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NatashaKuhrt

Dr Natasha Kuhrt

Senior Lecturer in International Peace & Security

Research interests

  • Conflict
  • Security

Biography

Dr Natasha Kuhrt is a Senior Lecturer in International Peace and Security in the Department of War Studies. After gaining a BA first class hons in Russian & German language and literature followed by an MA in Soviet Studies, at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (University of London), she spent several years in publishing before obtaining a PhD at UCL on Russian Policy Towards China and Japan. Dr Kuhrt joined King’s as a visiting lecturer in the Law School in 2002, before going full time in the Department of War Studies in 2009.

Her main teaching has been on the MA in International Peace and Security Programme and in international law and intervention, but she has also delivered guest lectures in the department including on gender and nationalism and Russia’s discourse on memory and history.

In 2011 she established the British International Studies Association Working Group on Russian & Eurasian Security within BISA and she remains co-convenor of this active group with two colleagues at Open University and Glasgow University. 

Dr Kuhrt is a member of BISA, Chatham House, ISA, ASEN and BASEES.

Research Interests

  • Russian and Eurasian security/foreign policy especially in Asia.
  • International law; Humanitarian Intervention and Responsibility to Protect
  • Nationalism and identity; populism
  • Regions and Regionalism

Her interest in Russia and Eurasia has led her to engage more deeply with issues related to regionalism in general, and Eurasian and Asia-Pacific regionalism more specifically. She also has a growing interest in the role of India in the broader Asian/Asia-Pacific region. Her interest in intervention and peacekeeping has led to research in Russian activism in Africa and the nexus with UN peacekeeping missions. She is also currently working with colleagues at Birmingham, Manchester and Japanese academics, on an ESRC UK-Japan project on comparative populism in context. Further, she is collaborating on an British Academy project on ‘Rescaling the Border: Nationalism and Civilisationalism in Central and Eastern Europe’. 

 

Publications

Book chapters

 

Articles

  • 2021 Kuhrt, N., & Kerr, R., The International Criminal Court, preliminary examinations, and the Security Council: Kill or cure? Journal of Global Faultlines, 8(2), 172–185. https://doi.org/10.13169/jglobfaul.8.2.0172
  • 2019 (with Filippo Costa Buranelli). ‘Russia and the CIS in 2018: regionalism or transregionalism?’, Asian Survey 59:1, pp.44-53.

Briefings/policy papers

Current projects

Dr Kuhrt has a book contract with Polity Press for a co-authored volume on Russian foreign policy. She also has a contract with Edinburgh University Press to co-author a book on Russia-China relations.

Please see the Research Portal for a full publications list or download selected highlights here

Public engagement

Dr Kuhrt has briefed the FCDO and Cabinet office on a number of occasions, and provides regular commentary on the Russia-Ukraine war; Russia-China relations and International law to BBC TV and radio; France 24; CBC; LBC; Arirang TV; al Jazeera Arabic and others.

Teaching

  • 5SSW2063 BA2 option International Law, Human Rights & Intervention
  • 6SSW3036 BA3 option ‘War and Genocide’
  • 6SSW3037 BA3 option ‘6SSW3037 Contending with legacies of violence and atrocity: Transitional justice, peace and reconciliation’.
  • 7SSWN031 ‘Law and conflict in international society’ core module.

 

PhD Supervision

Completed supervision:

  • Neil Dawson, 'Knowledge, Power, Identity: Palestinian Intellectuals and the Discourse of a One-State Solution '
  • Camilla Hagelund, 'Underlying dynamics of regional (dis)integration in Post-Soviet Central Asia. '
  • Filippo Costa Buranelli, 'International Society and Central Asia.'
  • Elene Melikishvili, 'Securitisation of Minor Differences: Security and Conflict in the South Caucasus '
  • Junzhi Liu, 'China’s Grand Strategy Making and the Belt and Road.'
  • Onur Kara, ‘Exit the President: Coercive Institutions and Regime Breakdown in Tunisia.’
  • Agne Cepinskyte, 'The Socio-Political Factor in Great Power Politics: Analysis of the Weimar Republic and Post-Soviet Russia’s Political Discourse Towards the Baltic States '
  • Yulia Kiseleva, 'Soft Power in Russian Foreign Policy'.
  • Alejandro Sueldo, 'Nuclear Weapons States: Post-Cold War Deterrence and the Use of Force' 

Current PhD Students

  • Rolandas Simkevicus, ‘Security Imaginaries in Contemporary European-Japanese Political Alignment’.
  • Robert Lee, 'Russian arms exports during the Putin Era’.
  • Kimberley Metcalf, 'Russian Identity Production in Post-Soviet & Post-Socialist Era Conflicts'.

Dr Kuhrt is accepting prospective PhD students in the following areas:

  • Russian foreign and security policy in general (in particular Russia/Asia with an emphasis on China);
  • Russian narratives on history/memory; international law with an emphasis on UN Security Council practice, R2P and peacekeeping; nationalism

Research

war-studies-wire-hero-1903x558
War Crimes Research Group

Conducting research and teaching on war crimes (broadly conceived) and war.

EIS_EU_Flags_MAIN
Centre for Grand Strategy

The Centre for Grand Strategy seeks to bring a greater degree of historical and strategic expertise to statecraft, diplomacy and foreign policy.

News

King's continues to share crucial insights on the war in Ukraine

As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, academics from across the School of Security Studies at King’s College London continue to use their expertise to...

Ukrainian soldier wearing backpack with Ukrainian flag

King's brings experts together to discuss the geopolitical impact of the War in Ukraine

The School of Security Studies at King's College London hosted the 60th Conflict Research Society Conference, an annual event that brings together experts to...

Unravelling Russia's War

Sharing our expertise and insights on the war on Ukraine

Researchers and academics in our Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy are using their expertise to inform discussion and debate around Russia’s invasion...

ukraine and russia's flags painted on broken concrete

A 'lack of co-ordination' in West's response to issue of Russian interference

A lack of understanding about what the ‘West’ stands for has contributed to a collapse in co-ordinated action to tackle a rising tide of Russian...

The panel event was focused on the Russia report

Events

31MayPart 2 780

Britain’s Integrated Review and the Russia-Ukraine War

British Grand Strategy and the Integrated Review: A Year On - Part two of a three part series

Please note: this event has passed.

09MarThe event is hosted by the King's Russia Institute.

Russia under Economic Sanctions

The King's Russia Institute is delighted to invite you to a discussion: Russia under Economic Sanctions

Please note: this event has passed.

01FebIndia on the globe

India as a Strategic Actor in the Indo-Pacific: Perspectives from US, UK, Europe and Russia

The panel discussion is a part of King’s India Institute's special session series, India in the Indo-Pacific.

Please note: this event has passed.

30Julmoscow-article

After the Russia Report: Options for London, Moscow and Beyond

A joint event war studies and King’s Russia Institute event

Please note: this event has passed.

Features

Sharing our expertise and insights on the war on Ukraine

Researchers and academics in our Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy are using their expertise to inform discussion and debate around Russia’s invasion...

ukraine russia banner size

Russia and China's growing 'friendship' is more a public relations exercise than a new world order

Many international observers are becoming concerned at the increasingly close relations between Russia and China.

CE4D2D51-91DA-4FD8-B474-D9CB2AF4EDAB
HERO IR Essay 1800x500

Russia and China present a united front to the west – but there's plenty of potential for friction

In the face of pressure from the US and its Nato allies, are Russia and China forging ever closer links?

russia china hero

Research

war-studies-wire-hero-1903x558
War Crimes Research Group

Conducting research and teaching on war crimes (broadly conceived) and war.

EIS_EU_Flags_MAIN
Centre for Grand Strategy

The Centre for Grand Strategy seeks to bring a greater degree of historical and strategic expertise to statecraft, diplomacy and foreign policy.

News

King's continues to share crucial insights on the war in Ukraine

As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, academics from across the School of Security Studies at King’s College London continue to use their expertise to...

Ukrainian soldier wearing backpack with Ukrainian flag

King's brings experts together to discuss the geopolitical impact of the War in Ukraine

The School of Security Studies at King's College London hosted the 60th Conflict Research Society Conference, an annual event that brings together experts to...

Unravelling Russia's War

Sharing our expertise and insights on the war on Ukraine

Researchers and academics in our Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy are using their expertise to inform discussion and debate around Russia’s invasion...

ukraine and russia's flags painted on broken concrete

A 'lack of co-ordination' in West's response to issue of Russian interference

A lack of understanding about what the ‘West’ stands for has contributed to a collapse in co-ordinated action to tackle a rising tide of Russian...

The panel event was focused on the Russia report

Events

31MayPart 2 780

Britain’s Integrated Review and the Russia-Ukraine War

British Grand Strategy and the Integrated Review: A Year On - Part two of a three part series

Please note: this event has passed.

09MarThe event is hosted by the King's Russia Institute.

Russia under Economic Sanctions

The King's Russia Institute is delighted to invite you to a discussion: Russia under Economic Sanctions

Please note: this event has passed.

01FebIndia on the globe

India as a Strategic Actor in the Indo-Pacific: Perspectives from US, UK, Europe and Russia

The panel discussion is a part of King’s India Institute's special session series, India in the Indo-Pacific.

Please note: this event has passed.

30Julmoscow-article

After the Russia Report: Options for London, Moscow and Beyond

A joint event war studies and King’s Russia Institute event

Please note: this event has passed.

Features

Sharing our expertise and insights on the war on Ukraine

Researchers and academics in our Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy are using their expertise to inform discussion and debate around Russia’s invasion...

ukraine russia banner size

Russia and China's growing 'friendship' is more a public relations exercise than a new world order

Many international observers are becoming concerned at the increasingly close relations between Russia and China.

CE4D2D51-91DA-4FD8-B474-D9CB2AF4EDAB
HERO IR Essay 1800x500

Russia and China present a united front to the west – but there's plenty of potential for friction

In the face of pressure from the US and its Nato allies, are Russia and China forging ever closer links?

russia china hero