Centre for Policy, Conflict and Co-operation Research

Most research in international relations remains focused on security issues, mainly in the context of military questions and national intelligence. In line with more recent discussions about broader concepts of security, our Centre seeks to broaden the debate to consider conflict and co-operation more broadly, in both international and domestic society and in relation to environmental and climate change. 

We seek to bring together international and domestic politics and history, environmental management and climate science, policy making and theory, as well as the advancement of professional practice and theoretical developments. We regularly engage with professionals in diplomacy, military, international development, environmental protection and biodiversity conservation and other related areas, both in our teaching and in our research. This Centre is co-hosted by the Division of History and Politics and Biological and Environmental Sciences, but is also embedded in the ProPEL group.

At the heart of what our Centre does is the interaction between theory and practice. We want to explore how conflict and co-operation work in practice. We are keen on developing insights on how our research can help in real-life situations. We are happy to offer our global experiences for consultancy and training sessions to public and private sector clients.

News

Authored by the CPCCR’s Dr Megan Dee, the newly published report Nuclear Responsibilities and the NPT: Advancing the Nuclear Responsibilities Approach examines how nuclear responsibilities language is used within the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) framework.

Drawing on detailed analysis of the 2025 NPT Preparatory Committee (PrepCom), the report reveals that while “responsibility” discourse is widespread across NPT debates, it is increasingly used to assign blame and justify national positions, fuelling polarisation rather than constructive dialogue and improved accountability.

The report goes on to outline how and why states can advance a nuclear responsibilities approach within the NPT, utilising a five-step strategy involving critical reflection, establishing communities of practice, minilateral dialogue, multilateral engagement and sustained commitment.

Contact: Dr Megan Dee at megan.dee@stir.ac.uk