Dr Reinoud Leenders

Dr Reinoud Leenders is a Reader in International Politics and Middle East Studies at King’s College London, Department of War Studies. His research focuses primarily on Syria and Lebanon where he investigates authoritarian governance, post-conflict recovery, corruption, popular mobilisation, armed conflict, displacement and the politics of humanitarian aid.

He has authored some thirty articles and chapters in academic journals and edited volumes, including Spoils of Truce: Corruption and State-Building in Postwar Lebanon (Cornell University Press 2012) and Middle East Authoritarianisms: Governance, Contestation, and Regime Resilience in Syria and Iran (With Steven Heydemann – eds. Stanford University Press 2013).

Dr Leenders provides policy advice and carries out research assignments for foreign ministries, governmental institutions, INGOs, law enforcement agencies, law firms and private companies active in the Middle East, especially in Syria and Lebanon. Recent such consultancies included research for the Dutch Police’s international investigative crime unit, and acting as expert witness for courts in the Netherlands and the U.S. regarding matters related to war crimes and crimes against humanity involving Syrian nationals.

Personal website: https://www.reinoudleenders.org

Bluesky: @leendersreinoud.bsky.social