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 the 2018-19 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 the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) book series with Rowman and Littlefield, 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:
“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.” Associate 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.” Associate 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

Industry Links and Experience:
Asia Pacific Representative / Member
British International Studies Association (BISA) Working Committee
2016 to Present

Oceania Representative / Member
Fissile Materials Working Group (FMWG)
2015 to Present