Research

Research agenda

My research re-examines power dynamics in International Relations, especially through the study of asymmetrical relationships. My primary empirical focus has been on the international relations of the Americas, often with an historical focus, based on extensive multinational archival research.

Access a list of my publications.

Much of my work explores how smaller states seek influence bilaterally and in their engagements with international order and institutions. Currently, I am undertaking a multifaceted project on Latin America’s interaction with and contributions to the institutions, norms, and practices of ‘liberal international order’, especially in the late nineteenth century and the immediate post-WWII period.

From September 2021-2025, I will be PI on the AHRC Standard Grant (Early Career Route, c. £250,000), ‘Latin America and the peripheral origins of nineteenth-century international order’.

Recent publications

  • A Small State’s Guide to Influence in World Politics (OUP 2022)
  • North America 2.0: Forging a Continental Future (Wilson Center).
  •  “Compensatory Layering and the Birth of the Multipurpose Multilateral IGO in the Americas,” International Organization.

GET IN TOUCH

Reach out to Tom on Twitter or email.

Recent talks:
North America 2.0 / Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internationales

The Foreign Policies of Small States / Georgetown University – Qatar

El Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU: 50o Aniversario,” Museo del Canal de Panamá