Taster Session: Who Holds the Power? Control and Leadership in Humanitarian Action
Discover how power and control impact humanitarian response and disaster risk reduction in this taster lecture with Dr Philip Cunliffe.
Who Holds the Power? Control and Leadership in Humanitarian Action
By Philip Cunliffe
Governments, international organisations and NGOs each play a role in shaping humanitarian interventions—but who truly decides how support is delivered, who receives it, and when?
Dr Philip Cunliffe is Associate Professor in International Relations at UCL and Postgraduate Tutor in the UCL Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction. His research explores international order, sovereignty, military intervention, and peacebuilding, and he teaches Key Concepts and Debates in Humanitarianism (IRDR0022) and International Relations (IRDR0045).
Study at UCL Risk and Disaster Reduction
Interested in undergraduate or postgraduate study in risk, disaster reduction, and humanitarian action?
The RDR Virtual Taster Sessions provide prospective students with a taste of what it’s like to study in the UCL Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction (RDR). Our taster sessions are free to attend, and you can sign up for as many as you like, depending on your interest areas. Sessions are led by RDR academics, and you will have the opportunity to engage directly with our internationally renowned experts.
Philip joined UCL in 2022. Before that, he taught at the University of Kent and in the Defence Studies and War Studies departments of King's College London, where he also completed his doctorate in War Studies in 2009. He completed his BA with first class honours at the University of Oxford and his Master's in International Politics at Aberystwyth.