Dr Oliver Yule-Smith

Oliver Yule-Smith is a Research Associate at the Centre for Grand Strategy in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. His doctoral thesis, titled ‘The Problem of China and the British Official Mind, 1922-1984, examined the officials responsible for developing Britain’s China policy in the 20^th century. During his PhD, he participated in a doctoral placement programme which saw him embedded within the UK Government Cabinet Office’s Strategy Unit. His current research focuses include 20th-century British national strategy, methods of applied history and conceptions of international order.

Research Interests:

• 20th-century British Foreign Policy
• Grand Strategy
• Applied History and Philosophy of History
• Conceptions of International Order

Recent Publications:

Articles

• ‘Losing Itself in a Role: A Half-Century of British Foreign Policy’, War on the Rocks (3 June 2021)
• ‘The Long Trail of British China Policy’, RUSI Newsbrief (7 January 2021)
• ‘The Gambler’s Code: Reassessing the UK-China Golden Age’, RUSI Commentary (13 October 2021)
• ‘The Bothersome Problem of China in the Anglo-American Alliance’, War on the Rocks (15 June 2020)

Policy Papers

• ‘Substituting Dollars for Bullets: William Taft and Dollar Diplomacy 1909-1913’, Cabinet Office-Centre for Grand Strategy Historical Case Studies for the Integrated Review, Part I (December 2020)
• (co-authored with Andrew Ehrhardt) ‘Characteristics of HMG Strategy-making in the 1940s’, Cabinet Office-Centre for Grand Strategy Historical Case Studies for the Integrated Review, Part III (May 2021)