Journal Articles by Peter Finn
Critical Military Studies, 2019
Oversight of national security operations is often presented as vital to ensuring military and in... more Oversight of national security operations is often presented as vital to ensuring military and intelligence personnel of democratic states abide by the rule of law. Collectively, such portrayals place stock in what this paper conceptualizes as the democratic oversight narrative. In the US and the UK, freedom of information legislation is presented as a tool giving the democratic oversight narrative real-world form. This occurs, it is argued, because such legislation allows those (such as legislators and the media) responsible for national security oversight access to information about said operations in order to mediate between citizens and states. In recent years, documents containing implicatory information have been released by the US and the UK, but often only after prolonged legal cases and significant obstruction by both states. Drawing on documents pertaining to processes set in motion by the American Civil Liberties Union and the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Extraordinary Rendition focused on obtaining information about War on Terror era detainee abuse, this paper argues those engaged in oversight of US and UK national security operations are faced with unduly restrictive barriers and impediments when seeking the disclosure of potentially implicatory information that should, via oversight tools such as freedom of information processes, legitimately be released. These barriers and impediments arise, it is shown, because both states can counter oversight by drawing on an opposing set of tools to stop (or at least stall) the release of such information.
The Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the US 2016 Presidential election has dogg... more The Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the US 2016 Presidential election has dogged the Trump administration, almost from the beginning of its time in office. The impact of the probe is widespread and affecting the United States in myriad ways both domestically and in foreign policy. We contend that, regarding US-European relations, the Mueller investigation is hastening two broad trends. Firstly, the continuing revelations are pushing the traditional US foreign policy establishment closer towards Europe. Secondly, and simultaneously, these revelations, as well as the continued actions of the President himself, are acting as a source of tension in US-European relations that are pushing European elites into awkward policy choices.
Photographic essay examining how war is reflected on the streets of London. Published in the Dece... more Photographic essay examining how war is reflected on the streets of London. Published in the December 2015 edition of the Journal of International Relations Research. pp.7-19.
Reports, Briefs & Podcasts by Peter Finn
American Politics Group of the Political Studies Association Website, 2023
Features eight chapters written by academics based in the US, the UK, Germany and the Republic of... more Features eight chapters written by academics based in the US, the UK, Germany and the Republic of Ireland.
Foreword by Lara M Brown.
Designed to act as a bridge between bridge between journalistic coverage of the 2022 midterms and peer-reviewed academic work.
A launch event hosted by Kingston University, Tuesday 31 January 2023.
Authors include a mixture of senior academics, mid-career scholars, early career researchers, and PhD students.
Project Lead: Peter Finn, Senior Lecturer in Politics at Kingston University, London.
Editorial Committee: Peter Finn, Tom Furse, Clodagh Harrington & Michael Espinoza.
Chapter Authors: Alex Wadden, Amy Tatum, Caroline Leicht, Chris Gilson, Clodagh Harrington, Felicia Ronnholm, Matthew Schlachter, Michael Espinoza, Peter Finn, & Robert Ledger.
For press inquiries, contact: [email protected]
The Covid-19 and Democracy Project, 2022
A Levels sit within the broader further education environment in the UK. Other further education ... more A Levels sit within the broader further education environment in the UK. Other further education routes include Scottish Highers, BTECs and apprenticeships, T-Levels, and the International Baccalaureate. This e-briefing focuses on the impact of the pandemic on the administration of A Levels and the experience of A Level students. It does so chronologically, with sections on 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22. The final section considers three themes those due to teach and support students finishing their A Levels in summer 2022 in higher education (HE) settings in the forthcoming 2022-23 academic year may want to factor into their preparation. These factors are academic support, mental health, and inequality.
LSE British Politics and Policy, 2022
This paper examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on A-Levels since 2020, and what it means... more This paper examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on A-Levels since 2020, and what it means for UK higher education in 2022/23
The Covid-19 and Democracy Project Policy Brief Series, 2021
Author: Dr Nevena Nancheva, Foreword: Associate Professor Radu Cinpoes, Series Editor: Dr Peter F... more Author: Dr Nevena Nancheva, Foreword: Associate Professor Radu Cinpoes, Series Editor: Dr Peter Finn
Migration and mobility are intrinsically linked to democracy in the European Union (EU) as they apply, in varying ways, to EU citizens and denizens and demarcate a problematic boundary between a presumed European demos and third-country nationals.
EU migration and mobility policies concern different domains (non-EU nationals and EU citizens, respectively) and have been characterised by numerous pressures, priorities, and outcomes in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The common feature of the developments across the two domains has been the exacerbation of existing vulnerabilities both in EU policies and among the migrant populations concerned.
A visible characteristic of the EU response across the domains of migration and mobility has been an intersection between the increased relevance of national politics and a concerted effort to produce an integrated supranational response.
The Covid-19 pandemic may provide useful impetus and context for integration in the domains of migration and mobility, as illustrated currently by the ‘Team Europe’ agenda, and previously by the 2015 migration policy crisis, and thus may have direct implications on democratic processes in the EU.
The Covid-19 and Democracy Project Policy Brief Series, 2021
Author: David Green, Foreword: Ranjit Bains, Series Editor: Peter Finn
A well-functioning Crimin... more Author: David Green, Foreword: Ranjit Bains, Series Editor: Peter Finn
A well-functioning Criminal Justice System is essential to maintaining the Rule of Law. If, on one hand, the State removes citizens’ liberty without due process; or on the other, if those guilty of crimes are seen to avoid justice, the fine balance between authoritarianism and anarchy will be upset.
Over recent years, the entire Criminal Justice System in England and Wales has been subject to systematic cuts in funding, personnel and physical resources. This led to it being unable to cope with the sudden and unexpected impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This lack of elasticity in the system led to delays and, in some cases, a prolonged loss of liberty.
Three urgent areas now need addressing: reducing delays; re-building a network of local courts; and re-creating a sustainable system of legal aid.
These three priorities can only be achieved by the Government properly funding the Criminal Justice System.
This briefing paper explores the intersection between the Covid-19 and the 2020 US Electoral Cycl... more This briefing paper explores the intersection between the Covid-19 and the 2020 US Electoral Cycle. It forms part of a stream of work carried out within The Covid-19 and Democracy Project, which is based at Kingston University, London.
Explores the intersection between the Covid-19 pandemic and democratic politics and policy.
This report examines the intersection between political and policy responses to Covid-19 across 8... more This report examines the intersection between political and policy responses to Covid-19 across 8 democracies (the UK, Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Israel, Japan, Taiwan, and the US). In doing, it provides first-cut analyses of the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.
For democracy to thrive, accountability is key. Core to this accountability is an understanding of how democratic states act to protect their citizens against a myriad of threats. In recent months, perhaps the largest of these threats has been the Covid-19 pandemic.
Among the report's 8 case studies, some states were more prepared for such an event, and acted with more forethought, than others. This report shows that these differences in preparedness and forethought had real-world effects.
This brief is aimed at PhD students and early-career researchers. It provides practical advice on... more This brief is aimed at PhD students and early-career researchers. It provides practical advice on networking and explores intellectual frameworks that can be drawn on by academics to conceptualize their place in broader power structures. It builds on original contributions from Antonio Cerella, Senior Lecturer at Kingston University, Camilla Molyneux, a Researcher for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Drones, and Ruth Blakeley, a Professor of Politics and International Relations at Sheffield University, Co-Director of the Rendition Project and Vice-Chair of BISA.
Book Reviews by Peter Finn
LSE USAPP, 2020
Rage by Washington Post veteran Bob Woodward documents the first three-and-a-half years of Donald... more Rage by Washington Post veteran Bob Woodward documents the first three-and-a-half years of Donald Trump’s presidency. Drawing from 17 interviews Woodward secured with Trump, the book ends with a discussion of the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The book is an impressive piece of contemporary history, yet Robert Ledger and Peter Finn find that it is sometimes hard to fully penetrate the rambling material garnered from the interviews with Trump.
LSE Euro Blog, 2019
In a new podcast series, British journalist Misha Glenny provides an examination of the rise and ... more In a new podcast series, British journalist Misha Glenny provides an examination of the rise and reign of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Peter Finn and Robert Ledger write that although the series is relatively short, it constitutes a weighty journalistic endeavour with insights on the evolution of post-Soviet Russia and Putin's expansion and consolidation of power.
Review of Fear by Bob Woodward
Review of two documentaries that examine WIKILEAKS and the rise of JSOC
Conference Presentations by Peter Finn
Call for participants for a BISA post-graduate network funded workshop titled The PhD & the Power... more Call for participants for a BISA post-graduate network funded workshop titled The PhD & the Powerful. The workshop takes place Thursday November 1st 2018 at Kingston University, London.
Detention operations were a key feature of the Iraq War from the opening months of the conflict u... more Detention operations were a key feature of the Iraq War from the opening months of the conflict until the US pulled out in December 2011. Across this period the UK and the US held thousands of detainees in military detention sites across the country. In some instances, detainees held by the UK were transferred to US control, while in others the UK held detainees on behalf of other states. Numerous actors such as Special Forces, the DIA, the FBI and PMCs also played a part in the running of these sites. Moreover, alongside these military detention sites, other sites operated by, among others, Iraqi security forces, the CIA and sectarian militias all held detainees.
The abuse of detainees took place across all types of sites. Some instances of abuse (such as part of the abuse that took place at Abu Ghraib) have seen a certain level of accountability. However, many other instances have not, with those responsible, both directly and via the chain of command, operating with impunity. In numerous cases this impunity was augmented by the loopholes and grey areas that can be fostered when a large number of actors are complicit in the actions of one another. This paper shall illuminate the complicity of the UK and US militaries in abuse carried out by a myriad of actors. By doing so, it shall shine a light on the actions of PMC companies such as CACI and Titan and the engagement of the UK forces with militias in and around Basra.
Despite being couched in a plethora of discourse trumpeting the importance of ethics and human ri... more Despite being couched in a plethora of discourse trumpeting the importance of ethics and human rights, the national security operations of the US are often characterised by the use of ethically questionable policies. These policies have included the use of torture, the use of drone strikes in states the US is not at war with, engagement with proxy militias and military forces implicated in human rights abuses and the incommunicado holding of detainees. In many instances, a large amount of effort goes into preventing knowledge of these practices from entering the public domain.
The strategies drawn on to prevent knowledge of questionable practices entering the public domain alter for numerous reasons, including the specifics of the policy being implemented and what, if any, information is already in the public domain. Moreover, the exact scale and scope of such strategies are subject to a great deal of variety and can encompass things such as the redaction or withholding of documents or the embedding of plausible deniability into the use of a controversial practice. This piece will label these strategies Clean Operations Strategies.
The ‘other’ is often integral to the implementation of many Clean Operations Strategies. Without the ability of the US to draw on other classifications of forces, other legal jurisdictions and other categories and narratives many Clean Operations Strategies would be unworkable. This piece will highlight some of the ways that the ‘other’ is drawn on by the US in order to try and prevent knowledge of controversial practices seeping into the public domain.
By utilising detention operations in Iraq as its main case study, this work will demonstrate the important links between the adoption of Clean Operations Strategies and ‘other’ categorisations and the manner in which the ability to manipulate categorisations facilitates the adoption of ethically questionable policies.
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Journal Articles by Peter Finn
Reports, Briefs & Podcasts by Peter Finn
Foreword by Lara M Brown.
Designed to act as a bridge between bridge between journalistic coverage of the 2022 midterms and peer-reviewed academic work.
A launch event hosted by Kingston University, Tuesday 31 January 2023.
Authors include a mixture of senior academics, mid-career scholars, early career researchers, and PhD students.
Project Lead: Peter Finn, Senior Lecturer in Politics at Kingston University, London.
Editorial Committee: Peter Finn, Tom Furse, Clodagh Harrington & Michael Espinoza.
Chapter Authors: Alex Wadden, Amy Tatum, Caroline Leicht, Chris Gilson, Clodagh Harrington, Felicia Ronnholm, Matthew Schlachter, Michael Espinoza, Peter Finn, & Robert Ledger.
For press inquiries, contact: [email protected]
Migration and mobility are intrinsically linked to democracy in the European Union (EU) as they apply, in varying ways, to EU citizens and denizens and demarcate a problematic boundary between a presumed European demos and third-country nationals.
EU migration and mobility policies concern different domains (non-EU nationals and EU citizens, respectively) and have been characterised by numerous pressures, priorities, and outcomes in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The common feature of the developments across the two domains has been the exacerbation of existing vulnerabilities both in EU policies and among the migrant populations concerned.
A visible characteristic of the EU response across the domains of migration and mobility has been an intersection between the increased relevance of national politics and a concerted effort to produce an integrated supranational response.
The Covid-19 pandemic may provide useful impetus and context for integration in the domains of migration and mobility, as illustrated currently by the ‘Team Europe’ agenda, and previously by the 2015 migration policy crisis, and thus may have direct implications on democratic processes in the EU.
A well-functioning Criminal Justice System is essential to maintaining the Rule of Law. If, on one hand, the State removes citizens’ liberty without due process; or on the other, if those guilty of crimes are seen to avoid justice, the fine balance between authoritarianism and anarchy will be upset.
Over recent years, the entire Criminal Justice System in England and Wales has been subject to systematic cuts in funding, personnel and physical resources. This led to it being unable to cope with the sudden and unexpected impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This lack of elasticity in the system led to delays and, in some cases, a prolonged loss of liberty.
Three urgent areas now need addressing: reducing delays; re-building a network of local courts; and re-creating a sustainable system of legal aid.
These three priorities can only be achieved by the Government properly funding the Criminal Justice System.
For democracy to thrive, accountability is key. Core to this accountability is an understanding of how democratic states act to protect their citizens against a myriad of threats. In recent months, perhaps the largest of these threats has been the Covid-19 pandemic.
Among the report's 8 case studies, some states were more prepared for such an event, and acted with more forethought, than others. This report shows that these differences in preparedness and forethought had real-world effects.
Book Reviews by Peter Finn
Available for a limited number of downloads via this link
http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/TKKwipuwthRHUcX7SpSX/full
Conference Presentations by Peter Finn
The abuse of detainees took place across all types of sites. Some instances of abuse (such as part of the abuse that took place at Abu Ghraib) have seen a certain level of accountability. However, many other instances have not, with those responsible, both directly and via the chain of command, operating with impunity. In numerous cases this impunity was augmented by the loopholes and grey areas that can be fostered when a large number of actors are complicit in the actions of one another. This paper shall illuminate the complicity of the UK and US militaries in abuse carried out by a myriad of actors. By doing so, it shall shine a light on the actions of PMC companies such as CACI and Titan and the engagement of the UK forces with militias in and around Basra.
The strategies drawn on to prevent knowledge of questionable practices entering the public domain alter for numerous reasons, including the specifics of the policy being implemented and what, if any, information is already in the public domain. Moreover, the exact scale and scope of such strategies are subject to a great deal of variety and can encompass things such as the redaction or withholding of documents or the embedding of plausible deniability into the use of a controversial practice. This piece will label these strategies Clean Operations Strategies.
The ‘other’ is often integral to the implementation of many Clean Operations Strategies. Without the ability of the US to draw on other classifications of forces, other legal jurisdictions and other categories and narratives many Clean Operations Strategies would be unworkable. This piece will highlight some of the ways that the ‘other’ is drawn on by the US in order to try and prevent knowledge of controversial practices seeping into the public domain.
By utilising detention operations in Iraq as its main case study, this work will demonstrate the important links between the adoption of Clean Operations Strategies and ‘other’ categorisations and the manner in which the ability to manipulate categorisations facilitates the adoption of ethically questionable policies.
Foreword by Lara M Brown.
Designed to act as a bridge between bridge between journalistic coverage of the 2022 midterms and peer-reviewed academic work.
A launch event hosted by Kingston University, Tuesday 31 January 2023.
Authors include a mixture of senior academics, mid-career scholars, early career researchers, and PhD students.
Project Lead: Peter Finn, Senior Lecturer in Politics at Kingston University, London.
Editorial Committee: Peter Finn, Tom Furse, Clodagh Harrington & Michael Espinoza.
Chapter Authors: Alex Wadden, Amy Tatum, Caroline Leicht, Chris Gilson, Clodagh Harrington, Felicia Ronnholm, Matthew Schlachter, Michael Espinoza, Peter Finn, & Robert Ledger.
For press inquiries, contact: [email protected]
Migration and mobility are intrinsically linked to democracy in the European Union (EU) as they apply, in varying ways, to EU citizens and denizens and demarcate a problematic boundary between a presumed European demos and third-country nationals.
EU migration and mobility policies concern different domains (non-EU nationals and EU citizens, respectively) and have been characterised by numerous pressures, priorities, and outcomes in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The common feature of the developments across the two domains has been the exacerbation of existing vulnerabilities both in EU policies and among the migrant populations concerned.
A visible characteristic of the EU response across the domains of migration and mobility has been an intersection between the increased relevance of national politics and a concerted effort to produce an integrated supranational response.
The Covid-19 pandemic may provide useful impetus and context for integration in the domains of migration and mobility, as illustrated currently by the ‘Team Europe’ agenda, and previously by the 2015 migration policy crisis, and thus may have direct implications on democratic processes in the EU.
A well-functioning Criminal Justice System is essential to maintaining the Rule of Law. If, on one hand, the State removes citizens’ liberty without due process; or on the other, if those guilty of crimes are seen to avoid justice, the fine balance between authoritarianism and anarchy will be upset.
Over recent years, the entire Criminal Justice System in England and Wales has been subject to systematic cuts in funding, personnel and physical resources. This led to it being unable to cope with the sudden and unexpected impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This lack of elasticity in the system led to delays and, in some cases, a prolonged loss of liberty.
Three urgent areas now need addressing: reducing delays; re-building a network of local courts; and re-creating a sustainable system of legal aid.
These three priorities can only be achieved by the Government properly funding the Criminal Justice System.
For democracy to thrive, accountability is key. Core to this accountability is an understanding of how democratic states act to protect their citizens against a myriad of threats. In recent months, perhaps the largest of these threats has been the Covid-19 pandemic.
Among the report's 8 case studies, some states were more prepared for such an event, and acted with more forethought, than others. This report shows that these differences in preparedness and forethought had real-world effects.
Available for a limited number of downloads via this link
http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/TKKwipuwthRHUcX7SpSX/full
The abuse of detainees took place across all types of sites. Some instances of abuse (such as part of the abuse that took place at Abu Ghraib) have seen a certain level of accountability. However, many other instances have not, with those responsible, both directly and via the chain of command, operating with impunity. In numerous cases this impunity was augmented by the loopholes and grey areas that can be fostered when a large number of actors are complicit in the actions of one another. This paper shall illuminate the complicity of the UK and US militaries in abuse carried out by a myriad of actors. By doing so, it shall shine a light on the actions of PMC companies such as CACI and Titan and the engagement of the UK forces with militias in and around Basra.
The strategies drawn on to prevent knowledge of questionable practices entering the public domain alter for numerous reasons, including the specifics of the policy being implemented and what, if any, information is already in the public domain. Moreover, the exact scale and scope of such strategies are subject to a great deal of variety and can encompass things such as the redaction or withholding of documents or the embedding of plausible deniability into the use of a controversial practice. This piece will label these strategies Clean Operations Strategies.
The ‘other’ is often integral to the implementation of many Clean Operations Strategies. Without the ability of the US to draw on other classifications of forces, other legal jurisdictions and other categories and narratives many Clean Operations Strategies would be unworkable. This piece will highlight some of the ways that the ‘other’ is drawn on by the US in order to try and prevent knowledge of controversial practices seeping into the public domain.
By utilising detention operations in Iraq as its main case study, this work will demonstrate the important links between the adoption of Clean Operations Strategies and ‘other’ categorisations and the manner in which the ability to manipulate categorisations facilitates the adoption of ethically questionable policies.
The images that documented abuse at Abu Ghraib understandably caused shock and outrage when they were released to the public in the spring of 2004. In part because of this shock and outrage, events at Abu Ghraib have been explored from a myriad of angles both inside and outside of academia. Yet, despite a number of press and NGO reports detailing other instances of abuse within the US’s military detention system in Iraq, little attempt has been made within academia to further document this phenomena. Utilising declassified documents, this research illuminates a number of other key instances of abuse that took place within the US’s military detention system in Iraq during the early stages of the Iraq War. Discussions of these instances of abuse will be utilised to shape a broader understanding of the US’s military detention operations during the War on Terror and to illuminate how these events slot into longer term trends.
My chapter is on p.213.
It is titled: Democratising teaching: student votes and module case studies
The project is led by Principal Investigator Dr Peter Finn and Co-Investigator Associate Professor Radu Cinpoes. Rather than provide a comprehensive documentation of events pertaining to the Covid-19 pandemic and the English and Welsh Criminal Justice System, this e-briefing paper provides selective discussions to draw out key themes.
In short, this brief aims to provide a first-cut analysis which acts as a bridge between the reflective writing that develops from the academic peer review process and the more immediate analysis and information found in (the undoubtedly essential) media coverage of the operation of the English and Welsh Criminal Justice System. As such, it is hoped it provides important food for thought for those involved in the analysis of, and policy response to, the Covid-19 pandemic as it relates to the English and Welsh Criminal Justice System.
It will also be of interest to those impacted by, or working within, this system.
The recent volume of “Ante Portas – Security Studies” scientific journal contains five articles concerning the issues of the US home and foreign policy during the presidency of Donald Trump. Authors, affiliated with universities in the United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey, Brazil, and Georgia, share their point of view on contemporary security issues and international relations.
As usual, the second part of our journal contains guest articles respecting actual security problems, inter alia the Russian foreign policy issues, energy and economic affairs, and also very interesting matter of the crisis management