I am a political scientist working on state violence, state formation, non-Western genealogies of knowledge, and critical terrorism studies. My work is located at the intersection of International Relations, International Political Sociology, Political Theory, Comparative Politics, Postcolonial/Decolonial Thought, International Security of the Global South, and Middle Eastern Studies.
Currently, I am a Lecturer (Teaching Fellow) of International Security & International Relations at the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Southampton. While at Southampton, I have introduced new critical and comparative theoretical approaches to the study of IR and international security, such as Critical Race Studies. I also introduced the first postgraduate core module on International Security of the Global South completely constituted of Postcolonial and Decolonial Theories.
I have published widely in leading peer-reviewed journals in English and Arabic, including International Political Sociology, The Review of Politics, Aggression and Violent Behavior, SAIS Review of International Affairs, Terrorism and Political Violence, E-IR, Middle Eastern Studies, Arab Studies Quarterly, Contemporary Arab Affairs, and others (see full list of publications). I also published books in English and Arabic. My recent monographs in English are Undesired Revolution: The Arab Uprising in Egypt (Brill, 2023), and Counterterrorism Strategies in Egypt (Routledge, 2022). In Arabic, I published nine books and my most recent project is Theories of War and Peace, 2 vols, forthcoming with Qatar University Press in 2025.
My Undergraduate study was in Egypt, where I obtained a BA in Political Science from the University of Assiut, and a Postgrad Diploma in Political Science from the Institute of Arab Research and Studies (both with distinction). I also hold an MSc from the University of Aberdeen (with distinction), and PhD in International Relations and Political Theory from the University of St Andrews (UK) where I was a researcher at the Honda Center for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence.
In my research and teaching, I have been committed to bridging the gap between English-speaking and Arab-speaking academic cultures. This is reflected in my dedication to introducing the legacy of Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) to the study of state building and international systems; in my writing on teaching practices and knowledge production in and on the Arab world, and in the curation of academic conversations, such as panels at BRISMES Annual Convention (St Andrews, July 2022), The Sixth Conference of the Arab Council for Social Sciences (Beirut, May 2023).
My dedication to the scholarship on the MENA region has been recognised by Arab Citation & Impact Factor, according to which, since 2012 I have been continuously listed among the top three most cited and most influential Arab scholars (among 3000 researchers from over 22 countries in the fields of Political Science and International Relations).
In addition to my scholarly engagements, I am a regular contributor to the Arabic-language YouTube platform Moomen Sallam which discusses the social and political history of the modern Middle East and has a large audience of viewers beyond academia.
You can reach me at: a.ahmed@soton.ac.uk
Currently, I am a Lecturer (Teaching Fellow) of International Security & International Relations at the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Southampton. While at Southampton, I have introduced new critical and comparative theoretical approaches to the study of IR and international security, such as Critical Race Studies. I also introduced the first postgraduate core module on International Security of the Global South completely constituted of Postcolonial and Decolonial Theories.
I have published widely in leading peer-reviewed journals in English and Arabic, including International Political Sociology, The Review of Politics, Aggression and Violent Behavior, SAIS Review of International Affairs, Terrorism and Political Violence, E-IR, Middle Eastern Studies, Arab Studies Quarterly, Contemporary Arab Affairs, and others (see full list of publications). I also published books in English and Arabic. My recent monographs in English are Undesired Revolution: The Arab Uprising in Egypt (Brill, 2023), and Counterterrorism Strategies in Egypt (Routledge, 2022). In Arabic, I published nine books and my most recent project is Theories of War and Peace, 2 vols, forthcoming with Qatar University Press in 2025.
My Undergraduate study was in Egypt, where I obtained a BA in Political Science from the University of Assiut, and a Postgrad Diploma in Political Science from the Institute of Arab Research and Studies (both with distinction). I also hold an MSc from the University of Aberdeen (with distinction), and PhD in International Relations and Political Theory from the University of St Andrews (UK) where I was a researcher at the Honda Center for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence.
In my research and teaching, I have been committed to bridging the gap between English-speaking and Arab-speaking academic cultures. This is reflected in my dedication to introducing the legacy of Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) to the study of state building and international systems; in my writing on teaching practices and knowledge production in and on the Arab world, and in the curation of academic conversations, such as panels at BRISMES Annual Convention (St Andrews, July 2022), The Sixth Conference of the Arab Council for Social Sciences (Beirut, May 2023).
My dedication to the scholarship on the MENA region has been recognised by Arab Citation & Impact Factor, according to which, since 2012 I have been continuously listed among the top three most cited and most influential Arab scholars (among 3000 researchers from over 22 countries in the fields of Political Science and International Relations).
In addition to my scholarly engagements, I am a regular contributor to the Arabic-language YouTube platform Moomen Sallam which discusses the social and political history of the modern Middle East and has a large audience of viewers beyond academia.
You can reach me at: a.ahmed@soton.ac.uk