Alex Braithwaite

Alex Braithwaite is a Professor in International Relations at the School of Government and Public Policy. He joined the University of Arizona in August 2013, having previously held faculty positions at University College London (2007-2013) and Colorado State University (2006-2007).

His teaching and research focuses upon the causes and geography of violent and nonviolent political conflict - including terrorism, protests, riots, civil war, and international wars. He has published two dozen articles and book chapters, including at Journal of Politics, British Journal of Political Science, International Studies Quarterly, and Journal of Peace Research. He also published a book, Conflict Hotspots: Emergence, Causes, and Consequences, with Ashgate in July 2010. These publications collectively demonstrate that incidents of violent political conflict cluster in space and time, that openings in political opportunity structures encourage the contagion of violence between groups and across national borders, and that terrorist groups commonly exploit so-called spoiler opportunities in an attempt to derail plans for peace. This research has been supported by small and large grants from the Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (UK), the Economic & Social Science Research Council (UK), the Nuffield Foundation, the British Academy, Apple Inc., and the Airey Neave Trust.