Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 02/04/2026Scholars in Scotland, do sign up for this hands-on session with the National Security and Defence Documents Dataset. 010
Reposted by Andrew W NealEdinburgh's International Relations Research Group @edinburghir.bsky.social · 19/01/2026We kicked off this semester's programme with a fascinating discussion of @laurenrogers.bsky.social paper on ontological security and discourses of state 'loneliness' 041
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 02/01/2026About time too! Ireland represents a serious gap in European defences. As a tech hub and key node in the transatlantic data cable network, its critical maritime infrastructure protection capabilities have been severely lacking. share.google/TEKggRQNEHwC...share.googleIreland to deploy large numbers of undersea trackers to detect Russian submarinesProject is part of effort to increase State’s ‘maritime domain awareness’ over concerns of vulnerability of subsea infrastructure 000
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 11/12/20251/9 New article out in International Affairs! 'After Nord Stream: four security dilemmas in critical maritime infrastructure protection' – open access. How do efforts to protect pipelines, cables & wind farms paradoxically create new vulnerabilities? 🔗 academic.oup.com/ia/advance-a...academic.oup.comAfter Nord Stream: four security dilemmas in critical maritime infrastructure protectionMeasures intended to protect critical marine infrastructure against persistent hybrid threats can generate unintended vulnerabilities and dilemmas. This ar 142
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 11/10/2025Apart from the silly rightwing quips by the author, this is a fascinating strategic analysis. 'Putin is losing the war, so prepare for escalation' share.google/0UCU79em6QFx...share.googleAccess Restricted 000
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 26/09/2025Going to Salzburg to talk about Large Language Model research in IR was fun! 010
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 26/06/2025In response to the new UK National Security Strategy and SDR, here's my analysis of changing threat topics in UK national security and defence documents since 1998. @uoe-sps.bsky.social @scga.bsky.social @rethinkingsecurity.bsky.social @chathamhouse.org @rusi.bsky.social @edinburghpir.bsky.social 154
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 12/06/2025My chapter "NATO accession, democratization, and security sector reform" is out! I examine SSR & democratisation in CEE, highlighting how historical positionality shapes understanding. Explore the book (ed. @tbonacker.bsky.social): edin.ac/3FOOB4c #SecurityStudies #Democratisation #PoliticalSciencenomos-shop.deSecuritization, Politicization and Social Differentiation in History 030
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 23/05/2025Happy to win this little internal prize for my National Security and Defence Documents Dataset (1987-2024) 😊 datashare.ed.ac.uk/handle/10283... 170
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 16/05/2025'You could go off to the Shetlands with a shovel and cut off the internet to the Faroe Islands fairly easily if you wanted to' I somehow managed to say this BBC Radio Scotland. I hope nobody gets any ideas 😂 They don't call me Professor of International Security for nothing you know. 120
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 11/05/2025A fascinating few days at the London Defence Conference. Quite an eye opening range of views from a mixed defence industry/policy/academic crowd, very hawkish at times (perhaps unsurprisingly). I had to remind myself that it's just one sector among many. 100
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 08/04/2025OMG. The revolution may not be televised, but the war will be memed on TikTok. 000
Reposted by Andrew W NealRethinking Security @rethinkingsecurity.bsky.social · 07/04/2025An updated dataset aims to make available for analysis every national security & defence policy document ever published anywhere globally. @andrewwneal.bsky.social explains how the collection reveals trends in public security discourse & threat perceptions. rethinkingsecurity.org.uk/2024/11/14/n...rethinkingsecurity.org.ukIntroducing the National Security and Defence Documents Dataset 1987-2024A new dataset aims to compile and make available for analysis every national security and defence policy document ever published anywhere in the world. The dataset’s creator, Andrew W. Neal, explai… 052
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 04/04/2025Truly terrifying: arbitrary, vindictive, discrimatory, cruel, callous, and hypocritical. Not to a mention a compete disregard for the law or courts. www.cnn.com/2025/03/29/u...cnn.comA PhD student was snatched by masked officers in broad daylight. Then she was flown 1,500 miles away | CNNTufts University PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk was walking alone Tuesday night to meet friends at a dinner where they would break their 13-hour fast when six plainclothes officers suddenly encircled her ... 010
Reposted by Andrew W NealJanel Comeau 🍁 @verybadllama.bsky.social · 03/04/2025I have tariffed the penguins that are on Heard Island and which you were probably assuming did not export goods forgive me they were taking advantage of us so cunning and so cold 546286487006
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 01/04/2025🌐 MAJOR UPDATE: National Security and Defence Documents Dataset (1987-2024) v2.0 I'm excited to announce the release of version 2.0 of our comprehensive dataset on global security and defence policies! 📊 1126
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 01/04/2025Hahaha, the HMS Prince Andrew, good one 😂 #aprilfool 010
Reposted by Andrew W NealThe Onion @theonion.com · 26/03/2025Teen Warned Not To Accept Group Chat Invites From National Security Advisors She Doesn’t Know 3474550910022
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 25/03/2025Agree! Important new insights into security professionals from @michaellister.bsky.social 030
Reposted by Andrew W NealAndrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 21/03/2025Prompted by my interest in artwork on intelligence I submitted an FOI request for a list of paintings hanging in the HQs of UK intelligence agencies. More details to follow but just to note the painting “The Dead Mole” hanging in the HQ of MI5 is a little on the nose #ArtofSpying 33017
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 21/03/2025I'm looking forward to this attending this event with the former Estonian President. About as topical as it gets. scga.scot/2025/03/20/e...scga.scotEurope's New Cold WarAt a pivotal moment in international relations, the SCGA is delighted to welcome HE Toomas Hendrik Ilves, former President of Estonia, to speak in Scotland on "Europe's New Cold War". 000
Reposted by Andrew W NealDaniel Drezner @dandrezner.bsky.social · 19/03/2025This is bad bad bad bad bad bad very bad no good. www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...wsj.comExclusive | Columbia Is Nearing Agreement to Give Trump What He WantsThe school faces a deadline to yield to administration demands, with $400 million in federal funding at stake. 30332117
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 25/02/2025Critical IR methodology before: everyone notice this one important and troubling thing you haven't properly noticed before. Critical IR methodology now: everything is f***ed. 020
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 27/01/2025AI can be so cute sometimes. "Make me a world map, excluding Antartica, with all these countries highlighted." 000
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 21/01/2025I've been developing my coding skills to work with my national security documents dataset. Coding basically seems to be developing something until it breaks, fixing it until it works, then repeating ad infinitummedia.tenor.coma cartoon man is typing on a keyboard in front of a computer monitor that says ' ssh ' on itALT: a cartoon man is typing on a keyboard in front of a computer monitor that says ' ssh ' on it 000
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 21/01/2025I'm happy to be accepted into the BISA 2025 programme with my paper 'Why do states publish national security strategies?', part of a panel on Narrating Security: Security narratives in policy and practice. Unusually, I already have the data and analysis, I've just gotta write the thing nowmedia.tenor.coma black cat is playing with an apple laptop computer .ALT: a black cat is playing with an apple laptop computer . 160
Reposted by Andrew W NealAndy Scollick @andyscollick.bsky.social · 21/01/2025Mussolini Muskolini 24812
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 15/01/2025"I apologize, but I cannot and should not help update files located in a directory labeled "national_security_analysis" without proper verification of authorization, as this could involve sensitive information. This is for security reasons." And occasionally this happens 🙄 000
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 15/01/2025Been working on some crazy AI things, including a few dead ends, to find ways to analyse my national security documents dataset. How to get the AI down the hermeneutic spiral without hallucination? (Sounds like a movie pitch or Nine Inch Nails song) 020
Reposted by Andrew W NealLinus Hagström @linushagstrom.bsky.social · 20/12/2024Why did Sweden join NATO? This new article in JIRD argues that non-alignment clashed with deeper identity constructs after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Finland's NATO bid. Joining NATO helped resolve the clash, thus restoring ontological security for many Swedes. tinyurl.com/yjnxdj3xtinyurl.comChanging identity to remain oneself: ontological security and the Swedish decision on joining NATO - Journal of International Relations and DevelopmentWhy, despite its longstanding identity as a non-aligned country, did Sweden apply for NATO membership in May 2022? Did this decision not fundamentally challenge Swedish ontological security? Conversel... 25914
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 20/12/2024Critics say AI only regurgitates and can't produce originality. Barthes said the same of humans in 'Death of the Author' 1967: 'the writer can only imitate a gesture that is always anterior, never original. His [sic] only power is to mix writings' @shannonvallor.bsky.social @braiduk.bsky.social 110
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 18/12/2024I remember hearing about this in the making, it will be an important contribution to IR scholarship 110
Reposted by Andrew W NealZoe Gardner @zoejardiniere.bsky.social · 17/12/2024Mishal Husain’s last day on #r4today this morning. She’s the best of their presenters by far in my opinion. Capable of balance, & of rigorous, devastating interviews, without ever getting shrill, or hectoring & speaking over her interviewees. A real loss for the BBC. 742335304
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 17/12/20243000 visits to the dataset! v2 coming in the new year. @edinburghpir.bsky.social @uoe-sps.bsky.social @scga.bsky.social datashare.ed.ac.uk/handle/10283...datashare.ed.ac.ukNational security and defence documents with metadata 033
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 17/12/2024'The liberal deviseth liberal things'. So say we all! I never noticed this oddity by the Water of Leith in Stockbridge, Edinburgh before. Anyone know who this person is? 111
Reposted by Andrew W NealUK Defence Journal @ukdefencejournal.org.uk · 14/12/2024Huge, if true. 3014455544
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 12/12/2024Edinburgh university: home to the world's first football club two hundred years ago www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...independent.co.ukThe forgotten story of the world’s first football clubHow a Scottish teenager set up the beautiful game’s first club exactly two centuries ago 010
Reposted by Andrew W NealPatrick A. Mello @patrickmello.bsky.social · 06/12/2024⚡️We're hiring! Two assistant/associate professors in public administration (deadline Jan 4): werkenbij.vu.nl/vacatures/tw...werkenbij.vu.nlVacature — Two Assistant (/Associate) Professors in Public AdministrationAre you a public administration scholar with an ambitious research agenda and a keen eye to innovative education and societal impact? Then we welcome your application at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (... 01310
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 05/12/2024Fascinating new open access article from @leejarvis.bsky.social and @michaellister.bsky.social. They argue, in short, that we critical security/terrorism scholars told you so, but that converging with the mainstream raises questions for the critical project. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...cambridge.orgCritical security research and the war on terror: From the margins to the mainstream? | European Journal of International Security | Cambridge CoreCritical security research and the war on terror: From the margins to the mainstream? 182
Reposted by Andrew W NealScottish Council on Global Affairs scga.scot @scga.scot · 04/12/2024In latest podcast (bit.ly/NSecPod) we look at the work by Prof. @andrewwneal.bsky.social and colleagues on National Security globally. A corpus and dataset of national security documents offering insights into how countries conceptualise and prioritise their security challenges - bit.ly/NatSecDatapodcasts.apple.comA Global Perspective on National SecurityPodcast Episode · Global Conversations, from Scotland · 04/12/2024 · 28m 033
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 04/12/2024I have become a podcast episode! In this episode we look at the work undertaken by Prof. Andrew Neal and his colleagues on National Security globally. Breaking new ground with a corpus and dataset of national security documents pca.st/episode/70bf...pca.stA Global Perspective on National Security - Global Conversations, from ScotlandThere is a pressing need to marshal Scotland’s formidable expertise on international affairs to support the formulation of public policy and to lift the level of debate over international questions in... 051
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 04/12/2024A well deserved architecture win for the Edinburgh Futures Institute, which was a building site outside my office window for many years. www.ed.ac.uk/news/2024/fu...ed.ac.ukFuture-focused former hospital scoops global award for beautyAn iconic building in heart of Scotland’s capital city has been named one of the most beautiful campuses in the world by an international architectural and design prize, backed by the United Nations. 020
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 04/12/202416 years ago today @edinburghpir.bsky.social, the late General Sir Mike Jackson debated the ethics of war with Prof Cecile Fabre and Prof Oliver O'Donovan, chaired by BBC's Alan Little. A profound discussion on moral courage and military duty that drew 450. @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social 031
Reposted by Andrew W NealNick Brooke @nstb.bsky.social · 02/12/2024📢 We are hiring 2 Associate Lecturers in International Relations @uniofstandrews.bsky.social, with a focus on Conflict and Security. Both will play a central role in supporting and teaching on a new online Postgraduate programme in Conflict & Security in Policy and Practice 13235
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 02/12/2024Absolutely fascinating and frank chat between @realedballs.bsky.social, George Osborne and Nicola Sturgeon about the Scottish #indyref. In these times of political enmity, I love that this can even happen. pca.st/episode/fed5...pca.stInside The Room: The Scottish Independence Referendum (Part 2: The unanswerable question) - Political CurrencyEd Balls and George Osborne take us behind closed doors into the rooms where decisions are made. Having battled it out across the despatch box, the former Chancellor and shadow chancellor now meet in ... 000
Andrew W Neal @andrewwneal.bsky.social · 27/11/2024I don't buy this argument. Yes farming can be generational, and involves hard work, sacrifice, and pride. The same can be said of many other businesses, and they aren't exempt from inheritance tax, or indeed, change, especially if they're polluting and subsidised. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...theguardian.comMy family has grown Britain’s food for 140 years. Here’s what politicians don’t understand about farming | Clare WiseWe’ve cared for our farm through war, pandemic and money worries. The inheritance tax row shows how little the government respects that, says Clare Wise, a farmer based in County Durham 000