BOOKS
(London: Bloomsbury, 2015)
President Clinton's time in office coincided with historic global events following the end of the Cold War. The collapse of Communism called for a new US Grand Strategy to address the emerging geopolitical era that brought upheavals in Somalia and the Balkans, economic challenges in Mexico and Europe and the emergence of new entities such as the EU, NAFTA and the WTO. Clinton's handling of these events was crucial to the development of world politics at the dawn of the twenty-first century.
Covering the entire duration of Clinton’s presidential odyssey, from his 1991 Announcement Speech to his final day in office, the book draws extensively on newly declassified primary materials and interviews by the author with key members of the Clinton administration to reveal for the first time the development and implementation of US Grand Strategy from deep within the West Wing of the Clinton White House.
(London: Biteback, 2016)
On 12 April 2015, Hillary Clinton formally announced her intention to run for President in 2016, casting herself as the ‘champion of everyday Americans’. With near-universal name recognition and the promise to make history as the first female occupant of the Oval Office, all seems set for Hillary to secure the one role that has eluded her to date, but what drove this most intriguing and polarizing of political figures?
Drawing on original interviews with close associates of both Bill and Hillary, as well as a wealth of recently declassified materials from the Clinton archive, Hillary Rising offers a clearsighted, non-partisan analysis of Hillary Clinton’s rise to the pinnacle of American power, revealing the political ideology and core principles that have remained a constant throughout.
(Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 2018)
In the aftermath of the catastrophic attacks of September 11, 2001, President Bill Clinton's time in office was portrayed as one in which vital opportunities to confront growing threats to US security were missed. Firmly challenging this characterization, James Boys explores the long-misunderstood approach adopted by the Clinton administration as it sought to define an effective response to acts of political violence.
Only by understanding the efforts of Clinton and his team to address international terrorism can we make sense of the reasoning behind the actions of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, all of whom inherited, continued, and expanded on Clinton-era policies and practices. Drawing on official documents and on interviews with key players, he reveals the evolution of counterterrorism strategy throughout the Clinton administration, as well as the ramifications that it has today.
POLITICAL INSIGHT ARTICLES
I have contributed a series of articles to the leading publication, Political Insight, over the past decade, covering the end of the Obama presidency, the 2016 election, the first Trump term, and the Biden presidency.
JOURNAL PAPERS
I have written over a dozen papers for academic journals, covering a range of issues addressing U.S. politics and grand strategy.
Journal of Strategic Studies, December 2024
“The Clinton Administration’s Policy of Democracy Promotion in Ukraine”
Journal of Applied History, December 2023
“Predator’s Progress: The Clinton Administration’s Development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles”
Intelligence and National Security 2023
The Clinton administration’s development
and implementation of cyber security strategy
(1993–2001)
The Clinton Administration's Development and
Implementation of Rendition (1993–2001)
Cambridge Review of International Affairs 2021
Congress and the Presidency 2015
Politics 2009
THINK TANK WORK
In 2012 I consulted with the Bow Group. this resulted in my paper on the new UK National Security Council and two further pieces for their in-house publication, Crossbow.
“Intelligence Design: UK National Security in a Changing World"
The Bow Group 2012
“The First Steps in Improving Intelligence"
Crossbow, July 2012
“The US Election and the Special Relationship"
Crossbow, September 2012