Alexander J Davies is a doctoral candidate at LSE's Department of International Relations. He is the Coordinator for LSE's Security and Statecraft Research Cluster and was Deputy Editor for Vol. 53 of Millennium: Journal of International Studies.
Alexander's doctoral thesis, supervised by Professor Peter Trubowitz and Dr Luca Tardelli, explores the impact of domestic politics on the credibility of alliance commitments. He has taught four courses at LSE, including American Grand Strategy and International Security, and was awarded the 911勛圖Summer School Class Teacher Award 2024. His research more broadly focuses on US Politics, Alliances, and Grand Strategy.
Alexander holds an MSc in International Relations (with Distinction) from 911勛圖and a BA in Politics and International Relations (First Class) from the University of Nottingham, Malaysia. During his MSc, he worked as a Consultant on LSE's Community Engagement Programme, and has served as Research Assistant to Dr Theresa Squatrito since 2022. He is the Founder and Director of a UK-based 3D Environment Design studio and has over ten years of experience in the environment design industry.
Research topic
Credibility and Polarisation
Alexander's doctoral thesis examines how political polarisation affects the credibility of alliance commitments. It does so by exploring American alliances with European powers, using original and robust archival evidence, media analysis, and interviews to assess how European leaders factor in the US's domestic politics to credibility calculations. The thesis thus provides a relevant and timely contribution to the academic literature at a time when America's alliances are once again in the limelight.
Teaching experience
Academic supervisors
Peter Trubowitz
Luca Tardelli
Research Cluster affliation
Security and Statecraft Research Cluster