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Professor Alexander Evans OBE

Professor Alexander Evans OBE

MPA in Data Science for Public Policy Programme Director

School of Public Policy

Email
a.i.evans@lse.ac.uk
Connect with me

Twitter

Languages
English, French
Key Expertise
Politics, International Relations, Policy Making, National Security, Tech

About me

Alexander Evans’ previous academic posts have included being the Henry Kissinger Chair at the Library of Congress, a Senior Fellow at Yale, and a Gwilym Gibbon Fellow at Nuffield College Oxford. He has a Ph.D. in politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

A career diplomat, he has worked as an advisor to the Prime Minister in 10 Downing Street, Strategy Director in the Cabinet Office, and Director Cyber in the Foreign Office. He has served as Deputy and Acting High Commissioner to India and (briefly) Pakistan, led the United Nations Security Council expert group on Daesh, Al Qaida and the Taliban, and been a senior advisor to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke in the U.S. Department of State.

He was awarded an OBE for his work in Pakistan, where he led the UK's work on the Tribal Areas from 2007 to 2009.

Education

Ph.D. in Politics, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
World Fellow, Yale
B.Sc. International Relations, London School of Economics

Research Centres

Visiting Senior Fellow, LSE IDEAS

Teaching

PP423: Anticipatory Policymaking
PP415: Technology, Data Science and Policy

Research and Publications 

Monograph
  • The United States and South Asia after Afghanistan (New York: Asia Society 2012) 83pp.

Other appointments
  • Trustee, Internet Watch Foundation (2024 – date)
  • Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Army Leadership (2023 – date)
  • Member, UKRI Interdisciplinary Assessment College (2023 – date)
  • Member, Wilton Park Advisory Council (2023 – date)
  • Member, British Library Advisory Council (2022 – date)
  • Trustee, International Longevity Centre (2023 – date)
  • Fellow, Royal Historical Society (2023 – date)
  • Member, Carnegie Endowment FinCyber Advisory Group (2021 – date)

Webpages

Media
  • Broadcast and print commentary for BBC World Television, BBC World Service Radio, BBC Today Programme, BBC Radio 5 Live, Channel 4 News, CNN, NPR, NBC News, CBS News (60 Minutes), Sky Arabia, BFM TV, Zee TV, Pakistan TV, Independent Radio News, AFP, Reuters, Radio Netherlands International, National Public Radio, Financial Times, Le Monde, Die Welt, Der Spiegel, The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Hindustan Times, Economic Times, Jang, Daily Times, The Wire, Pakistan Observer, NDTV and Republic TV.

Journal articles
  •  ‘Organising for British national strategy’, International Affairs, (Vol 90, 3) May 2014 p509-524
  • ‘Continuity and change in Pakistani politics’, Contemporary South Asia, (Vol 21, 2) June 2012 p213-224
  • ‘Tough Talk is Cheap, Foreign Affairs, (Vol 91, 3) May/June 2012
  • ‘Pakistan and the shadow of 9/11’, RUSI Journal, Aug/Sep (Vol 156, 4) 2011 p64–70
  • ‘Madrasah education: Necessity or Rational Choice?’ Harvard International Review (Vol 30, 3) Fall 2008
  • ‘Understanding madrasahs’ Foreign Affairs, (Vol 85, 1) January/February 2006
  • ‘Kashmir: A Tale of Two Valleys’ Asian Affairs (Vol XXXVI, I) March 2005, p35-47
  • ‘Forecasting India’s potential’ Round Table, (Vol 93, 376) September 2004 p595-608
  • ‘Generating change?’ The World Today October 2002 p23-24
  • ‘India flexes its muscles’ Foreign Policy May/June 2002 p94-96
  • ‘India, Pakistan and the Prospect of War’ Current History (Vol 101, 654) April 2002 p160-165
  • ‘A departure from history: Kashmiri Pandits 1990-2000’ Contemporary South Asia (Vol 11, 1) April 2002 p19-37
  •  ‘Talibanising Kashmir’ The World Today (Vol 57, 12) December 2001 p14-16
  • ‘Kashmir: Reducing Tension is Not Enough’ Washington Quarterly (Vol 24, No 2) March 2001 p181-194
  • ‘As bad as it gets: The Kashmir Insurgency’ Small Wars and Insurgencies (Vol 11, 1) Spring 2001 p69-81
  • ‘Kashmir: the past ten years’ Asian Affairs (Vol XXX, I) February 1999 p21-34
  • ‘Must do - but can do better: Economic Reforms in South Asia’ Contemporary South Asia (review article, Vol. 8, 3) 1999 p242-246
  • Book reviews in Asian Affairs, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, Contemporary South Asia, The Economist, International Affairs, Millennium, RUSI Journal, Conflict, Security and Development, and Financial World.
  • Manuscript reviews for Penguin, Princeton University Press, Brookings Institute Press and Hurst and Company. Referee for Contemporary South Asia, Asian Affairs and the U.S. Institute for Peace. Former editorial board member for The Round Table and Asian Affairs.

 

Book chapters
  • ‘Continuity and change in Pakistani politics’ in Pakistan in national and regional change, ed. Christine Fair and Shaun Gregory (Basingstoke: Routledge 2013)
  • 'Informal networks and policymaking' in Terrorism, Security and Informal Networks, ed. Ann Lane et al (Cheltenham: Edward Elgar 2010)
  • ‘Kashmiri Exceptionalism’ in The Valley of Kashmir: The Making and Unmaking of a Composite Culture ed. T.N.Madan and Aparna Rao (New Delhi, Manohar 2008)
  • ‘Why Peace Won’t Come to Kashmir’ in South Asia, ed. Sumit Ganguly (New York: NYU Press 2006)
  • ‘On Disinterest’ in Decadence, ed. Digby Anderson, (London: SAU 2006)
  • ‘Afghanistan’ Regime Change: it’s been done before ed. Roger Gough (London: Policy Exchange 2003)
  •  ‘An Analysis of Political Violence in Jammu & Kashmir 1988-1997: Gun Rule?’ Warlords in International Relations ed. P. Rich (Macmillan, August 1999)

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