Matti Spåra is a PhD researcher in the Department of War Studies, King’s College London. Matti was awarded the 1+3 scholarship through the London Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (LISS DTP), and his research is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). From August to December 2025, he was a Guest Researcher in the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen.

His thesis, “World Order Thinking: A History of International Thought since 1968,” offers a cultural history of international thought in the late twentieth century. It examines how the major social transformations of the 1960s reshaped international thought and ideas of world order. More specifically, it tells the story of the World Order Models Project, a global intellectual movement, and the culture of “world order thinking” it cultivated.

The thesis shows how this intellectual culture both shaped and challenged prevailing ideas of what it means to be a “good” social scientist in general and a scholar of international relations in particular. It contextualises the key ideas and activities of the World Order Models Project, traces how it was received, and how world order thinking transformed over time. It argues that this culture that emerged in the 1960s continues to inform understandings of "good" international relations scholarship and conceptions of world order today.

The study draws on original archival research conducted in Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, and the United States, and nearly 40 oral history interviews. To study history of international thought from a cultural perspective, it utilises and develops the concept of "intellectual persona." In doing so, it intervenes in debates not only in International Relations but also in personae studies and intellectual history.

In addition to his PhD research, Matti is engaged in policy‑relevant research. He has previously worked as a researcher on a parliamentary project examining UK–Russia relations, led by the UK Parliament’s International Affairs Unit. He also served as Section Chair at the 17th European International Studies Association Pan‑European Conference on International Relations (Université Catholique de Lille, 2024), where he led discussions on “The Role of the IR Theorist in Public Debate Today.” 

Furthermore, Matti is also investigating the Putin regime’s use of anticolonial discourse in Russian foreign policy communication, and has published on the subject: Spåra, M. (2026). The wretched of the Kremlin: Anticolonial discourse, Putin’s foreign policy, and the division strategies of the reactionary internationale. Cooperation and Conflict, 0(0).

Matti has previously worked in political affairs at the Embassy of Finland in London. He has also contributed to several research projects, including work on the European Union’s crisis‑management practices, analytic wargaming, the concept of value in international security studies, and scenario analysis in global security. From 2021 to 2025, he volunteered at E‑International Relations, where he served as a Senior Commissioning Editor. He holds an MA and BA in International Relations from the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, where he received the Barrie Paskins Award for Best MA Dissertation for his work titled “Putin, the Critical Theorist? The Kremlin’s Decolonial Critique of International Order and Its Implications for Critical International Theory,” as well as the award for Best MA International Relations Student.

Research Interests

• History of International Thought in the 20th century
• Relationship between the history of ideas and foreign and security policy practice
• Disciplinary history of International Relations and International Security Studies
• Public role of international relations and security scholarship
• Russian foreign policy communications and its reception

Teaching

Matti has taught International Relations Theory (BA1) and Foreign Policy Analysis (BA2) at King’s, where he was nominated for an Education Award in 2024 for teaching excellence. His teaching approach incorporates active learning through close reading workshops, simulations, debates, and group discussions. 

Research Centres & Groups:
Research Centre in International Relations (RCIR)


Primary Supervisor: Dr Nicholas Michelsen