, this book examines the office’s institutional changes and public reception, the mechanics of each laureate’s appointment, and the works produced by the laureates before and after their appointments. It argues that the laureateship played a key part in some of the most vital trends in eighteenth-century culture.

Read the review HERE

Dr Charlotte Eaton has published a new article in the Journal of Latin American Studies

Dr Eaton (one of our Fellows) has published a new article entitled, ‘El peligro rojo’: Republican refugees and the construction of the ‘undesirable immigrant’ in Colombia, 1936–42.

The article examines the national and international context within which Colombian immigration policy developed in the mid-twentieth century, as well as the multiple actors who contributed towards its formulation. Focussing on Republican refugees from the Spanish Civil War, it traces how and why policymakers and public opinion in Colombia began to see these groups as potentially harmful to society. It also explores the various actions that these émigrés took to circumvent the various restrictions placed against them.

Read the article HERE

Dr Ron Po publishes new article

Dr Ron Po kicks off the new year with a new article in the International Journal of Maritime History: “Saving souls from the depths: The Society for Rescuing the Drowning (Zhengnitang) in Late Imperial China.”

It is open access and available HERE

The piece examines how organised life-saving along rivers in the nineteenth-century Qing Empire grew out of moral practice, local philanthropy, and everyday encounters with maritime danger, and considers how such Chinese initiatives can be situated within broader global approaches to maritime rescue at the time.