Maxwin Paul Rayen is a PhD researcher in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. His research lies at the intersection of war studies, genocide studies, military strategy, and public international law. His doctoral project examines how and under what conditions campaigns framed as counterinsurgency shift from targeting insurgent organisations to directing genocidal violence at civilian populations, using Sri Lanka as a core case study.

He holds an LLM in International Human Rights Law from Lund University, undertaken in association with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, and a BA LLB from National Law University Odisha. His master’s dissertation, Collective Genocidal Intent in Sri Lanka, examined the mass killings during the final phase of the Sri Lankan civil war through the lens of international criminal law.Before beginning his doctoral studies, he worked with international non-profit organisations documenting war crimes. At King’s, he is a member of the War Crimes Research Group and the Conflict, Security and Development Research Group.

He is also a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of War Studies, where he teaches seminars on international law, human rights, and intervention. His teaching engages questions of war crimes, genocide, the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, the Responsibility to Protect, torture, and forced displacement. In 2026, he was nominated for the King’s Education Awards (Students’ Voice), Award for excellence in teaching and learning.

Research Interests

• Relationship between counterinsurgency operations and ethnic mass killings
• Impact of counterterrorism measures on ethnic mass killings
• Violations of the Genocide Convention
• Strategic motivations behind ethnic mass killings

Thesis Title and Abstract

When Does Counterinsurgency Become Genocidal: Sri Lanka as a Case Study

Major genocides in modern history share a striking similarity: they often occur within the context of state-led counterinsurgency (COIN) operations. Perpetrators frequently label their victims as "terrorists," "rebels," or "insurgents," extending these labels to entire communities associated with these groups. These communities are portrayed as existential threats to the state's survival, thereby justifying their destruction under the guise of self-defence.

In both COIN and genocide, society becomes heavily militarised, and civil society is systematically destroyed. When these processes occur simultaneously, the state perceives segments of its population as enemies and collaborators with hostile forces. There is a clear power imbalance between the state and non-state actors in COIN, and between the state and the targeted population in genocidal campaigns. In both cases, the ultimate objective is the total annihilation of the perceived enemy.

Traditional understandings of genocide emphasise the role of social, economic, historical, and political differences between groups, the dehumanisation of victims, land tenure issues, political inclusivity, and labour or social relations. However, there is a significant but underexplored connection between genocide and COIN operations that goes beyond these factors. Examining this relationship, particularly through the lens of Sri Lanka as a case study, could offer valuable insights into the intersections of genocide and counterinsurgency.

Supervisors

• Rebekka Friedman
• Maria Varaki

Research Centres & Groups

• War Crimes Research Group
• Conflict, Security, and Development