Our multidisciplinary research considers the political, historical, ethical and strategic problems associated with contemporary practices of development, governance and peacebuilding in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. It explores effective policymaking with respect to national, regional and global development and governance and conflict management. Our research includes studies of efforts to manage the global political economy, including crime and terrorism, civil and international conflict, post-conflict rebuilding and social reconciliation, technological innovation, and the emergence of social media in the context of globalisation.

Our work is situated in the Anthropocene, a new geological era wherein humans are understood to have a profound and irreversible impact on planetary futures. We recognise that peace involves multiple forms of reconciliation involving complex understandings of identity, security, prosperity, democracy, rights and privilege. We are concerned with the personal, grassroots, and global aspects of efforts to promote ‘good governance’. We believe the effective and just development of governance and security is a critical planetary challenge of the 21st century.

Our challenge is to conceptualise development, governance and peace in ways that advance the life goals of the people, communities and species we work with in our research, in the face of the difficulties posed by climate change, great power rivalry, racism, sexism, speciesism, new and old forms of human and nonhuman slavery, inequalities of power and prosperity, political oppression, and armed conflict. We call for alternative forms of theory, translational, national and local identity, heritage, cultural diversity and freedom of expression that is provocative and inclusive of all diversity, across race, gender and species.