Preface

The research for this book was made possible through a generous grant from the Economic and Social Science Research Council (ESRC), Grant Number RES-223–25–0074. We are particularly grateful to the ESRC for its support. Special thanks are also due to Stewart Croft as the Director of the New Security Challenges Programme for his continued encouragement and upbeat enthusiasm for the project. The ESRC grant facilitated an intensive two-year period of fieldwork and travel. On our return to Aberystwyth, the Department of International Politics always provided an inspiring and collegial work environment. The Department was our intellectual home for a decade and occupies a special place in our hearts. To our friends, colleagues and students from Aberystwyth: we are forever grateful for your support, your constructive criticism and challenges – and for all the good times along the way!

We also owe thanks to other institutions. The Department of Political Studies at the University of Cape Town kindly accepted us as Visiting Fellows during one of our stays in Cape Town and provided a welcoming and conducive base from which to conduct our research. Very special thanks are due to Neil Walker and the Department of Law at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence for hosting us during the winter and spring of 2007 and for allowing us the privilege of working in the tranquil and productive surroundings of the EUI. The final stages of the project were completed as Visiting Fellows at the School of Politics and International Studies at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. We could hardly have wished for a more convivial setting in which to finalize the manuscript, and we are very grateful to the School for providing such an enjoyable and intellectually stimulating environment. For the past year, the University of Ottawa has been a welcoming and exciting new institution in which to bring the project to completion. We are very grateful to our colleagues for making it so.