Dr. Alison Brettle

Biography

Alison Brettle is a Lecturer in Defence Studies at King's College London, focusing on the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) Programme and the MA in International Security Strategy. She has taught a range of courses at the Joint Services Command and Staff College in Shrivenham. Previously, she held the position of Joint Appointment Lecturer in the Defence Studies Department within the Department of War Studies. Her research centers on war-to-peace transitions in fragile, conflict-affected regions, particularly examining the roles of violent state and non-state armed groups in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. Brettle is particularly interested in how leadership and relationships contribute to moving individuals and groups away from conflict and towards peace. She serves as the Research Lead on Armed Actors for the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) project, which aims to understand the pathways to violent and peaceful behavior in areas affected by fragility and violent conflict. She has previously been a visiting researcher at the Centre for Experimental Social Science at Nuffield College, University of Oxford. Brettle holds a PhD in War Studies from King's College London and has completed an MA in Applied Conflict Resolution at the University of Bradford's Peace Studies Department, an MA in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Staffordshire, and a BA Hons in History from the University of Durham.

Research Interests