Alexandra Kerr is a Handsel Scholar and Ph.D. Candidate in the School of International Relations at the University of St. Andrews where her research focuses on Security Sector Governance and Reform. She holds an MA (Hons) in International Relations from the University of St. Andrews and an MA in International Conflict from the Department of War Studies at King’s College London.

PhD Project: Alexandra’s doctoral research explores the underlying catalysts for failure in Security Sector Reform (SSR). SSR posits that sustainable peace and development cannot be achieved in the absence of legitimate, accountable, and effective security, justice, and defence institutions. Each year, billions of dollars and countless hours are invested in SSR programming aimed at strengthening the capacity of partner states to provide accountable security to their populations. Yet despite these laudable efforts, there are few enduring successes. To explain this persistent gap between theory and practice, this study develops a typology of Schools of Thought on SSR failure—including capacity constraints, design-context misalignment, insufficient local ownership, strategic elite interference, and subordination to donor priorities and processes. From each of the five schools of thought, a corresponding mid-range theory of failure is derived, alongside an implicit causal mechanism through which failure is expected to occur. The study tests these competing explanations through a comparative case study, process-tracing design. By empirically identifying which causal mechanisms most strongly shape reform outcomes, the project bridges the divide between SSR’s normative ideals and its empirical realities, offering new insight into why so few reforms achieve their intended goals.

Professional Experience: Alexandra has more than a decade of experience working in the fields of international relations and defence around the world. Most recently, she served as Deputy Director of Strategic Capacity Group, where she designed and led institutional and technical capacity-building programs and research projects on Defence Sector Reform, Defence Institution Building, and security challenges globally. From 2015-2017, she was a Research Fellow at the Center for Complex Operations at the National Defense University in Washington, DC, where she led an initiative on Defense Institution Building in collaboration with the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Security Cooperation. Prior to joining NDU, Alexandra was Assistant Director of the International Institutions and Global Governance Program at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), where she oversaw award-winning projects and publications related to global multilateral cooperation, and went on to develop CFR’s international initiative, the Council of Councils. During her undergraduate and graduate studies, Alexandra held several research internships, including at the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue in Geneva, the University of St. Andrews, Sircuro Group, the political risk division of Lloyds of London, and the UN World Food Program in Rome.

Recent Publications: Alexandra’s 2022 book, A Practitioner’s Guide to Defense Sector Reform (coauthored by Dr. Querine Hanlon), is a practitioner-oriented conceptual road map for program managers and implementers who have the difficult job of achieving reform in a wide range of defence sectors around the globe. The authors propose ten goals for Defence Sector Reform, each of which identifies a place to start and details how to implement programming across a range of country contexts. The goals include: (1) democratic control, (2) civilian oversight, (3) legislative and judicial oversight, (4) coordination and management, (5) functioning logistics, (6) defence planning, (7) financial management, (8) the right people, (9) strategy generation, and (10) military effectiveness. Examples from Colombia, Georgia, Iraq, Libya, Mali, and Tunisia help practitioners translate this guidance into effective reform programming.

Alexandra is also editor of the 2017 book, Effective, Legitimate, Secure: Insights for Defense Institution Building, which offers an introduction to the concept of Defence Institution Building (DIB) and argues that establishing effective and legitimate defence institutions to undergird a partner’s defence establishment is the only way to ensure long-term security. This edited volume analyses the challenge for donors of how to best invest resources to help establish strong and capable defence partners. As traditional security cooperation and assistance approaches have proven insufficient to instate sustained improvements to partners’ defence sectors, U.S. Security Sector Reform (SSR) experts offer insights into the relatively new concept of DIB, which was developed to fill a gap in SSR by supporting partner stakeholders as they seek to develop the systemic capabilities and strong institutional foundations needed for legitimate, effective, professional, and sustainable defence sectors that are responsive to civilian control and contribute to the overall security and prosperity of the state—and in turn, to regional stability and U.S. national security.