Welcome!
I am the Advisor on Armed Groups at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), based in the Geneva headquarters. I am also a Doctoral Researcher at the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding and a Fellow at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University on the “Resolving Jihadist Conflicts” project.
My academic research investigates the state-building project and rebel governance of Islamist armed groups, with a particular focus on the Islamic State in its Iraqi and Syrian territory. This project was funded by a four-year Doc.CH grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation. It is based on extensive fieldwork conducted in Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Lebanon with Islamic State members and civilians living in areas controlled by Islamic State and analysis of Islamic State governing documents.
I have several publications related to this research:
“Cyclical jihadist governance: the Islamic State governance cycle in Iraq and Syria” published in Small Wars and Insurgencies (2022).
“Resisting Radical Rebels: Variations in Islamist Rebel Governance and the Occurrence of Civil Resistance” with Isak Svensson, published in Terrorism and Political Violence (2021)
“Without Us, There Would Be No Islamic State:” The Role of Civilian Employees in the Caliphate”, published in the CTC Sentinel (2021)
Outside of academia, I have regularly worked with international organisations and governments on projects related to conflict and armed groups. I have conducted research projects in Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Turkey and Egypt for organisations including the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Swedish MFA, German Development Agency (GIZ), United Nations, Oxfam and International Alert.
I am an appointed member of the Expert Research Working Group at the Swedish Agency for Peace, Development and Security (Folke Bernadotte Academy).
Email : matthew.bamber@graduateinstitute.ch or mbamber@protonmail.com (confidential)
Twitter: @mattbam1