Overview
Background
Sarah Percy arrived at UQ from the University of Western Australia in 2016. Prior to her appointment at UWA, Sarah was University Lecturer and Tutorial Fellow in International Relations at the University of Oxford (Merton College). At Oxford, Sarah was on the steering committee of the Oxford Programme on the Changing Character of War. Sarah did her M.Phil and D.Phil as a Commonwealth Scholar at Balliol College, Oxford.
Sarah has three main research areas. She has had a long-standing interest in unconventional combatants, and has published widely on mercenaries, private military companies, and pirates. Sarah is interested in issues of maritime security generally, including piracy and counter-piracy, maritime crime, and the role of navies as security actors. She also conducts research at the nexus between international relations and international law, and is interested in how and why the use of force is regulated, and the relationship between norms and international law.
Availability
- Associate Professor Sarah Percy is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Oxford
Research interests
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Piracy
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Maritime security
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International security
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Mercenaries
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Private military and security companies
Research impacts
Sarah's research projects have had considerable impact outside academia. Sarah has presented her research on mercenaries and private military companies at the United Nations; at policy-oriented events at Princeton University and New York University; and at the Royal United Services Institute (London) and the International Institute for Strategic Studies (London).
Sarah's research on piracy was featured in the production notes for the film "Captain Phillips", directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Tom Hanks. She has presented this research to the Royal Navy and at DFAT's Counter-Piracy Conference. Sarah has also presented on maritime security and strategy to the Royal Australian Navy, and at the RAN's Sea Power Conference in 2014, and to the Federal Court of Australia's Maritime and Admiralty Law group in 2015. Sarah is a non-resident fellow of the Royal Australian Navy's Sea Power Centre.
Sarah is an experienced media commentator. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, USA Today, The Conversation, and The Lowy Interpreter. She has appeared on radio in the United States (National Public Radio) and in Australia (Radio National, multiple programs including Rear Vision and The World Today) and on Sky News.
Works
Search Professor Sarah Percy’s works on UQ eSpace
2012
Journal Article
Regulating the private security industry: a story of regulating the last war
Percy, Sarah (2012). Regulating the private security industry: a story of regulating the last war. International Review of the Red Cross, 94 (887), 941-960. doi: 10.1017/S1816383113000258
2011
Other Outputs
Libya ordeal shows it’s time to police mercenaries
Percy, Sarah (2011, 03 01). Libya ordeal shows it’s time to police mercenaries
2011
Journal Article
Amid Libya slaughter, let’s stop mercenaries
Percy, Sarah (2011). Amid Libya slaughter, let’s stop mercenaries. USA Today
2011
Book Chapter
The changing character of private force
Percy, Sarah (2011). The changing character of private force. The changing character of war. (pp. 259-281) edited by Hew Strachan and Sibylle Scheipers. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
2009
Journal Article
Private security companies and civil wars
Percy, Sarah (2009). Private security companies and civil wars. Civil Wars, 11 (1), 57-74. doi: 10.1080/13698240802407041
2009
Book Chapter
Morality and regulation
Percy, Sarah (2009). Morality and regulation. From Mercenaries to Market: The Rise and Regulation of Private Military Companies. Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199228485.003.0002
2009
Journal Article
Introduction
Percy, Sarah (2009). Introduction. Civil Wars, 11 (1), 1-4. doi: 10.1080/13698240802407009
2008
Book Chapter
The Security Council and the use of private force
Percy, Sarah V. (2008). The Security Council and the use of private force. The United Nations Security Council and war: the evolution of thought and practice since 1945. (pp. 624-642) edited by Vaughan Lowe, Adam Roberts, Jennifer Welsh and Dominik Zaum. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
2007
Journal Article
Mercenaries: strong norm, weak law
Percy, Sarah V. (2007). Mercenaries: strong norm, weak law. International Organization, 61 (2), 367-397. doi: 10.1017/S0020818307070130
2007
Book
Mercenaries: The History of a Norm in International Relations
Percy, Sarah (2007). Mercenaries: The History of a Norm in International Relations. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
2006
Book
Regulating the Private Security Industry
Percy, Sarah (2006). Regulating the Private Security Industry. Oxford, United Kingdom: Routledge.
2003
Journal Article
This gun’s for hire: a new look at an old issue
Percy, Sarah (2003). This gun’s for hire: a new look at an old issue. International Journal, 58 (4), 721-736. doi: 10.1177/002070200305800413
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Sarah Percy is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
The drivers of protracted armed conflicts: Why they cause protraction and how they develop throughout conflicts
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alexander Bellamy, Associate Professor Suzanna Fay
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Doctor Philosophy
The Independence of the British Settler Colonies: the great waves of expansion and the question of Indigenous self-determination
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Jacinta O'Hagan
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Doctor Philosophy
What impact does men's use of parental leave have on women's experiences in paid employment?
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Gillian Whitehouse
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Doctor Philosophy
Women and retirement
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Gillian Whitehouse
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Doctor Philosophy
What impact does men's use of parental leave have on women's experiences in paid employment?
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Gillian Whitehouse
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Doctor Philosophy
Identity, Institutions and Policy: Ontological security and the Australian Defence Force
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Matt McDonald
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Doctor Philosophy
Countering China? Reactions to Chinese Geostrategy in India, Japan, and South Korea
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Shahar Hameiri
Completed supervision
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Harmful Speech and the Limits of Counterspeech
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Katharine Gelber
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Free Speech, Counterspeech, and Constitutional Values on University Campuses
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Katharine Gelber
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
The Politics of International Legitimacy: Indonesia's and Sri Lanka's Justifications for the Use of Force
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Matt McDonald
Media
Enquiries
Contact Associate Professor Sarah Percy directly for media enquiries about:
- Maritime security
- mercenaries
- Piracy
- pirates
- private military companies
- private security companies
- Royal Australian Navy
- women in combat
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