Mark Sedra

Mr. Sedra is a Research Scholar in the Department of Political Science at the University of Waterloo, and a Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI). His research focuses on the topic of post-conflict state-building with an emphasis on security issues. He has conducted research on a number of countries and regions, including Northern Ireland, the Middle East, and the Balkans; however, the bulk of his research in recent years has centered on Afghanistan.

He was formerly a Research Associate at the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC), a German-based independent think tank specializing in peace and security issues, and a Visiting Research Fellow at the UK Defence Academy based in Shrivenham, UK. He also served as the 2004-2005 Cadieux Léger Fellow in the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs. He has been a consultant to governments, intergovernmental organizations, and NGOs on issues pertaining to the security and political situation in Afghanistan, including the United Nations, the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, and the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

He received an Honours BA in political science and history from the University of Toronto, and an MSc in International History from the London School of Economics (LSE). He is currently a Ph.D candidate in the Political Studies Department at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in the University of London. His dissertation focuses on the challenges of rebuilding security structures in post-conflict societies, with Afghanistan and Iraq serving as his principal case studies.

Research interests include: state failure and state-building, Afghanistan, international security, post-conflict reconstruction and development, security sector reform.