Samir Puri

Samir Puri is a British author, academic and former diplomat specialising in international relations and geopolitics. He is known for his books Russia's Road to War with Ukraine (2022) and Westlessness (2024).

Raised in 1980s London, Samir Puri grew up in a multicultural family that spanned three continents in three generations, from Asia to Africa to Europe. This diverse background shaped his global perspective from an early age. Puri studied international relations, earning a PhD from Cambridge University.

His early career took him to RAND, a prestigious research organisation, and then to the British Foreign Office, where he worked on counter-terrorism issues. Additionally, Puri served as an international observer in eastern Ukraine in 2014–15, where he witnessed the early stages of the conflict between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists.

Following his time in government service, Puri moved into academia. He became a lecturer in war studies at King's College London and has been a visiting professor at prestigious institutions such as Cambridge University and Johns Hopkins.

From 2020 to 2022, he was a Senior Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in Singapore, and he was appointed an Associate Fellow at Chatham House in 2023. He remains a visiting professor at King's College London.

Puri's first significant book, The Great Imperial Hangover (2020), explored the legacies of empire and how they shape modern geopolitics. In Russia's Road to War with Ukraine (2022), he examined the historical and political context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Using his first-hand experience in the region, Puri analysed the complex factors behind the conflict and questioned Russia's motivations and the West's role.

As Professor Patrick Porter noted, "Puri's 'first cut' will go a long way in helping us to fathom how we got here".

In Westlessness: The Great Global Rebalancing (2024), Puri examines the declining dominance of the Western world and the rise of powers in the East. He examines the shift in economic and political influence, particularly in India, China and Indonesia. Puri raises critical questions: Is the West prepared for this more diverse future, or can it maintain its influence?

"Nothing is linear, and nothing is predictable," Puri writes as he challenges readers to confront the uncertainties of this global rebalancing.

Photo credit: www.samirpuri.com