Aiden Warren

Dr Aiden Warren is a Professor of International Relations at RMIT University's School of Global, Urban and Social Studies.

Dr Aiden Warren is a Fulbright Scholar in Australia-United States Alliance Studies, sponsored by the Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT).

Dr Warren’s teaching and research interests are in the areas of International Security, US national security and foreign policy, US Politics (ideas, institutions, contemporary and historical), International Relations (especially great power politics), and issues associated with Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) proliferation, non-proliferation and arms control. He is the sole author of The Obama Administration’s Nuclear Weapon Strategy: The Promises of Prague and Prevention, Pre-emption and the Nuclear Option: From Bush to Obama; and co-author of Governing the Use-Of-Force in International Relations: The post 9/11 US Challenge on International Law, Presidential Doctrines, and Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Search for Global Security.

Dr Warren is Editor of Rethinking Humanitarian Intervention in the 21st Century (Edinburgh University Press), and is also the Series Editor of two books series: a) Weapons of Mass Destruction and Emerging Technologies book series with Rowman and Littlefield, New York, NY; b) The Palgrave Studies in Global Security, Palgrave-Macmillan, New York, NY.

Dr Warren has also made media appearances on ABC24, ABC The World, The Project, Hinch Live: Sky News Australia, 3AW, Triple M, Fox FM, Radio Adelaide/The Wire, 6PR, CurtinFM Afternoon Show, 2CC, 2UE, 4RO, Southern Cross Austereo.

Dr Warren’s publications have received the following endorsements:

"This important book forensically examines dynamics within the ‘First Cold War’ between the United States and the Soviet Union in order to provide insights into today’s ‘Second Cold War’ between the US and China. In a compelling narrative that spans several decades, the authors draw out a range of lessons for navigating this conflict from the 1945-1991 period, not least the role of ideological polarisation in sustaining geopolitical enmity, and the role of diplomacy in ending it. These are crucial insights for scholars, students and policy makers alike." George Lawson, Professor of International Relations, Australia National University (ANU) 

"The deteriorating relationship between China and the United States has caused many analysts to argue we are entering a second Cold War. But how much do we really understand about the decades long U.S.-Soviet ideological and geopolitical rivalry that marked world politics in the decades after the Second World War? In this important study, Aiden Warren and Joseph Siracusa bring seasoned historical eyes to revisit a conflict that shaped the second half of the twentieth century, providing much needed insights that should inform our understanding of the complex and dangerous world we face today." Francis J. Gavin, Giovanni Agnelli Distinguished Professor and Director of the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies

"In elegant and engaging prose, Aiden Warren and Joseph Siracusa revisit the diplomatic dynamics in America’s Cold War. They deftly trace the interactions of major players across nine different US Presidential administrations, illuminating the historical legacies that continue to shape America’s role in a world that today has changed dramatically. This is a terrific, balanced, and grounded overview of some of the most consequential moments of the Cold War, in which they trace how participants’ beliefs and interests sometimes coincided and often collided to shape outcomes in international politics. Anyone looking to bring in IR concepts – such as threats, supremacy, containment, deterrence, isolationism, alignment, nationalism, and spheres of influence – in America’s new bipolar contest with China should first take a look at how they played out historically among allies and rivals in this concise and timely book." Saadia M. Pekkanen, Job and Gertrud Tamaki Endowed Professor, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington

"This essential book traces the themes that have shaped American foreign policy through the lens of presidential administrations. It balances the agency of the presidents themselves with their historic contexts by clearly explaining how U.S. foreign policy is shaped and what role presidents can and cannot play in forming a coherent doctrine. An essential book for contextualizing and historicizing the presidential doctrines of Obama, Trump, and now Biden." Bronwen Everill, University of Cambridge

"This excellent overview of the development of key presidential doctrines, from Washington's time to the present, effectively demonstrates how policymakers adapted these essential doctrines to new eras and circumstances in pursuing the national interest. Warren and Siracusa have done a notable service by placing the foreign policies of both the Trump and the fledgling Biden administrations into the larger context of American foreign policy development. Their book provides insightful and instructive reading not only for those who study U.S. foreign policy but also for those who seek to shape it in the present and the future." Wilson D. Miscomber, CSC, University of Notre Dame

"Understanding Presidential Doctrines presents a comprehensive, insightful, and balanced review of how each of the presidents of the United States approached foreign policy. It is essential reading for anyone wishing to make sense of the evolution of U.S. international power and understand that presidents do not enter office working from a clean slate. Past commitments and approaches bind presidents to past policies as they attempt to forge new directions in a changing and dangerous world. I learned a great deal from this book." Michael A. Genovese, Loyola Marymount University

"Warren and Siracusa--two highly established experts in the field of U.S. foreign policy--have written a critical, fascinating, and necessary study on the issue of doctrine. Bringing together a comprehensive historical analysis, their study makes a major contribution to the debate and gives a much-needed overview of what U.S. foreign policy doctrine is and has meant since Washington. The analysis not only considers the key concepts underpinning doctrine in valuable depth but also explores how these have been applied and developed over time. This book is an absolute must-read for anyone working on U.S. foreign policy and doctrine--academics, students, and practitioners alike." Michelle Bentley, Royal Holloway, University of London

"In US Presidents and Cold War Nuclear Diplomacy, Warren and Siracusa have effectively synthesized and analyzed the contours of presidential leadership on nuclear weapons during the Cold War. Their account highlights both the significance of the issue for that conflict, and seeks applicable lessons for today’s international environment, and the return of “Great Power competition” and the possibility of a new nuclear arms race. This is an important book that should be read by both policymakers and students of international relations." Thomas Schwartz, Professor of History and Political Science, Vanderbilt University, USA

"This is an important and timely book. At a time when tensions between the United States and China and Iran (not to mention Russia and North Korea) are perilously escalating, this analysis of United States Cold War nuclear diplomacy through nine presidents powerfully demonstrates the dangers, and more importantly the futility, of portrayals and overblown rhetorical exaggerations by US leaders and their allies when describing the ambitions, intentions, and capabilities, of their adversaries. Warren and Siracusa persuasively argue that in this post-Cold War age of nuclear proliferation what is needed to enhance national security is quiet cooperative nuclear control diplomacy, not alarmist public rhetoric. It is a cautionary tale that should be read by everyone―especially by policymakers and politicians." Ian J. Bickerton, Professor of History, University of New South Wales, Australia

"This important volume underscores the mind-blowing impacts and often unseen and unanticipated ramifications of our digitally entangled and technologically infused lives. Contributions from leading global studies scholars traverse a wide range of digitized spheres, exploring the emergence of new subjects, processes, threats, and opportunities that are transforming how we relate to each other and the wider world. Timely, significant, and immensely relevant to all of us." Eve Darian-Smith, Professor of Global & International Studies, University of California Irvine, USA

"The Digital Global Condition critically explores the ‘defining global impact’ of technologies that are at once ubiquitous and highly differentially distributed among people, corporations, and states. Whether discussing the insecurity produced by digital security technologies, the growing reach and radicalization of the misogynist ‘manosphere,’ the peril and possibility in new modalities of information and interaction, or the ambiguous promise of digital communications for decolonial organizing and solidarity, the chapters consistently reveal the Janus-faced nature of digitalization. This volume is a crucial resource for anyone struggling to comprehend the new human condition in a digital age." Michael Goodhart, Professor of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh, USA

"If you want to understand the contemporary age of new and emerging technologies, how we got here, and where we are headed, look no further than this tour-de-force collection edited by Elizabeth Kath, Julian Lee, and Aiden Warren. Unlike previous treatments which tend to focus overwhelmingly on the obvious and siloed issues pertaining to aberrant technologies and the digitization revolution, this remarkable edited collection has assembled a diverse range of rising stars and big hitters in their captivating assessments. Here, they deftly contextualize the new digital age by giving equal treatment to the connections relating to indigeneity, gender, culture, and human identity while also providing compelling assessments on great power politics, global security and where we as human beings fit into these transitional and volatile spaces. The Digital Global Condition provides insightful and enlightening reading not only for those who study, research and work in the global studies and international relations domains, but also for those who seek to shape it in the present and future. Kath, Lee and Warren need to be congratulated on their fine efforts." Shahrbanou Tadjbakhsh, Professor of International Relations, Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA), Sciences Po, France

"This is a cutting-edge collection of essays on what is shaping up to be one of the major challenges facing humanity in the 21st century: the collision of globalization and digitization. The editors and contributors masterfully dissect the impact of digital technology on global affairs without losing sight of important connections to related global issues such as climate change, great powers competitions, legal frameworks, higher education, and postcolonialism. This timely volume contains the most comprehensive and sophisticated treatments of the global digital condition up to now – highly recommended!" Manfred B. Steger, Professor of Sociology, University of Hawai'i-Manoa, USA

"This collection offers a fresh and inclusive look at global security challenges, featuring insightful analytical and empirical investigations written from diverse critical and traditional vantage points. The contributions are essential reading for those trying to track and understand the trajectories of diverse global security issues." Ingvild Bode, Centre for War Studies, University of Southern Denmark

"This impressive collection is a timely re-examination of key global security challenges. It is a thoughtful, clear, comprehensive and highly engaging analysis of contemporary trends, issues and approaches to everyday and international security. With its accomplished and exciting list of contributors and topics, this volume is essential reading for every student and practitioner working in the fields of peace, conflict and security, and for anyone seeking to better understand today's complex security environment." Devon E. A. Curtis, University of Cambridge

"For those seeking a comprehensive and erudite examination of the expanding range of global security approaches, issues and challenges confronting societies in the 2020s, look no further than this volume. Combining both traditional and critical approaches and a diverse range of voices, this volume shows that the global coronavirus pandemic is not only a significant new challenge in an already crowded security agenda. The weak collective response to the pandemic has also exposed the structural injustices and frailties of the contemporary global order." Robyn Eckersley, University of Melbourne

"Global Security lives up to its title. It is a remarkably wide-ranging collection that comprehensively surveys theories of security, from the classical canon to the latest approaches. It explores both the traditional issues of great power and nuclear security and the most pressing challenges to the planet revealed by virulent pandemics, stressed environments and disruptive technologies. This a most welcome introduction to dangers of our times." Michael Doyle, Columbia University

"In 2020, relations between the United States and China entered a new stage of heightened competition and confrontation.  With an emphasis on security issues, this comprehensive study expertly demonstrates how successive U.S. presidential administrations wrestled with the challenges posed by China’s rise. Anyone interested in the past, present and future of U.S.-China relations should read this book." M. Taylor Fravel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Massachusetts

"Professors Aiden Warren and Adam Bartley have done an important service to readers endeavoring to understand the remarkable turn in U.S. policy toward China from engagement to acute rivalry in the 21st century. This well organized and clearly written volume plumbs available information to explain persuasively the evolution of the national security approaches to China of the Bush and Obama administrations, and thereby, highlight the important changes carried out by the Trump government." Robert Sutter, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA.

"This book is for any analyst trying to make sense of contemporary U.S. China policy and strategy. It provides a timely, clear-eyed, thorough, and insightful analysis of U.S.-China foreign policy spanning two decades by detailing the evolution of U.S. China policy and emerging Great Power competition across three presidential administrations." Kathleen Walsh, U.S. Naval War College, Rhode Island, USA.

"For too long, academia, as well as international policy communities, have spoken in vague terms regarding nuclear modernization. This book provides a much needed, and long overdue, conceptual and comparative study of nuclear modernization in the United States, Russia and China. At a time when so many nuclear weapons states are modernizing their arsenals, and arms control seems to be in decline, this is a must-read for nuclear scholars and practitioners." Nicola Leveringhaus, King’s College London, UK.

"Warren and Baxter’s new collection of essays is good news for scholars, students, and the policy community. The clear-eyed and concisely written chapters provide a rock-solid survey of nuclear modernization underway in the US, Russia, and China. The diverse, mostly younger group of scholars and practitioners also examines the implications nuclear modernization may have for nonproliferation, for international security more generally, and perhaps even for international relations. The ladder may seem unlikely, but in a world where efforts to limit and manage nuclear arsenals are being tossed aside, and where the three largest nuclear powers eye the actions of others with suspicion, today’s nuclear modernizations may yet prove to be a pathway to a very different future. Some analysts would welcome that outcome, even as others offer warnings, but all of them will find Nuclear Modernization in the 21st Century a useful guide to an uncertain future." James J. Walsh, MIT, Massachusetts, USA.

"As a new nuclear arms race looms, this important and timely volume assembles leading experts to provide cutting-edge analyses of the plans and programs of the United States, Russia and China to spend billions of dollars on the modernization of their nuclear arsenals. This will be the go-to volume for understanding the new weapons technologies of the major nuclear-weapons states, as well as the likely impact of these ever more sophisticated and dangerous arsenals on global security, stability, and the prospects for proliferation. It will be essential reading for policymakers and academics alike." Nina Tannenwald, Brown University, USA.

"Warren and Baxter have collected the contributions of standout global experts who examine and analyze the nuclear modernization programs underway and on the drawing board in the U.S., Russia and China. Nuclear Modernization in the 21st Century explores the motivations for these programs, their consequences for nuclear deterrence, for future arms control initiatives, for the health of the international nuclear nonproliferation regime, and for pursuit of the elusive goal of strategic stability. Whether one believes nuclear weapons are essential to prevent another Great Power War and must be part of the security equation indefinitely, or that their use under any circumstances is illegal and immoral, those of us who have worked on these issues understand that it is far from a black and white issue. This excellent contribution to the literature and discourse may not change your views, but it will most certainly better inform them." Ambassador Susan F. Burk, Former Special Representative to the President of the United States for Nuclear Nonproliferation.

“Comprehensive and timely, Weapons of Mass Destruction is focused firmly upon the security challenges that WMD, nuclear and non-nuclear, pose to the 21st century. It presents a finely-judged account of the successive phases of nuclear history, blending well-grounded historical summaries with acute policy commentary. Writing with admirable clarity, Warren documents how the road from 1945 led us to where we are today, with nuclear terror compounded by the insidious threats of chemical and biological attack. They show how the knife-edge stability of the Cold War was seceded by the emergence of new players and new threats which together transform the global security threat.” Professor Ken Young, King's College London

“If you want to understand the contemporary nuclear age, how we got here, and where we are headed, look no further than this tour de force, Weapons of Mass Destruction, by Joseph Siracusa and Aiden Warren. Unlike previous treatments of the nuclear age which tended to focus overwhelmingly on the superpower experience, Siracusa and Warren deftly contextualize the entire nuclear age by giving equal treatment to the proliferation histories and challenges presented by regional nuclear powers—precisely those powers that pose the greatest challenge to nuclear security and nonproliferation today. This book belongs on the shelf of anyone who cares literally about the future of the world.” Professor Vipin Narang, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

“Joseph Siracusa and Aiden Warren are internationally-recognized security studies scholars based in Australia and their new book, Weapons of Mass Destruction, provides an excellent overview of the past, present, and future of WMD challenges. The book is highly recommend to students who will gain from a comprehensive examination of the major issues and to more seasoned experts who will benefit from the authors’ original insights and analysis.” Professor Matthew Kroenig, Georgetown University

“Continuity or change? This accessible, salutary, timely and engaging account, Governing the Use-of-Force in International Relations, of American engagement with the rules on the use of force, under Bush and Obama, offers vital insights at a time of obvious and increasing challenge.” Professor Philippe Sands, University College London

“In Governing the Use-of-Force in International Relations Warren and Bode have produced a timely, well-written book that documents the continuity that defined the United States’ approach to international law and the use-of-force over the last decade. It should be required reading for anyone interested in foreign policy and international relations but more generally for anyone with an interest in how the world has operated since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.” Associate Professor Sarah Kreps, Cornell University

“This well-written volume, Governing the Use-of-Force in International Relations, is a timely reminder that the attitude of the greatest military power on earth towards the legal regime on the use of force remains as relevant today as it has ever been. Highly recommended for all those seeking to understand how hegemonic powers conduct their foreign relations as well as for those wanting to keep abreast of ongoing contestation surrounding the interpretation of the Charter provisions on use-of-force.” Professor Shirley Scott, University of New South Wales (UNSW)

“This excellent overview of the development of key presidential doctrines from Washington to Obama effectively demonstrates how policy makers adapted these essential doctrines to new eras and circumstances in pursuing the national interest. It provides insightful and instructive reading not only for those who study U.S. foreign policy, but also for those who seek to shape it in the present and future.” Professor Wilson D. Miscamble C.S.C., professor of History, University of Notre Dame

“In this refreshingly well-written and original book, Presidential Doctrines, Siracusa and Warren survey the history of American foreign policy using presidential “doctrines,” and show an underlying degree of coherence in their advancement of America’s national interests. It is an impressive achievement and a significant and creative contribution to the field.” Professor Thomas Schwartz, professor of History and Political Science, Vanderbilt University

“An important examination of presidential doctrines in the creation of American foreign policy that takes seriously the wider international and domestic historical contexts in which presidents were operating. Warren presents a refreshing focus on the continuing realist and practical strain of American foreign engagement.” Dr Bronwen Everill, college lecturer director of Studies in History, University of Cambridge

“This thought-provoking volume, Rethinking Humanitarian Intervention in the 21st Century, makes a significant contribution to debates about intervention. Eschewing conventional approaches to the subject, the book tackles some key issues, from the evolution of humanitarian interventions, the limitations of sovereignty, through to the politics of post-intervention (re)-building and humanitarianism. Important case studies from Timor-Leste to Syria and Libya are also included. This timely book will be of interest to both scholarly and policy audiences.” Associate Professor George Lawson, International Relations, London School of Economics

“This rigorous multi-disciplinary volume, Rethinking Humanitarian Intervention in the 21st Century, redefines interventions as attempts at social transformation related to different domains (economic, social, military, humanitarian) and actors (local, national, regional, international), resulting in a much appreciated call to scholars, students and practitioners to study and think of interventions as complex, inter-related, multi-faceted, multi-level political and social processes. The emphasis on local contexts, actors, institutions and power relations as defining factors for understanding the dynamics and outcomes of interventions makes this book a valuable contribution to the literature.” Associate Professor Liesbet Heyse, University of Groningen

“Rethinking Humanitarian Intervention in the 21st Century is an invaluable series of studies, rich in theory and varied in substance, that admirably depict the multiple complexities of interventionary diplomacy as it has unfolded in recent decades. Indispensable reading for all those concerned with the shifting parameters of world politics.” Professor Emeritus Richard Falk, Princeton University

“Warren has achieved an exceptional feat by packing several decades worth of WMD history into a neat read. They take us on a journey starting in the Cold War and guide us to today, telling the story of how most destructive weapons remained a steady and dangerous fixture of the international security landscape. The authors provided true service to the field by writing a foundational text that serves as a perfect introduction to the field of WMD non-proliferation.” Dr Togzhan Kassenova, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace