As a Professor of International Relations at LSE for over 40 years Christopher taught and mentored countless students who remember his unique humour and individuality. Following his retirement in 2019 he continued to serve as the co-director of LSE IDEAS supporting the foundation of the LSE IDEAS Ratiu Forum and establishing many other long-standing partnerships.
Professor Coker was a world-renowned academic who dedicated his life to writing extensively on all aspects of war. He was a twice serving member of the Council of the Royal United Services Institute, a former NATO Fellow and a regular lecturer at Defence Colleges in the UK, US. Rome, Singapore, and Tokyo. He was also a Visiting Fellow at the National Institute for Defence Studies in Tokyo, the Rajaratnam School for International Studies Singapore, the Political Science Dept in Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok and the Norwegian and Swedish Defence Colleges. His publications include Rebooting Clausewitz (Hurst, 2015), Future War (Polity, 2016), and The Rise of the Civilizational State (Polity, 2019). His most recent book was, Why War? (2020).
Co-Director, Professor Chris Alden, commented in memory of Professor Coker, ‘’Christopher's originality of thought and sparkling intellect shaped a generation of scholars, policy makers and students studying war in our times. All of us at LSE IDEAS were privileged to know and work with him over the years. His presence will be sorely missed.’’
Centre Manager, Dr Emilia Knight, said, ‘’We will miss Professor Christopher Coker immensely. He was a superb colleague and leader at IDEAS, and the kindest person.’’
We would also encourage you to share memories and messages on our dedicated space here.
A memorial will take place for Christopher on Thursday 30th November, further details to follow. If you are interested in attending please email ideas.events@lse.ac.uk with your name, contact details and association to Professor Coker. Please note spaces are limited and will be prioritised.