Biography

MA (Hons) Political Studies, MLitt (Research) International Relations (Aberdeen); DPhil War Studies (King's College London).

Dr. Sergio Catignani joined the Department of International Relations in Autumn 2009 as a Lecturer in Strategic and Security Studies. Between 1 September 2010 and 31 August 2010 Dr. Catignani was a Leverhulme Research Fellow and conducted an empirical study on the British Army's adaptation to the insurgency campaign in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Prior to Sussex University, Dr. Catignani was a Lecturer in International Security (Leiden University, 2008-09), a Max Weber Fellow (European University Institute, 2007-08) and a Lecturer in War Studies (King's College London, 2005-07). At King's College London, Dr. Catignani helped establish the  successful e-learning MA in War in the Modern World programme. 

Please note that Dr. Catignani has been appointed as Senior Lecturer in Security & Strategic Studies at the Strategy & Security Institute, University of Exeter and will terminate his employment at Sussex University on 31 March 2013.

Role

Lecturer in Strategic and Security Studies (until 31 March 2013).

Associate of the Sussex European Institute.

Community and Business

Dr. Catignani has provided consulting services to various institutions involved in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism issues.

Dr. Catignani uses extensively his Twitter account to highlight news events, publications and debates on defence and international security issues. Feel free to follow him on his personal Twitter account.

Dr. Catignani's subject and research expertise and teaching interests comprise Middle East Security issues (particularly Israeli security, Israeli-Palestinian relations and Gulf Security) as well as strategic and military studies (especially irregular warfare, civil-military relations and contemporary military operations).

Over the last five years Dr. Catignani has principally researched and published on Israeli counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism strategy, operations and tactics in order to explore and answer the following questions:

Under what conditions do conventional militaries adapt successfully to non-conventional forms of warfare such as insurgency, guerrilla and terror warfare? What constitutes success in a counter-insurgency campaign? How does the organisational culture of a military affect that military organisation's behaviour in relation to domestic (mainly civil-military relations) and international (mainly security threat) stimuli? Does organisational culture hinder or promote organisational change? 

Dr. Catignani is currently working on two research projects: 1) the British military's organizational adaptation to counter-insurgency and nation-building missions; 2) Turkish Foreign and Security Policy with particular reference to NATO security and the new strategic concept; 3) French Foreign and Security Policy with particular reference to NATO as well as the Anglo-French alliance.

Potential Doctoral Proposals:

Dr. Catignani would welcome PhD students working in areas such as:

Contemporary security issues (esp. counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, stabilization operations), Israeli security, Middle East security, U.S. military and security strategy, and military innovation and transformation, foreign and security policy (of individual states or in a comparative context).

Please note that Dr. Catignani has been appointed as Senior Lecturer in Security & Strategic Studies at the Strategy & Security Institute, University of Exeter and will terminate his employment at Sussex University on 31 March 2013. Any doctoral candidates interested in pursuing a PhD with Dr. Catignani as one of their main supervisors, please contact him directly at Exeter University.

Current Doctorial Supervision

Tobias Ruettershoff, Expert Knowledge Production in US Military Campaigns: The Case of the Philippines, Vietnam and Iraq.

Dr. Catignani was the 2010 recipient of the School of Global Teaching Excellence Award.

In 2012, Dr. Catignani also became the recipient of the Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, which provides national recognition of one's commitment to professionalism in teaching and learning in higher education.

Dr. Catignani is the Convenor for the New Security Challenges Guest Lecture Series and the Visiting Practitioner Series.
 

First Term:

International Security (MA): co-convenor and tutor.

Introduction to International Relations (L2008 09/10): convenor and lecturer.

Issues in International Security (L2061): convenor and lecturer.

New Security Challenges (MA): lecturer.

Second term:

Conflict and Military Intervention (BA Thesis Seminar): Convenor and tutor.

Irregular Warfare (MA): convenor and lecturer.

Potential Doctoral Proposals:

Dr. Catignani would welcome PhD students working in areas such as:

Contemporary security issues (esp. counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, stabilization operations), Israeli security, Middle East security, U.S. military and security strategy, and military innovation and transformation, foreign, defence and security policy of individual states or in a comparative context.

Student Consultation

Office and Feedback Hours: 11:15-13:15 Thursdays or by appointment.

Please note that Dr. Catignani has been appointed as Senior Lecturer in Security & Strategic Studies at the Strategy & Security Institute, University of Exeter and will terminate his employment at Sussex University on 31 March 2013. His last available office and feedback hour will be on Tuesday 26 March 2013.

Catignani, Sergio (2012) 'Getting COIN' at the tactical level in Afghanistan: reassessing counter-insurgency adaptation in the British Army. Journal of Strategic Studies, 35 (4). pp. 513-539. ISSN 0140-2390

Catignani, Sergio (2012) Israeli counterinsurgency: the never-ending 'whack-a-mole'. In: The Routledge Handbook of Insurgency and Counterinsurgency. Routledge, Oxon, United Kingdom and New York, pp. 263-275. ISBN 9780415567336

Jones, Clive and Catignani, Sergio, eds. (2010) Israel and Hizbollah: An asymmetric conflict in historical and comparative perspective. Middle Eastern military studies . Routledge. ISBN 9780415449106

Catignani, Sergio (2010) Israeli counter-insurgency strategy and the quest for security in the Israeli-Lebanese conflict arena. In: Israel and Hizbollah: an asymmetric conflict in historical and comparative perspective. Middle Eastern Military Studies . Routledge, Oxon, United Kingdom and New York, pp. 67-89. ISBN 9780415449106

Catignani, Sergio (2009) Variation on a theme: Israel's operation cast lead and the Gaza strip missile conundrum. RUSI Journal, 154 (4). pp. 66-73. ISSN 0307-1847

Catignani, Sergio (2008) The Israel defence forces and the Al-Aqsa Intifada: when tactical virtuosity meets strategic disappointment. In: Counterinsurgency in Modern Warfare. Osprey, pp. 203-219. ISBN 9781846032813

Catignani, Sergio (2008) Israeli counterinsurgency. In: Counterinsurgency in Modern Warfare. Companion . Osprey, Oxford, pp. 201-217. ISBN 9781846032813

Catignani, Sergio (2007) Leadership in low-intensity conflicts: the Israeli case study. In: Dimensions of Military Leadership. Canadian Defence Academy Press, Kingston, Ontario, pp. 157-182. ISBN 9780662439646

Shamir, Eitan and Catignani, Sergio (2006) Mission Command and Bitsuism in the Israeli Defence Forces: Complementary or Contradictory in Today's Counter-Insurgency Campaign? In: Dimensions of Military Leadership. Kingston, ON: Canadian Defence Academy Press, pp. 185-214. ISBN 0662440307

Catignani, Sergio (2005) The security imperative in counterterror operations: the Israeli fight against suicidal terror. Terrorism and Political Violence, 17 (1-2). pp. 245-264. ISSN 09546553

Catignani, Sergio (2005) The strategic impasse in low-intensity conflicts: the gap between Israeli counter-insurgency strategy and tactics during the Al-Aqsa Intifada. Journal of Strategic Studies, 28 (1). pp. 57-75. ISSN 0140-2390

Catignani, Sergio (2004) Israel defence forces organizational changes in an era of budgetary cutbacks. RUSI Journal, 149 (5). pp. 72-76. ISSN 0307-1847

Catignani, Sergio (2004) Motivating soldiers: the example of the Israeli defence forces. Parameters, 34 (3). pp. 108-121. ISSN 0031-1723