Samantha Newbery

Professor of Intelligence Studies

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Profile

Samantha Newbery joined PAIS as Professor of Intelligence Studies in 2026. Before that she worked in the Politics and Contemporary History department at the University of Salford. She has a PhD from the History Department at Trinity College Dublin (2010), and Masters and Bachelors degrees from the Department of International Politics at The University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

Research Interests

Newbery's research focuses on intelligence and counter-terrorism, including UK policy-making on this topic during 'the troubles' in Northern Ireland (1968-98). Her 2024 monograph, Terrorist Informers in Northern Ireland (Oxford University Press), won the International Intelligence History Book Prize. Previous publications include Why Spy? The Art of Intelligence (Hurst, 2015), co-authored with Brian Stewart CMG, a former Deputy Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and Secretary of the Joint Intelligence Committee. She is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Intelligence History. From 2026-2031 she will be Official Historian of British Government Policy during 'The Troubles'.

Publications

Monographs:

• Terrorist Informers in Northern Ireland, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2024.
• Interrogation, Intelligence and Security: Controversial British Techniques, Manchester University Press, Manchester, 2015.
• With Brian T.W. Stewart CMG, Why Spy? The Art of Intelligence, Hurst, London, 2015. Paperback edition 2020.

Book chapters:

• ‘Interrogation during “the troubles” in Northern Ireland, 1971-5’, in Simona Tobia and Christopher Andrew (eds), Interrogation in War and Conflict: A Comparative and Interdisciplinary Analysis Routledge, 2014, pp.209-26.
• ‘The study of interrogation: A focus on torture, but what about intelligence?’ in Christopher J Murphy and Christopher Moran (eds), Intelligence Studies in Britain and the US: Historiography Since 1945, Edinburgh University Press, 2013, pp.222-35.

Articles in refereed journals:

• With Joseph Temple, ‘Assessing Sandline International’s reputation’, Small Wars and Insurgencies, 37/1, 2026, pp.29-62.
• Peter de Werd, Stephen Coulthart, Giangiuseppe Pili, Jules Gaspard, Cristina Ivan, Hager Ben Jaffel, Sebastian Larsson, Damien Rogers, Hamilton Bean, Hedvig Örden, Christian Kaunert and Samantha Newbery, ‘Special forum on intelligence and theory’, Intelligence and National Security, 39/7, 2024, pp.1230-53.
• With Christian Kaunert, ‘Critical Intelligence Studies: A new framework for analysis’, Intelligence and National Security, 38/5, 2023, pp.780-98.
• ‘Inter- and intra-agency intelligence liaison during ‘the troubles’’, Small Wars and Insurgencies, 32/4-5, 2021, pp.687-713.
• ‘Ireland v United Kingdom: The European Court of Human Rights and international relations, 1971–1978’, European Human Rights Law Review, 3, 2017, pp.272-84.
• ‘Methods for researching interrogation and torture’, Intelligence and National Security, 32/5, 2017, pp.675-6.
• ‘The UK, interrogation and Iraq, 2003-8’, Small Wars and Insurgencies, 27/4, 2016, pp.659-80.
• In Mark Phythian (ed.), ‘An INS special forum: The US Senate Select Committee Report on the CIA’s detention and interrogation program’, Intelligence and National Security, 31/1, 2016, pp.8-27.
• ‘Intelligence and controversial British interrogation techniques: The Northern Ireland case, 1971-2’, Irish Studies in International Affairs, 20, 2009, pp.103-119.
• With Bob Brecher, Philippe Sands & Brian Stewart, ‘Interrogation, intelligence and the issue of human rights’, Intelligence and National Security, 24/5, 2009, pp.631-43.