My current preoccupation concerns interrogation of violence in the political process. There are three interrelated intellectual queries I am pursuing while using violence as the abiding theme. The first one examines the Politics of Sexual Violence in Armed Conflicts. The second one evaluates the Role of Violence in the Sacred. And the third one explores ways of Managing Violence in Post-Conflict Societies.

My other subsidiary research interests are: ethno-politics; conservative nationalism; religious radicalism; and peace-building in deeply divided societies.

I welcome promising committed research students with original and innovative ideas in any of these broad areas:
- Radical Nationalism
- Religious Extremism
- Political Violence
- Conflict Management in Divided Societies

Current PhD Supervision:

Rahaf Aldoughli: 'Gender and Nationalism in Lebanon.'
Vincent Hejirika: 'Political Economy of Conflict in the Niger Delta.'
Nawar Kassomeh: 'Shi'a and Sectarian Identity formation in Pakistan.'
Dala Mohammad: 'Nigerian Peace Keeping and Foreign Policy.'
Mona Abdel Rahman: 'Media and Conflict in Egypt.'
David Suntha: 'Rescuing Failed States.'

Completed Doctoral Project:

Jonathan Ajere : 'Regional Actors as Peacemakers: Exploring the role of Nigeria in intra-state conflicts in Africa'.
Azrul Anaz : 'Politics of Multiculturalism and Nation Building in Malaysia'.
Yinka Olomojobi : 'Muslims, Minorities, and Conflict '.
Beth Rempe: 'Elite Intervention & Northern Ireland Peace Process'.

I joined the department in January 2006. Previously I taught at Queen's University, Belfast (2001-2005) and University of Sussex (2000-2001). I have also held visiting research professor's position at Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (UAM), Universidad de Las Americas (UdLA), and El Colegio de Veracruz (Colver).

Principal teaching commitments:

Undergraduate Module:

PPR225: Introduction to Peace Studies

PPR340: Islamic Politics

Graduate Modules:

PPR.420: Conflict Management in Contemporary Conflicts

Publications

Books:

• Afghanistan: The Labyrinth of Violence, Cambridge: Polity / Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2004. 219 pp. ISBN 0-7456-3114-2 http://www.polity.co.uk/book.asp?ref=9780745631158

'....his writing often betrays welcome hints of Ryszard Kapuscinski's prose style, and a rare desire to integrate classical scholarship with modern political science brings a fresh approach to global conflict' - Joseph Tucker, Nations and Nationalism, vol. 11, no. 2: 322.

'....conveys the impression of a deeper knowledge, providing something of an 'insider's' perspective' - Thomas S. Wilkins, International Peacekeeping, vol. 15, no. 2: 284.

'....the book is an important contribution to the effort to understand the roots of today's terrorism' - Vesna Bolka, Journal of International Relations & Development, vol. 8, no.2: 95.

• Identity and Religion: Foundations of anti-Islamism in India, Thousand Oaks, CA / New Delhi: Sage, 2004. 262 pp. ISBN 0-7619-3226-7 http://www.sagepub.com/authorDetails.nav?contribId=531761

'....' interesting, controversial and useful discussion of the two rival nationalisms in South Asia that created two, and eventually three nation-states from the British Indian empire.'- Ainslie T. Embree, Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, vol 14, no. 1: 151.

'....refreshingly forthright' - Radhakrishnan Nayar, The Times Higher Education Supplement, 24 June 2005.

'....very insightful and sharp' - Shelly Walia, The Book Review, December 2005.

• Politics of Civil Wars: Conflict, Intervention & Resolution, London / New York: Routledge, 2008. ISBN 13: 978-0-415-40345-0 http://www.routledgepolitics.com/books/Politics-of-Civil-Wars-isbn9780415403467

'....compared to its appetizing size, the book is extremely rich. It is spiced up with fresh research literature, rendering a heavy smell of informed scholarship.' - Kristoffer Lidén, Journal of Peace Research, vol. 46, no. 4: 604.

'...delivers an excellent introduction to the study of civil wars.' - Nina Wilen, Politikon, vol. 15, no. 2: 76.

'...innovative in its approach and helps to move the debate out of its stagnant recent history.' - Ady Gray, Political Studies Review, vol. 9, no. 1: 109.

Edited:

• Conflict Resolution (ed.)

Oxford: Oxford University Press (Forthcoming 2009).

• Small and Micro States of South Asia,

Contemporary South Asia, vol. 13, no. 2, 2004. ISSN 0958-4945

Occasional / Working Paper:

'Squaring the Circle: Engaging Radical Islam', Working Paper No. 74, Madrid: Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (UAM), 2007.

Journal Articles:

• 'Theorising 'small' and 'micro' state behaviour', Contemporary South Asia, vol. 13, no. 2, 2004, pp. 133-148. ISSN 0958-4945

• 'Rain on a Parched Land: Reconstructing a Post-Conflict Sri Lanka', International Peacekeeping, vol. 11, no. 2, 2004, pp. 271-288. ISSN 1353-3312

• 'A nation in exile: Tibetan diaspora and the dynamics of long-distance nationalism', Asian Ethnicity, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 191-208, 2003, ISSN 1463-1369

• 'Buscando El Centro: Una Explicacion Contemporanea del Conflcto Etnico', Con-Ciencia Politica, vol. 1, no. 5, 2003, pp. 51-64. ISSN 1665-7713

• 'Subaltern and the civil war: An assessment of left-wing insurgency in South Asia', Civil Wars, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 56-76, 2002, ISSN 1369-8249

• 'Afghanistan: The politics of post-war reconstruction', Conflict, Security & Development, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 5-27, 2002, ISSN 1467-8802

• 'The Taliban, radical Islam and Afghanistan', Third World Quarterly, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 577-589, 2002, ISSN 0143-6597

• 'Shanghai 5 and the emerging alliance in Central Asia: The closed society and its enemies, Central Asian Survey, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 305-321, 2001, ISSN 0263-4937

• 'The politics of secessionist conflict management in India', Journal of Contemporary Security Policy, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 49-68, 2001, ISSN 1352-3260

• 'The centrality of Kashmir in India-Pakistan security dynamics', International Politics, vol. 38, no.1, pp. 103-120, 2001, ISSN 1384-5748

• 'Tibet: in search of a resolution', Central Asian Survey, vol. 19, no.1, pp. 79-93, 2000, ISSN 0263-4937

• 'Hindu nationalism and Muslim minority rights in India', International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 1-18, 2000, ISSN 1385-4879

• 'Emergence and the growth of Bharatiya Janata Party', Politics Administration & Change, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 36-55, 1999, ISSN 1010-9137

• 'India at 50: Democracy, Nationalism and Foreign Policy Choices', Asian Affairs, vol. 30, no. 1, pp.45-58, 1999, ISSN 0306-8374

• 'Savarkar and the discourse on Islam in pre-Independent India', Journal of Asian History, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 142-184, 1999, ISSN 0021-910 X

• 'On South Asian states and state of the nations in South Asia', Third World Quarterly, vol. 19, no. 5, pp. 963-969, 1998, ISSN 0143-6597

Book Chapters:

'Género y Liderazgo Político en Asia del Sur', in Jesus Tovar (ed.) Liderazgo Político y Calidad democracia, Mexico City: El Colegio de Mexiquense, 2009.

'Religion, Politics, & Violence in India', in Ali Riaz (ed.) Religion and Politics in South Asia, New York: Routledge, 2009.

'Somalia and the liberal theory of post-conflict reconstruction', in Rohee Dasgupta (ed.) Cultural Practices, Political Possibilities, Cambridge: CSP, 2008.

'The loneliness of a long distance runner: U.S. "war against terrorism" in Afghanistan', James Putzel & Conrad Schetter (eds.) in International Intervention and Political Reconstruction of Afghanistan, Basingstoke / New York: Palgrave, 2006.

'Democracia y consolidación: Qué tan consolidada está la democracia de la India?' en Francisco Berlín Valenzuela (ed.) Ciencia Política, Desarrollo Regional y Derecho, México City: Editorial Porrúa, 2003, pp. 241-256, ISBN 970-07-4368-3

On-line Writings:

'The Neo-Taliban: The Shape of Things to Come...' e. International Relations, March 2009.

http://www.e-ir.info/?author=575

'Hamid Karzai: The Making of a President', ERPIC, Perihelion Working Papers, May 2003. http://www.erpic.org/old/perihelion/wps/afghanistan.htm

Editorships:

I am the Book Review Editor of Politics & Policy (Wiley-Blackwell).

http://www.wiley.com/bw/journal.asp?ref=1555-5623

I also serve in the editorial board of these journals:

Contemporary South Asia (Routledge); South Asian Diaspora (Routledge); and Conciencia Politica (Colver).

Funded Research 2008 -

2009 - 'Between Pogrom and Peace: Examining Christian-Hindu Communal Conflict in Eastern India',

Nuffield Foundation, £6,350/-

2008 - 'Politics of Gangland Violence in Central America',

British Academy, £6,500/-

2008 - 'Sexual Violence against Men in Armed Conflicts',

Lancaster University, Small Research Grants, £6,800/-

2008 - 'Mara Salvatrucha & the Narration of Violence', Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, £1,950/-