Sir Adam Roberts (born 29 August 1940) is Emeritus Professor of International Relations at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, a senior research fellow in Oxford University's Department of Politics and International Relations, and an emeritus fellow of

Balliol College Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the ...

, Oxford.

Background

Roberts was born in

Penrith, Cumbria Penrith (, , ) is a market town and civil parish in the county of Cumbria, England, about south of Carlisle. It is less than outside the Lake District National Park, in between the Rivers Petteril and Eamont and just north of the River ...

, the son of the poet and teacher Michael Roberts and the writer and editor

Janet Adam Smith Janet Buchanan Adam Smith OBE (9 December 1905 – 11 September 1999) was a writer, editor, literary journalist and champion of Scottish literature. She was active from the 1930s through to the end of the century and noted for her elegant prose, ...

. He went to

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

, London, 1953–8. He studied Modern History at the University of Oxford (

Magdalen College Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...

), 1959–62, winning the Stanhope essay prize, 1961.

Career

Assistant Editor, ''Peace News'', London, 1962–5. Noel Buxton Student in International Relations, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), 1965–8. Lecturer in International Relations at the

London School of Economics and Political Science The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...

, 1968–81. Alastair Buchan Reader in International Relations at University of Oxford, 1981–6.

Montague Burton Professor of International Relations The Montague Burton Professorship of International Relations is a named chair at the University of Oxford and the London School of Economics and Political Science. Created by the endowment of Montague Burton in UK universities, the Oxford chair w ...

at Oxford University, 1986–2007. With interests in civil resistance,

international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

, the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

, strategic studies, and the history (and theories) of international relations, his publications include works on the

and on Hugo Grotius jointly edited with Professor Benedict Kingsbury. Roberts was elected a Fellow of the British Academy (the UK's national academy for the humanities and social sciences) in 1990, serving as its President (2009–13). He served on the Council of the

International Institute for Strategic Studies The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is a British research institute or think tank in the area of international affairs. Since 1997, its headquarters have been Arundel House in London, England. The 2017 Global Go To Think ...

(2002–08); on the

Council for Science and Technology The Council for Science and Technology (CST) is an advisory non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government. Its role is to give advice on issues that cut across government departments to the Prime Minister, the First Minister of ...

(2010–13); and on the United Kingdom Defence Academy Advisory Board (2003–15). In 2002, he was appointed

Knight Commander Commander ( it, Commendatore; french: Commandeur; german: Komtur; es, Comendador; pt, Comendador), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders. The title of Commander occurred in the medieval mili ...

of the Order of St Michael and St George for services to the study and practice of international relations. He is an Honorary Fellow of the London School of Economics & Political Science, of St Antony's College, Oxford, and of Cumbria University. He has a Guest Professorship at Nankai University, Tianjin, China (2012); and is Honorary Professor,

Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence The Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV), also known as the Handa Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence, is a research centre at the School of International Relations at the University of St. Andrew ...

St Andrew's University (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

(2013- ). He has been awarded honorary doctorates by King's College London (2010);

Aberdeen University , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

(2012); Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo (2012), and Bath University (2014). He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member,

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

, in 2011; and a Member,

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

, 2013. His interests include mountaineering and cycling. He has published articles in numerous journals, including ''

American Journal of International Law ''The American Journal of International Law'' is an English-language scholarly journal focusing on international law and international relations. It is published quarterly since 1907 by the American Society of International Law (ASIL). The ''Jo ...

'', '' British Yearbook of International Law,

International Affairs International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...

, International Security,

Review of International Studies The ''Review of International Studies'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal on international relations published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the British International Studies Association. From 1975-1980, it was known as the ''Brit ...

'', ''Survival'' and ''

The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

''. His publications include:

Recent articles and book chapters

* 'Pandemics and Politics', ''Survival'', London, vol. 62, no. 5, October–November 2020, pp. 7–40. Available a

* 'Foundational Myths in the Laws of War: The 1863 Lieber Code, and the 1864 Geneva Convention', ''Melbourne Journal of International Law'', vol. 20, no. 1, July 2019, pp. 158–96. ISSN 1444-8602. Available at

* 'The Use of Force: A System of Selective Security', in Sebastian von Einsiedel, David M. Malone and Bruno Stagno Ugarte (eds.)
''The UN Security Council in the 21st Century''
Lynne Rienner, Boulder, Colorado, 2016, pp. 349–71. (hardback); 978-1-62637-259-7 (paperback). * 'Terrorism Research: Past, Present and Future', ''Studies in Conflict & Terrorism'', vol. 38, no. 1, January 2015, pp. 62–74. Print edition . Online . Available a

* 'The Long Peace Getting Longer', ''Survival'', London, vol. 54, no. 1, February–March 2012, pp. 175–83. Print edition . Online . Available a

(Review essay on Steven Pinker, ''The Better Angels of our Nature''.) * 'Simon Frederick Peter Halliday, 1946–2010', ''Proceedings of the British Academy'', vol. 172: ''Biographical Memoirs of Fellows'' no. X, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2011, pp. 143–69. . . Available a

* 'The Civilian in Modern War', in Hew Strachan and Sibylle Scheipers (eds.), ''The Changing Character of War'', Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2011, pp. 357–80. (hardback). * 'The Civilian in Modern War', ''Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law'', vol. 12, 2009, T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague, 2010, pp. 13–51. ; . * 'Lives and Statistics: Are 90% of War Victims Civilians?’, ''Survival'', London, vol. 52, no. 3, June–July 2010, pp. 115–35. Print edition . Online . Available a

* 'Detainees: Misfits in Peace and War', in Sibylle Scheipers (ed.), ''Prisoners in War'', Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2010, pp. 263–80. . * 'An "Incredibly Swift Transition": Reflections on the End of the Cold War', in Melvyn P. Leffler and Odd Arne Westad (eds.), ''The Cambridge History of the Cold War'', vol. III, ''Endings'', Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2010, pp. 513–34. . * 'The Equal Application of the Laws of War: A Principle under Pressure', ''International Review of the Red Cross'', Cambridge, vol. 90, no. 872, December 2008, pp. 931–62. . E. Available a

* 'Doctrine and Reality in Afghanistan', ''Survival'', London, vol. 51, no. 1, February–March 2009, pp. 29–60. Print edition . Online . * 'Torture and Incompetence in the "War on Terror"’, ''Survival'', London, vol. 49, no. 1, Spring 2007. (Review article.) Print edition . Online . Available a

* 'Transformative Military Occupation: Applying the Laws of War and Human Rights', ''American Journal of International Law'', Washington DC, vol. 100, no. 3, July 2006. . Available a

* 'The Laws of War in the War on Terror', in Fred L. Borch and Paul S. Wilson (eds.), ''International Law and the War on Terror'' (US Naval War College, International Law Studies, vol. 79),

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

, Newport, Rhode Island, 2003. Available a

Books

*(with Michael J. Willis, Rory McCarthy and

Timothy Garton Ash Timothy Garton Ash CMG FRSA (born 12 July 1955) is a British historian, author and commentator. He is Professor of European Studies at Oxford University. Most of his work has been concerned with the contemporary history of Europe, with a spe ...

) (eds.)
''Civil Resistance in the Arab Spring: Triumphs and Disasters''
Oxford University Press, Oxford, January 2016.
''US edition''
Article arising from the book i
'' The Guardian'', London, 15 January 2016.
Discussion of the book with Professor

Rashid Khalidi Rashid Ismail Khalidi (; born 1948) is an American historian of the Middle East and the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University. He served as editor of the '' Journal of Palestine Studies'' from 2002 until 2020, whe ...

at the

Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs The Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs is a New York City-based 501(c)3 public charity serving international affairs professionals, teachers and students, and the attentive public. Founded in 1914, and originally named ''Church ...

, New York, 10 February 2016, o
Ustream.TV.
* (hardback)
''On Google''
*(with Benedict Kingsbury) (eds.) 全球治理：分列世界中的联合国 (''Global Governance: United Nations in a Divided World''), trans. Zhicheng Wu and colleagues at Nankai University, Central Compilation & Translation Press, Beijing, 2010. . (A specially adapted version of ''United Nations, Divided World: The UN's Roles in International Relations'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, 1993, and incorporating a new introduction by the editors, revised/new appendices, and Foreword by Professor Wang Jisi of Peking University.) * (hardback); (paperback, 2011, with new Foreword on the

Arab Spring The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in Tunisia in response to corruption and econo ...

)
''US edition.''''On Google''
* (hardback); (paperback)
''US edition''''On Google''
* (hardback); (paperback)
''US edition.''
* (paperback)
''US edition.''''Civil Resistance in the East European and Soviet Revolutions''
Cambridge, Mass.: Albert Einstein Institution, 1991. . Available

* (hardback); (paperback).
''US edition.''''On Google''
* . * (hardback); (paperback)
''On Google''
* (paperback). * (Also published as ''Civilian Resistance as a National Defense'', Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, US, 1968; and, with a new Introduction on 'Czechoslovakia and Civilian Defence', as ''Civilian Resistance as a National Defence'', Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, UK, and Baltimore, US, 1969. .)

Lectures

''The Equal Application of the Laws of War: A Principle Under Pressure''
in th

* ttp://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/reinventing-the-wheel-the-cost-of-neglecting-international-history ''Reinventing the Wheel: The cost of neglecting international history''the 2010 Gresham Special Lecture delivered in the

Guildhall, City of London Guildhall is a municipal building in the Moorgate area of the City of London, England. It is off Gresham and Basinghall streets, in the wards of Bassishaw and Cheap. The building has been used as a town hall for several hundred years, and i ...

References

External links

*Oxford University Department of Politics & International Relations: http://www.politics.ox.ac.uk/associates/adam-roberts.html. *Oxford University Programme on Civil Resistance and Power Politics: https://www.politics.ox.ac.uk/research-projects/civil-resistance-and-power-politics-domestic-and-international-dimensions.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Adam 1940 births Living people Nonviolence advocates Fellows of Balliol College, Oxford Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Fellows of the British Academy Presidents of the British Academy People from Penrith, Cumbria Montague Burton Professors of International Relations (University of Oxford) Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Honorary Fellows of the London School of Economics Members of the American Philosophical Society