Alexander Jake Davies

Alexander J Davies is a doctoral candidate at LSE's Department of International Relations. He is a multiple-award-winning teacher and the former Coordinator for LSE's Security and Statecraft Research Cluster. He previously served as Deputy Editor for Vol. 53 of Millennium: Journal of International Studies.

Alexander’s doctoral thesis, supervised by Professor Peter Trubowitz and Dr Luca Tardelli, investigates how domestic politics shape the credibility of alliance commitments. His broader research interests include US politics, alliances, and grand strategy, and his related research projects have been generously supported by the Carnegie Foundation of New York. Since beginning teaching in 2024, Alexander has received five teaching awards and commendations, including back-to-back LSE Summer School Class Teacher Awards in 2024 and 2025. He is an Associate Fellow of the British Higher Education Academy and has taught courses such as American Grand Strategy, International Security, and Emerging Technology.

Alexander holds an MSc in International Relations (with Distinction) from LSE and a BA in Politics and International Relations (First Class) from the University of Nottingham, Malaysia. During his MSc, he worked as a Consultant on LSE's Community Engagement Programme, and served as Research Assistant and Editor to Dr Theresa Squatrito from 2022 to 2024. He is the Founder and Director of a UK-based 3D Environment Design studio and has over ten years of experience in the environment design industry.

Research topic

Credibility and Polarisation

Alexander's doctoral thesis examines how political polarisation affects the credibility of alliance commitments. It does so by exploring American alliances with European powers, using original and robust archival evidence, media analysis, and interviews to assess how European leaders factor in the US's domestic politics to credibility calculations. The thesis thus provides a relevant and timely contribution to the academic literature at a time when America's alliances are once again in the limelight.

Teaching experience

• IR201 Power Shift: The West, the BRICS and The Crisis of the Liberal International Order? (LSE)
• IR222 From Cyberwar to Killer Robots: Emerging Technology and International Security (LSE)
• IR205 International Security (LSE)
• IR211 America as a Global Power: FDR to Biden (LSE)

Academic supervisors

Peter Trubowitz

Luca Tardelli

Research Cluster affliation

Security and Statecraft Research Cluster

Expertise

US Politics, Alliances, Foreign Policy, Emerging Technology