Hi, I am Adrian.
I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam and from summer 2026, I will be a Visiting Fellow at the British Institute for International and Comparative Law. I was previously The Queen's Scholar of the Middle Temple, where I was called to the Bar of England and Wales, and Departmental Lecturer in the Philosophy of Social Science at the University of Oxford, teaching at Lincoln College and the Blavatnik School of Government. I have studied for my Doctorate in Political Theory at New College, University of Oxford.
My research addresses broad questions of legitimacy, legality, coercion, and authority. I am working on a book project tentatively entitled 'Law's Political Reality'. Besides my academic work, I have been active with the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, the Al-Haq Center for Applied International Law in Ramallah, and the Balfour Peace Advocacy Project in London as an Associate Fellow. I also act on the Advisory Board of Völkerrechtsblog.
Publications
[1] Political Legitimacy and the 'Public Good' in Islamic Jurisprudence
In UCLA Journal of Islamic and Near Eastern Law, 2025
[2] Radical Realism and the Motivated Reasoning Connection
In Political Studies Review, 2024
[3] "Pax Falastini": A Turning Point for the International Rule of Law?
In Völkerrechtsblog, June 2024
[4] Complicity in a (Plausible) Genocide? On UNRWA, Holodomor and the ICJ on Gaza
In Opinio Juris, Feburary 2024
[5] Realism and Metanormativity
In Inquiry, 2023
[6] On Being a Realist About Migration
In Res Publica, 2023
[7] The Poverty of Ethics [Review]
In Journal of Social and Political Philosophy, 2023
[8] Legal Activism or Ex-Post Justice?
In N.Y.U. Review of International Law & Politics, October 2023
[9] How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Political Normativity [with Enzo Rossi]
In Political Studies Review, 2022
[10] Moral and Political Foundations
In Moral Philosophy & Politics, 2022
[11] Whatever It Is We Owe to Animals, It's Not to Eat Them
In Journal of Animal Ethics, 2022
[12] Within the Shell of the Old: On Critical Theory and Prefigurative Politics
In Philosophy & Public Issues, Vol. 11, Special Issues: Capitalism and Critical Theory, 2021
[13] Against Political Equality: The Confucian Case [Review]
In Journal of Moral Philosophy, 2021
[14] Immediate Negation
In History and Philosophy of Logic, 2021
[15] Contradiction and Recursion in Buddhist Philosophy
In Morisato, T., Pacsa, R. (eds.). Asian Philosophical Texts, 2019
[16] Recapture, Transparency, Negation, and a Logic for the Catuskoti
In Comparative Philosophy, 2019
Work in Progress
[1] A research article on Human Rights Justifications
[2] A research article on Improperly Obtained Criminal Evidence
[3] A research article on the Judicial Review of Improper Treaty Implementation
[4] A discussion of Article 1d, Geneva Convention and Legal Subalternity in Domestic Application.
[1] Political Legitimacy and the 'Public Good' in Islamic Jurisprudence
In UCLA Journal of Islamic and Near Eastern Law, 2025
[2] Radical Realism and the Motivated Reasoning Connection
In Political Studies Review, 2024
[3] "Pax Falastini": A Turning Point for the International Rule of Law?
In Völkerrechtsblog, June 2024
[4] Complicity in a (Plausible) Genocide? On UNRWA, Holodomor and the ICJ on Gaza
In Opinio Juris, Feburary 2024
[5] Realism and Metanormativity
In Inquiry, 2023
[6] On Being a Realist About Migration
In Res Publica, 2023
[7] The Poverty of Ethics [Review]
In Journal of Social and Political Philosophy, 2023
[8] Legal Activism or Ex-Post Justice?
In N.Y.U. Review of International Law & Politics, October 2023
[9] How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Political Normativity [with Enzo Rossi]
In Political Studies Review, 2022
[10] Moral and Political Foundations
In Moral Philosophy & Politics, 2022
[11] Whatever It Is We Owe to Animals, It's Not to Eat Them
In Journal of Animal Ethics, 2022
[12] Within the Shell of the Old: On Critical Theory and Prefigurative Politics
In Philosophy & Public Issues, Vol. 11, Special Issues: Capitalism and Critical Theory, 2021
[13] Against Political Equality: The Confucian Case [Review]
In Journal of Moral Philosophy, 2021
[14] Immediate Negation
In History and Philosophy of Logic, 2021
[15] Contradiction and Recursion in Buddhist Philosophy
In Morisato, T., Pacsa, R. (eds.). Asian Philosophical Texts, 2019
[16] Recapture, Transparency, Negation, and a Logic for the Catuskoti
In Comparative Philosophy, 2019
Work in Progress
[1] A research article on Human Rights Justifications
[2] A research article on Improperly Obtained Criminal Evidence
[3] A research article on the Judicial Review of Improper Treaty Implementation
[4] A discussion of Article 1d, Geneva Convention and Legal Subalternity in Domestic Application.
Public Writing [Selected]
[1] Why Do Academics Feel the Need to Speak Out About Political Crisis?
In Times Higher Education, 15. December 2023
[2] Algeria and Palestine: Parallels and Differences
In Oxford Political Review, December 2023
[3] What's in a Ceasefire? [with Enzo Rossi and Lillian Robb]
In Mondoweiss & The Markaz Review, November 2023
[4] A Vision for Political Psychoanalysis
In Psychology Today, 10. August 2023
[5] How I Became a Terrorist
In Mondoweiss, 28. July 2023
[6] Freud and Rilke on Loss and Getting Over
In Psychology Today, 03. December 2022
[7] Dyslexia: The Anti-Authoritarian Disease
In Psychology Today, 5. October 2022
[8] Rebel, Rebel
In Oxford Review of Books, Spring 2022
[9] Revising the Manifesto: The French Dispatch and May '68
In The Point, 10. November, 2021
[10] What Good is a Right to Toothless Protest? Freedom, Dissent, and the UK's Protest Crackdown Bill
In Reflections on a Revolution, 9. April 2021; Interview on This is Hell! Radio, 19. April 2021
[11] Aufstehen, Hinsetzen: Why the European Left Needs to Rethink Its Pragmatism
In IPPR Progressive Review, Vol. 26(1): 255-261, 2019
[12] Marxism and Buddhism
In Aeon, July 2019 (online and audio podcast)
In Internazionale, No. 1326 (Italian)
[1] Why Do Academics Feel the Need to Speak Out About Political Crisis?
In Times Higher Education, 15. December 2023
[2] Algeria and Palestine: Parallels and Differences
In Oxford Political Review, December 2023
[3] What's in a Ceasefire? [with Enzo Rossi and Lillian Robb]
In Mondoweiss & The Markaz Review, November 2023
[4] A Vision for Political Psychoanalysis
In Psychology Today, 10. August 2023
[5] How I Became a Terrorist
In Mondoweiss, 28. July 2023
[6] Freud and Rilke on Loss and Getting Over
In Psychology Today, 03. December 2022
[7] Dyslexia: The Anti-Authoritarian Disease
In Psychology Today, 5. October 2022
[8] Rebel, Rebel
In Oxford Review of Books, Spring 2022
[9] Revising the Manifesto: The French Dispatch and May '68
In The Point, 10. November, 2021
[10] What Good is a Right to Toothless Protest? Freedom, Dissent, and the UK's Protest Crackdown Bill
In Reflections on a Revolution, 9. April 2021; Interview on This is Hell! Radio, 19. April 2021
[11] Aufstehen, Hinsetzen: Why the European Left Needs to Rethink Its Pragmatism
In IPPR Progressive Review, Vol. 26(1): 255-261, 2019
[12] Marxism and Buddhism
In Aeon, July 2019 (online and audio podcast)
In Internazionale, No. 1326 (Italian)
