Dr Ksenia Wesolowska

Senior Teaching Fellow

History

Personal statement

Since about 2011, my research interests have been concentrated on the Middle East, with a specific focus on exploring the various dimensions of international mediation, negotiation, and diplomatic practices related to the Arab-Israeli conflict and US foreign policy during the Cold War era. In essence, I’m interested in analysing the environment of conflict management in ways crucial to our understanding of not only how the conflicts have ended, but also under what circumstances the agreements have been achieved.

My current research focuses on both historical and contemporary regions of intelligence, with a particular emphasis on the Eastern bloc's operations in the Middle East. I examine the interplay between secret intelligence studies, including processes and methods, espionage, and international history. I am in the process of writing a book that evaluates and assesses KGB operations in Turkey during the 1970s and 1980s.

I hold a BA in International Relations, an MA in Diplomacy, and a PhD in International History, from the University of Nottingham.

I am an Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

I am the Associate Dean of Online Learning for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

@KseniaWes

Expertise

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Area of Expertise

Expertise:

Eastern bloc's secret intelligence
20th century Eastern Europe
International Conflict Resolution
Arab-Israeli Dispute
US Foreign Policy
International History in the twentieth century
Global Cold War

PhD supervision:

I welcome postgraduate supervision in any areas of secret intelligence, Cold War Eastern bloc, Eastern Europe, conflict resolution, particularly international mediation; diplomatic practice; the Arab-Israeli conflict; US foreign policy in the Cold War era.

Prize And Awards

Teaching Excellence Award - Impact and Innovation: Recipient; 22/2/2024
Strathclyde Women+ in Leadership Network's #CelebrateHER Awards Nomination: Recipient; 2024
Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society: Recipient; 17/12/2023
Teaching Excellence Award Nomination - Engagement with Students: Recipient; 2021
Teaching Excellence Award Nomination - Going the Extra Mile: Recipient; 2021
Fellowship of HEA: Recipient; 12/2020

More prizes and awards

Publications

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Publications

Perspectives on developing skills and competencies through Education for Sustainable Development : how do we do it, and who is responsible?: Strachan Scott, Lefever Joan-Emilie, Wesolowska Ksenia, Vaughan Helen, Moreno-Rangel Alejandro; (2024)
Student, staff and employer's perspectives on education for sustainable development in UK HEIs 2021-2024: Strachan Scott, Wesolowska Ksenia, Lefever Joan-Emilie, Moreno-Rangel Alejandro, Vaughan Helen L; SoTL Collaborative Writing Groups (2024)
Cold War and the periphery: Wesolowska Ksenia; The British Association for Slavonic and East European Studies Annual Conference (2023)
Cold War Turkey through Soviet Bloc’s eyes: Wesolowska Ksenia; Cold War History (2023)
The recruitment and secret operations of the Bulgarian and Polish "illegals" in Turkey: Wesolowska Ksenia; International Intelligence History Association 2022 Annual Conference (2022)
East European secret intelligence and Turkey's Cold War: Wesolowska Ksenia; British Association for Slavonic and East European Studies Annual Conference (2022)

More publications

Teaching

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Teaching

Teaching:

Undergraduate:

V1726/V1727 Classified: Spying on the World from 1945 to the Present

V1398/V1705 US Foreign Policy, 1945-1989

V1398/V1406 Cold War Europe, 1945-1991

V1320/V1407 Bombers and Mash: Britain and the Home Front, 1939-1945

V1216 History of the United States of America since 1877

V1217 Modern Europe

V1103 History 1B

Postgraduate:

V1996 Conflict Resolution in the Arab-Israeli Dispute, 1947 – 1979

V1993 Evolution of Diplomacy

V1994 Embassies in Crisis

V1932 Research Skills and Methods

L2963 Contemporary Security Challenges and Responses

At postgraduate level I convene and teach classes on the MSc in Diplomacy and International Security programme.

My teaching reflects my interdisciplinary research interests in international relations, diplomacy and international history since the Second World War and the broader subject of secret intelligence, and conflict resolution, particularly international mediation.

Research

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Research Interests

Research:

I am currently working on a book exploring Soviet Bloc’s operations in Turkey in the 1970s and 1980s when the East European case officers ran a string of agents inside Turkey’s security and counter-intelligence establishments. Their key aim was to work out and divulge the structure, organization, staffing, and working methods of the intelligence agencies in Turkey, their impact on the socialist countries, and the country’s connection with other NATO partners. This book, utilizing the hitherto unexploited primary material pertinent to the Soviet Bloc’s operations, fills a gap in literature extending our understanding of Turkey’s Cold War through the Eastern Bloc lenses.

The key focus of my PhD was the field of conflict mediation, by evaluating the effectiveness of the process of concession-hunting yet still supporting the analysis with the assessment of its context. In terms of the context, the book deepened our understanding of the US foreign policy in the Arab-Israeli dispute and Henry Kissinger’s role as a mediator. Essentially, it explores the US mediation strategies applied during the Egyptian-Israeli conflict in the period of 1973-1975. It focused on the US role in bringing Egypt and Israel towards a settlement from the October War to the brink of the Camp David settlement. The centrepiece of the project was the mediation efforts during the Presidencies of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.