Professor Stuart Gordon

Stuart Gordon is Professor in Managing Humanitarianism and Programme Director for the International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies MSc.

He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, directs the Department of International Development’s humanitarian consultancy programmes, and sits on the editorial board of Disasters. His research and writing examine the roles of institutions in conflict and complex emergencies, with particular focus on interactions between humanitarian organisations, state militaries, non-state armed groups and other security actors.

Across his work, he is concerned with how humanitarian action is shaped by the political, legal, military and institutional environments in which it takes place. He is especially interested in two broad themes. The first is the drivers of humanitarian governance and practice: how principles such as neutrality, impartiality and independence are interpreted, contested and constrained in contemporary conflicts; how access is negotiated; and how regulatory, financial and security frameworks affect the delivery of aid. The second is the emergence of institutions during armed conflict and their consequences for civilian populations, including the ways armed actors, local authorities, health providers, aid agencies and international organisations create systems of authority, protection, service provision and control.

A central strand of his research explores the relationship between humanitarian action and security policy. His work on civil–military relations, stabilisation and statebuilding considers how military and political strategies can shape relief operations, affect perceptions of humanitarian neutrality, and influence the ability of agencies to reach vulnerable communities. He has written on the risks of blurring boundaries between humanitarian, development and security objectives, particularly where aid becomes connected to counter-insurgency, stabilisation or legitimacy-building agendas. He has also written on health and medical humanitarianism in conflict, including attacks on healthcare, the role of military medical personnel, health service provision by non-state armed groups, and the place of health systems in wider political and security strategies. His research highlights how apparently technical sectors, such as healthcare, can become deeply political in wartime, functioning both as essential civilian support and as sites of contestation over legitimacy, authority and access.

Prior to joining LSE, he was a senior adviser on the UK’s Helmand and Afghan strategies, working with the military, diplomatic and development branches of the UK government. He has conducted field research in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria, Uganda, Somalia and Ethiopia. He has also served in the UK Armed Forces, in both the RAF and Army, as a regular and reserve officer, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel.

Taken together, Gordon’s research examines how humanitarian action works, fails and is politicised in contemporary conflict. It combines attention to humanitarian principles with practical understanding of the institutions, armed actors and policy systems that shape the lives of civilians in crisis.

Expertise
Humanitarian governance and the evolution of the system, risk in the humanitarian sector, counter terrorist legislation and its impact on humanitarian organisations, humanitarian-military interaction, international responses to health emergencies (especially Ebola), humanitarian accountability and localisation.