Samir Puri was raised in 1980s London in a family that had traversed three continents in three generations, from Asia to Africa to Europe.
He later completed a PhD at Cambridge University in International Relations, worked at RAND, and then the Foreign Office, where his assignments covered counter terrorism, and a year in east Ukraine monitoring the onset of war in 2014 - 15.
After government service, Dr Puri became a lecturer in War Studies at King's College London, and guest lectured at Cambridge and Johns Hopkins. He retains a visiting post at King’s and between 2020 and 2022 was Senior Fellow at IISS-Asia in Singapore. In 2023, he became an Associate Fellow at Chatham House.
His books, 'The Great Imperial Hangover' and ‘Westlessness’ distil these varied perspectives: from the academic to the practical; from the personal to the political; and from the descendants of the colonized to those of the colonizers.
Speaking Engagements
Samir Puri in conversation with James Miles, China Editor of The Economist, at a 2019 event in London’s Lancaster House.
To arrange an academic lecture, book talk or corporate briefing, go to ‘contact’ in the menu.
Testimonies
Delivering the 2022 Baccata Annual Lecture in Jersey on understanding geopolitical instability with a historical perspective.
You can watch a showreel of this talk and read a testimony from the hosts here.