Research

'If it’s printed it’s true’?: a critical reassessment of the IWM’s Black Propaganda collection

Funder: Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
PI: Professor Rory Cormac
Duration: October 2023-October 2026

In collaboration with the Imperial War Museum, SUIT is co-hosting a project examining Black Propaganda in the Second World War. It considers how the British - and Howe in particular - understood black propaganda; the impact of wider bureaucracy on the role and function of wartime propaganda; and ways of assessing the impact and legacy of such activity. 

This is an AHRC studentship, and the research will be conducted by a Postgraduate Researcher starting in October 2023.

Deterrence in the era of unconventional intervention

Funder: Research England - Research Policy Support Fund
Principal Investigator: Professor Andrew Mumford
Duration: August 2023 – June 2024

This research project aims to enhance understanding of how the rise of unconventional intervention has changed the nature of contemporary deterrence policy. ‘Unconventional intervention’ refers to how states leverage non-traditional means, including disinformation and sponsorship of proxies, to generate the ambiguous use of force. This project aims to deliver both conceptual innovation and policy impact by working with the main branch of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) responsible for forging advances in thinking about deterrence – the ‘Exploration Division’ of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). 

The importance of strategic and political context for military reforms in Ukraine

Funder: British Academy/Leverhulme Trust
PI: Dr Bettina Renz, Co-investigator: Dr Sarah Whitmore (Oxford Brooks University)
Duration: October 2019 - March 2023

This research project explores the type of military in Ukraine that is best suited to the needs and wants of the country.