Tim Willasey-Wilsey CMG

Tim Willasey-Wilsey served for twenty-seven years as a British diplomat in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. He worked in Angola during the Cold War, South Africa in the years just before majority rule, Central America at the time of the Sandinista/Contra war and in the Middle East following the Oslo accords. Latterly he focussed on Pakistan, India and Afghanistan whilst also having responsibilities for China, Japan, and the Koreas.

Since joining the academic world Tim has been Visiting Professor at King’s College London. He lectures and writes on government handling of warfare, approaches to conflict resolution and on terrorism and insurgency. Tim has a particular interest in the Kashmir dispute, Afghanistan, and the stand-off on the Korean peninsula.

Tim has advised international banks and large companies on geopolitical risk and on how to calibrate their risk-appetites to international clients and transactions. He is interested in improving public-private dialogue in assessing overseas risk, whether from war, terrorism, natural disasters or modern hybrid threats, including cyber.

He writes extensively on geopolitics. In the UK his main outlets are RUSI, The Daily Telegraph, The Scotsman and King’s College London. In the US he is a regular contributor to the global security website Cipher Brief and in India he supports the Mumbai-based Gateway House.

He was elected by the membership to two three-year terms on the Chatham House Council and reviews books for their journal, International Affairs. As well as King’s College London, he also lectures to Indiana University, the Norwegian defence community and the Policy Centre for the New South in Rabat, Morocco.

Tim has an MA (First Class) in Modern History from St Andrews University. He was awarded the CMG in the 2007 New Year Honours List.

His latest book, "The Spy and the Devil: The Untold Story of the MI6 Agent who Penetrated Hitler's Inner Circle", has just been published by John Blake, The Spy and the Devil: The untold story of the MI6 agent who penetrated Hitler’s inner circle The Spy and the Devil: The untold story of the MI6 agent who penetrated Hitler’s inner circle

'Vladimir Putin means business and the West should get ready for trouble', The Scotsman, 7 January 2022