
Biography
David Martin Jones is Visiting Professor and teaching fellow in War Studies at King’s College, and Honorary Reader in the School of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Queensland University of London. He received an undergraduate degree from Reading University a Masters degree from McMaster University (Canada) before completing his doctoral studies in political thought at the London School of Economics (1984). He has taught at the London School of Economics, Toronto University and the Open University.
Between 1989-95 he lectured in political science at the National University of Singapore. He was a Senior lecturer in politics at the University of Tasmania between 1995-2004 and an Associate Professor in political science and international studies at the University of Queensland between 2004-2016. He has held university fellowships at the University of Wales (2001, 2005) and a visiting Professorship at the University of Malaya (2007-2009) where he has been the associate editor the University of Malaya’s South East Asian Studies journal JATI since 2010. He is an editorial a board member of the Australian Journal of Defence and Strategic Studies and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism and a senior fellow in the Global Britain programme at Policy Exchange in Westminster.
Research Interests
- International Relations and political development in East and South East Asia
- Terrorism, ideology and political violence
- Applied history and political thought
- Intelligence, strategy and national security
Jones’ research sits at the interface of the history political thought, ideology, political violence and grand strategy. His essays on aspects of regional political development and integration , as well as on ideology political violence and reason of state have appeared inter alia In International Affairs, Comparative Politics, Pacific Review, Orbis, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Terrorism and Political Violence, International Security, The National Interest, The World Today and The American Interest.
Jones also contributes opinion pieces for The Australian, The Daily Telegraph, War on the Rocks, The Spectator (Australia), Quadrant and The Australian Financial Review.
Publications
Books (recent)
- History’s Fools the Pursuit of Idealism and the Revenge of Politics (Hurst, OUP 2020) The Political Impossibility of Modern Counter-Insurgency (Columbia 2015) with M.L.R. Smith Sacred Violence Political Religion in a Secular Age (Macmillan, 2014) with M.L.R. Smith. The Rise of China and Asia Pacific Security (Edward Elgar 2013) with N.Khoo and M.L.R.Smith
Book chapters (recent)
- ‘Strategy and Terrorism’ and ‘Critical Theory and Terrorism’ in David Martin Jones and M.L.R. Smith (eds) Handbook of Terrorism and Counter Terrorism post 9/11 (Edward Elgar 2019)
- ‘The ASEAN Economic Community: ASEAN’s Way or Bejing’s Way?’ in R. Macdonald (ed) South East Asia and the ASEAN Economic Community New York, Springer, 2019.
- ‘Rule by Law in Malaysia and Singapore’ in Greg Lopez and Bridget Welsh (eds) Regime Resilience in Malaysia and Singapore Strategic Information and Research Development Centre, Petaling Jaya, 2018.
Research Articles (recent)
- With Friends like these: The United States and South East Asian Détente (with Andrea Benvenuti) Journal of Cold War Studies 21,2, 2019
- A Trump Doctrine? (with John Bew) The National Interest 153 (Winter) 2018.
- Intelligence and the management of national security: the post 9/11 evolution of an Australian National Security Community, Intelligence and National Security, 33,1, 2018.Awarded the Michael J. Hintze prize for the best article in Intelligence and National Security in 2018.
- Iconoclasm and Strategic thought: Islamic state and cultural heritage in Iraq and Syria (with M. Clapperton and M.L.R. Smith) International Affairs 93, 5, 2017.
Policy Papers (recent)
- Is Coronavirus Unprecedented, A Brief History of the Medicalisation of Life Civitas 2020
- UK Strategy in Asia Policy Exchange 2017
Media Articles (2020)
For Quadrant (Australia)
For The Critic (UK)
- Islamaphobia and the suicide of the West
- Why we might look back on Trump's Foreign Policy with fondness
- Brexlit and the decline of the English novel
Research

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.
Events

'History’s Fools: The Pursuit of Idealism and the Revenge of Politics'
Dr David Martin Jones will join us to discuss his book, 'History's Fools'; a tale of Western liberal hubris and our failure to escape from history.
Please note: this event has passed.
Research

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.
Events

'History’s Fools: The Pursuit of Idealism and the Revenge of Politics'
Dr David Martin Jones will join us to discuss his book, 'History's Fools'; a tale of Western liberal hubris and our failure to escape from history.
Please note: this event has passed.