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The Globalization and the National Security State project unites researchers from three Montreal Universities -- McGill, University of Montreal, and Concordia -- examining the effects of globalization on the traditional security functions of the nation-state in different regions of the world.

The first phase of the project (2000-2004) dealt with globalization and its impact on nation-states in a variety of areas, including security and political economy. An edited volume, The Nation-State in Question (Princeton University Press, 2003), was the main product of this phase.

In the second phase (2004-2008) we examined the key areas in which the national security state has been affected by the ongoing globalization process. A book entitled: Globalization and the National Security State was published  by Oxford University Press in 2010. Two volumes have been published, titled Complex Deterrence: Strategy in the Global Age (University of Chicago Press, 2009) and South Asia’s Weak States: Understanding the Regional Insecurity Predicament (Stanford University Press, 2010).  

The third phase began in May 2009. In this phase, we explore the impact of globalization on the national security architectures in different regions of the world. Several research products are in progress now. A volume titled: International Relations Theory and Regional Transformation has been published by the Cambridge University Press in Spring 2012. In addition, a number of individual book projects, articles, book chapters, and conference papers have been or will be published. The project supports a number of graduate students and visiting scholars who work in these areas at the three universities. It also co-sponsors several conferences and the Workshop on Political Economy and International Security, held at McGill University under the auspices of the Centre for International Peace and Security Studies (CIPSS). In addition, it co-sponsors the South Asian Regional Cooperation Academic Network (SARCAN)

The fourth phase began in April 2013 following the team’s winning a team grant from FQRSC. This four year project focused on the theme: Globalization and Rising Powers. We explore the impact of globalization on the prospects of peaceful accommodation of rising powers. Given a shifting power equation on the global stage, what are the scope conditions for the non-violent emergence of new centers of influence, potentially encompassing China, India, Brazil, South Africa, and Turkey, among other rising powers? This research program flows naturally from our earlier works, harnessing the unique expertise that we have developed both as a group and as individual researchers along the way. Each member of the team has already collected some resources to study this and related questions, and has started to work and publish on key aspects of the theme.

The team is headed by Professor T.V. Paul, James McGill Professor of International Relations at McGill University. The other collaborators are: Professor John A Hall (McGill University), Professor Norrin Ripsman (Concordia University), Professor Vincent Pouliot (McGill University), and Professor Frédéric Mérand (Université de Montréal). Please click below for detailed profiles.

T.V. Paul (McGill University) - Team Leader

John A. Hall (McGill University)

Norrin M. Ripsman (Concordia University)
Vincent Pouliot (McGill University)

Frédéric Mérand (Université de Montréal).