Professor Doug Stokes is an acclaimed author and academic whose work examines the intersection of geopolitics, elite ideology, and the Western liberal order. His most recent book explores the rise of the 'decolonisation' movement within British institutions, arguing that illiberal technocratic elites have weaponised moral panics to maintain power in an era of growing authoritarianism.

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The book has earned significant praise. Lord Sumption noted that its arguments have "rarely been made with such verve and force." At the same time, Dr. Munira Mirza, former head of the No. 10 Policy Unit, called it a "highly insightful and persuasive contribution." It was lauded by The Times Literary Supplement as ‘incisive, humane and brave’ and was nominated for its 2023 Book of the Year.

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Professor Stokes’s academic career includes roles as the Director of the University of Exeter's Strategy and Security Institute and over a decade as a Senior Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). His earlier books examined US counterinsurgency in Latin America and the role of coercive statecraft in global energy markets. Today, he advises senior leaders as a Senior Adviser to the Prosperity Institute in London and a Senior Research Fellow at the Danube Institute in Budapest.

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A unique range of experiences informs his academic work. Born to a working-class family in Hackney, East London, he was the first in his family to attend university. Before his postgraduate studies in Bristol, he lived and worked in post-war Bosnia, where he co-founded an NGO focused on ethnic reconciliation in the volatile town of Brcko.

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A prominent public commentator, Professor Stokes writes regularly for major outlets including The Times, The Telegraph, The Spectator, and the Daily Mail, and frequently appears on podcasts to discuss pressing geopolitical and cultural issues.

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