Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Professor of Peace, Paul Rogers, awarded honorary doctorate
Paul has worked in the field of international security, arms control and political violence for more than 30 years. He lectures at universities and defence colleges around the world and has written and edited 26 books, including Global Security and the War on Terror: Elite Power and the Illusion of Control, and Why We're Losing the War on Terror. His new book Irregular War: ISIS and the New Threats from the Margins was published last month (June 2016).
Paul said: “Getting an award from this university is an honour particularly as it has such a good reputation for peace studies. I think it is going to be an incredibly important area to work in; over the next 20-30 years we as a world community need to make a transition to creating a more stable and sustainable planet. Anyone who is contributing to that will be doing an incredibly important job.”
Paul was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws for his contribution to the professions.
A Global Security Consultant to Oxford Research Group, Paul’s insight and experience means he has written monthly Briefing Papers for the Group on international security and the "war on terror" since October 2001. In the 1960s he worked with the Haslemere Group, an early pressure group on trade and development issues, before embarking on an academic career first at Huddersfield and then at Bradford. He is currently involved in a new pilot project for the Network for Social Change on ‘Remote Control’ - the use of armed drones, special forces, privatised military companies and other forces to maintain control, raising issues of ethical behaviour, accountability, precedent-setting and risk of proliferation. In the past, Paul lectured at Imperial College and was a Senior Scientific Officer in Kenya and Uganda.
He continues to examine issues such as the politics of energy resource use and the impact of climate change on international security with a particular research interest in radicalisation and political violence.
Leeds Beckett University Chancellor, Sir Bob Murray CBE, said: “Paul’s work on trends in international conflict, with a particular focus on the interactions of socio-economic divisions and environmental constraints, is of great importance and he is highly respected as both a consultant and academic.
“We are delighted to recognise Paul’s great contribution to the professions with this Honorary Doctorate and we look forward to welcoming him our Honorary Graduate alumni network.”