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William D James 540

Dr William James

Research Associate

Biography

Dr William James joined the Centre for Grand Strategy as an Ax:son Johnson Research Fellow in August 2022. He is also a Senior Associate of the Oxford Changing Character of War Centre. William holds a DPhil in International Relations from the University of Oxford.

Between 2018 and 2020, William was based in the United States as a research fellow at MIT’s Security Studies Program and at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center. In 2020-21, he was a non-resident Hans J. Morgenthau fellow at the University of Notre Dame.

William’s first book, British Grand Strategy in the Age of American Hegemony, will be published by Oxford University Press in early 2024. His work has also been published in journals such as the European Journal of International Security and International Politics, as well as outlets such as War on the Rocks and Engelsberg Ideas.

One of his goals is to produce academically rigorous research which is accessible and useful for policymakers. He regularly provides support and historically informed analyses to civil servants and the armed forces. William has also contributed evidence to three parliamentary inquiries on British foreign policy.

In December 2020, William won the Royal United Services Institute's Trench Gascoigne essay competition for original writing on defence and security. The essay was subsequently published in the RUSI Journal.

Research Interests

  • Grand strategy
  • UK foreign & defence policy
  • Transatlantic relations
  • The changing character of war
  • European security
  • Alliance politics
  • Europe in the Indo-Pacific

Publications

Books:

Book chapters:

Journal articles:

Recent policy papers:

Recent media articles:

Recent book reviews:

  • Review of Rivals in arms: the rise of UK–France defence relations in the twenty-first century by Alice Pannier, International Affairs, 98:2 (2022)
  • Review of Comparative Grand Strategy: A Framework and Cases by Thierry Balzacq, Peter Dombrowski and Simon Reich (eds.), International Affairs, 96:1 (2020)

Media

Podcasts:

Webinars:

Research

F673BBBE-71AF-422F-999B-908BE90A05A0
Economic Conflict & Competition Research Group

The ECCRG aims to be an academic centre of excellence for developing sustained, inter-disciplinary research on the study of Economic Warfare.

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.

Events

16Octwar on the ballot event

Book Talk - 'War on the Ballot' with Author Dr Andrew Payne

Join us for a book talk with author Dr Andrew Payne to discuss his recent book 'War on the Ballot How the Election Cycle Shapes Presidential Decision-Making...

Please note: this event has passed.

05JunNavy-patrol-boat-shutterstock_508313455

Britain’s strategic tilt to the Indo-Pacific, security and policy debate

Dr William James explores the rationale and efficacy of small or ‘token’ defence deployments – with a specific focus on the defence component of the...

Please note: this event has passed.

Research

F673BBBE-71AF-422F-999B-908BE90A05A0
Economic Conflict & Competition Research Group

The ECCRG aims to be an academic centre of excellence for developing sustained, inter-disciplinary research on the study of Economic Warfare.

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.

Events

16Octwar on the ballot event

Book Talk - 'War on the Ballot' with Author Dr Andrew Payne

Join us for a book talk with author Dr Andrew Payne to discuss his recent book 'War on the Ballot How the Election Cycle Shapes Presidential Decision-Making...

Please note: this event has passed.

05JunNavy-patrol-boat-shutterstock_508313455

Britain’s strategic tilt to the Indo-Pacific, security and policy debate

Dr William James explores the rationale and efficacy of small or ‘token’ defence deployments – with a specific focus on the defence component of the...

Please note: this event has passed.