Paul is a political scientist interested in the destruction and reconstruction of states, particularly in Africa. Much of his research focuses on decentralisation, governance and state building, and it was his extensive experience in Sierra Leone immediately following the war that led him into the area of conflict analysis and security sector reform.
In 2009 Paul carried out an analysis of the situation in northern Uganda with regard to the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the possibilities for peace and post-conflict justice in the country.
His findings reveal that the conflict in Uganda can be linked to the nature of the Ugandan state and involvement of Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic. The divisions within the LRA and the inability of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to fulfil its mandate also contribute to the crisis.
He is currently the international adviser to the Nepali Government on the reintegration of the Maoist Army following ten years of civil war in that country and is advising on what to do with the twenty thousand combatants as well as on the reform of the security sector within Nepal, including the establishment of a Ministry of Defence and the democratisation of the military.
Paul works in several overseas locations including Rwanda, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Iraq, Bhutan, India, Nepal and China amongst others. He is an experienced aid evaluator as well as governance and conflict analyst and has just completed a ten year evaluation of UK involvement in the reconstruction of Sierra Leone.