Sansom Milton
Sansom Milton
Senior Research Fellow
Senior Research Fellow
Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies
Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies
Embedded Files
ABOUT ME
I am a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies (CHS), where I lead the portfolio of research and policy engagement on conflict mediation and post-conflict recovery.
ABOUT ME
I am a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies (CHS), where I lead the portfolio of research and policy engagement on conflict mediation and post-conflict recovery.
My research interests include mediation and foreign policy of the Gulf states, post-conflict recovery and peacebuilding, and higher education in conflict-affected societies. I have conducted extensive fieldwork and research across the Gaza Strip, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Yemen.
My published research includes three books (including a forthcoming book with Cambridge University Press in mid-2026), over 25 peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters, plus numerous op-eds and reports. I also serve as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development.
My research interests include mediation and foreign policy of the Gulf states, post-conflict recovery and peacebuilding, and higher education in conflict-affected societies. I have conducted extensive fieldwork and research across the Gaza Strip, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Yemen.
My published research includes three books (including a forthcoming book with Cambridge University Press in mid-2026), over 25 peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters, plus numerous op-eds and reports. I also serve as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development.
Before joining CHS in 2016, I was a Research Fellow at the Department of Politics, University of York. At York, I completed a PhD in Post-war Recovery Studies under a Departmental Scholarship in 2014.
Before joining CHS in 2016, I was a Research Fellow at the Department of Politics, University of York. At York, I completed a PhD in Post-war Recovery Studies under a Departmental Scholarship in 2014.
Selected Publications
Selected Publications
Sansom Milton & Ghassan Elkahlout. Forthcoming. Gulf to Global: The Rise of Qatar in Conflict Mediation. Hurst and Oxford University Press
This book chronicles how Qatar transformed itself into a broker of peace in some of the world's most intractable conflicts. Beginning with mediation efforts in the early 2000s, Qatar has played central roles in high-profile negotiations, including the U.S.–Taliban deal and the 2023–5 Gaza war talks.
Drawing on extensive fieldwork and documentation, the study traces Qatar's evolving strategies across conflicts in Lebanon, Darfur, Afghanistan, and Gaza. It examines how Qatar leveraged its diplomatic and economic resources to position itself as an influential mediator, revealing both the motivations behind its peacemaking initiatives and the implications for the changing landscape of conflict mediation.
Book Link
Higher Education in the Arab Region: Resilience, Rebuilding, and Recovery
Sansom Milton. Forthcoming. Higher Education in the Arab Region: Resilience, Rebuilding, and Recovery. Cambridge University Press
Why has higher education remained peripheral to post-conflict recovery in the Arab region? This book addresses that question through comparative analysis of five conflict-affected contexts: Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza.
Drawing on extensive fieldwork and long-term regional engagement, it examines how higher education systems have endured conflict, contributed to rebuilding, and navigated prolonged instability. The study challenges short-term, externally driven recovery approaches, foregrounding local agency and institutional resilience. This is the first comprehensive study to center higher education within post-conflict recovery discourse in the Arab world.
Sansom Milton. 2024. Rethinking the "Day After" in the Gaza Strip: Learning from Previous Rounds of Reconstruction. Chapter in an edited book. Palgrave Macmillan
This chapter outlines strategic considerations for Gaza Strip reconstruction following the 7 October War. It contextualizes the territory, examines the war's impact, and estimates reconstruction costs. Drawing on lessons from previous reconstruction rounds, it discusses their applicability to "Day After" scenarios, including questions of governance and regional actors' roles in resource mobilisation. The chapter critically interrogates the "Day After" concept itself, highlighting the need to end Gaza's cycle of rebuilding and destruction. It provides analytical insights to support more effective and grounded reconstruction processes.
Chapter Link
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse