Dr Lily Hamourtziadou
Senior Lecturer and Course Lead in MA International Relations and Security
- Email:
- lily.hamourtziadou@bcu.ac.uk
Lily researches and teaches international politics and security. She is principal researcher for leading NGO Iraq Body Count, twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, and participates in NATO meetings as human security mentor.
Lily鈥檚 work contributes to peace efforts and civilian harm mitigation in armed conflict. Her work has helped achieve positive changes in policy, humanitarian responses or planning, and contributes to the on-going assessment of conflict globally. She is regularly consulted and interviewed on global and national security matters by the media and international organisations.
She is a member of the Counter Terrorism Evidence Based Review Group, which is part of the Counter Terrorism Policing HQ, that devises policy and strategy, coordinates and evaluates national CT projects, facilitates the collaboration between academia and the building of a Prevent database, and works with the government and intelligence agencies.
She is a member of the West Midlands Military Education Committee that oversees and monitors the work of the Royal Naval Unit, Officers Training Corps, and University Air Squadron, and liaising with them to advise and promote equal and beneficial partnership between the Council, the MEC, the MoD, and Universities.
Areas of Expertise
- International Relations
- Middle East
- Global Security
- Irregular Warfare
- The War on Terror
- Human Rights
- Casualty Recording
- Research-based teaching
- Student mentoring
Qualifications
- BA Philosophy and English
- MA European Studies
- PhD International Relations
Memberships
Iraq Body Count:
- I have been the principal researcher and analyst of this NGO since 2006.
Counter Terrorism Evidence Based Review Group (Met Police):
- I am a member of CTEBRG, which is part of the Counter Terrorism Policing HQ, that devises policy and strategy, coordinates and evaluates national CT projects, facilitates the collaboration between academia and the building of a Prevent database, and works with the government and intelligence agencies
West Midlands Military Education Committee:听The role of the committee members is:听
- To oversee and monitor the work of the three University Service Units: the Royal Naval Unit; Officers Training Corps; and University Air Squadron, and to liaise with them in order to advise and make recommendations where appropriate.
-
To receive annual reports at an AGM on the activities of the military service units.
- To advise the constituent Universities on matters relating to military education.
- To encourage and promote an interest in military education within the Universities.
- To liaise with the three Services, making recommendations or advising on matters relating to the appointment of commanding officers and senior honorary posts in accordance with the arrangements established by each Service.
- To foster arrangements to promote equal and beneficial partnership between the Council, the MEC, the MoD, and Universities.
- To liaise with the Council of Military Education Committees, which is the national body of Military Education Committees.
Teaching
-
BA Criminology
- BSc Professional Policing
- MSc Policing and Intelligence Analysis
- MA International Relations and Security
Research
Currently working on two books:
- Historical Memory in Crisis. The Role of Memory in War Politics and Post-Conflict Reconciliation (to be published by Routledge).
- Middle East Faultlines: Hegemony and Geopolitics (to be published by Lynne Rienner Publishers).
Postgraduate Supervision
-
Leon Skerritt (policing far-right extremism)
- Balvinder Saini (conscientious objectors)
Publications
Books
-
Hamourtziadou, L. (2024)听Human Costs of War
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2021) Body Count; The War on Terror and Civilian Deaths in Iraq, Policy Press.
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2024) The Ethics of Remote Warfare, University of Wales Press.
Book chapter
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2024) 鈥楯ust War Theory and Drone Warfare: Morality, Virtual Wars and Human Security in the War on Terror鈥� in Williams, H., Boucher, D., Sutch, P. and Reidy, D. (eds) Handbook in International Political Theory, Palgrave.
Edited Journal Issues
-
Hamourtziadou, L and Gokay, B. (eds) Journal of Global Faultlines (2024) Vol 11 (2)
- Hamourtziadou L. (ed) Journal of Global Faultlines (2024) Vol 11 (1)
- Hamourtziadou, L and Gokay, B. (eds) (2023) 鈥楻e-thinking security in a time of a changing world (dis)order鈥�, Journal of Global Faultlines, Vol 10 (1).
- Hamourtziadou, L. and Khan, S. (eds) (2021) 鈥榃ar crimes and crimes against humanity: decolonizing discourses of international justice鈥� Journal of Global Faultlines, Vol 8 (2).
- Hamourtziadou, L. (ed) (2021) 鈥楽ecurity, legitimacy and crisis in the aftermath of colonialism and in the midst of a pandemic: the role of state organs鈥�, Journal of Global Faultlines, Vol 8 (1).
- Hamourtziadou, L. (ed) (2020) 鈥楽ecurity challenges of the 21st century: new challenges and perspectives鈥�, Journal of Global Faultlines, Vol 6 (2).
Journal articles
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Hamourtziadou L. and Wels W. (2025) 鈥楤iometrics to Necrometrics: What the Dead Can Tell us About War. A Human Security Approach to Collecting and Analysing Conflict Data from the Dead鈥�,
- Hamourtziadou, L., Lukasik, P. and Chapichadze, K. (2025) 鈥榃ar and national memory: Georgian, Polish, and British perspectives鈥� Journal of Global Faultlines, Vol 12 (1)
- Hamourtziadou L. and Ward E. (2024) 鈥楾he importance of documenting the casualties of armed conflict鈥�, Journal of Global Faultlines, 11 (2)
- Hamourtziadou, L. and Skerritt, L. (2024) 'War crimes and questions on justice in asymmetric warfare: the case of Iraq', Journal of Global Faultlines, 11 (1)
- Hamourtziadou, L. Jackson, J. and Winch, R. (2023) 鈥楻ussia鈥檚 and America鈥檚 21st century wars: Mirror Images?鈥� Journal of Global Faultlines, 10 (1).
- Hamourtziadou, L. and O鈥� Sullivan, A. (2021) 鈥楥rimes of a 鈥渂enevolent鈥� hegemony: configurations of UK power in Northern Ireland and Iraq鈥櫶�Journal of Global Faultlines, 8 (2), October 2021.
- Hamourtziadou, L., Jackson, J. and Headech, S. (2021) 鈥極n the use of force鈥�, Journal of Global Faultlines, 8 (1).
- Hamourtziadou, L. and Jackson, J. (2020) 鈥楥ovid-19 and the myth of security鈥�, Journal of Global Faultlines, 7 (1).
- Hamourtziadou, L. and Gokay, B. (2020) 鈥楾he Promised Spring: death and neoliberalism in Iraq鈥�, Security Dialogues, 11 (1) pp. 45-60.
- Hamourtziadou, L. and Jackson, J. (2020) 鈥榃inning Wars: The Triumphs and Myths of Technology鈥�, Journal of Global Faultlines, 6 (2).
- Hamourtziadou, L. and Jackson, J. (2018) 鈥�5/11: Revisiting the Gunpowder Plot鈥�, Journal of Global Faultlines, 5 (2).
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2017) 'Human security and the emergence of modern-day body counts: the law, the theory and the practice of casualty recording', Journal of Global Faultlines, 4 (1).
- Hamourtziadou, L. and Gokay, B. (2016) 'Whiter than White 鈥揜ace and Otherness in Turkish and Greek National Identities', Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies.听
The Conversation
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2023) 鈥業raq 20 years on: death came from the skies on March 19 2003 鈥� and the killing continues to this听day鈥�
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2023) 鈥楿kraine war: casualty counts from either side can be potent weapons and shouldn鈥檛 always be听believed鈥�
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2022) 鈥楿kraine War: how Russian denial of civilian casualties follows tactics used in Syria鈥�
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2022) 鈥楢fghanistan: Taliban plans for suicide brigade reveal changing nature of warfare in 21st听century鈥�
听 - Hamourtziadou, L. (2021) 鈥楩ive myths about drone warfare busted鈥�
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2021) 鈥業raq: thousands of police officers have died in the line of听duty鈥�
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2021) 鈥楶ope Francis in Iraq: visit highlights recent history of atrocities against听Christians鈥�
听
OpenDemocracy
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2022) 鈥楾unnel Warfare: the Islamic State鈥檚 subterranean war鈥�
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2022) 鈥榃hy Tony Blair is just the right person to get Britain鈥檚 top honour鈥�
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2021) 鈥楾he deadly legacy of 20 years of US war on terror in Iraq鈥�
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2021) 鈥楩rom invasion to failed state: Iraq鈥檚 democratic disillusionment鈥�
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2021) 鈥楰illed in the line of duty: the catastrophic deaths of 14,000 Iraqi officers鈥�
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2020) Casualties of 鈥榳ar on terror鈥� in Iraq: life, security and liberty
- Hamourtziadou, L. and Gokay, B. (2016) 'Will Chilcot mention the real reasons for the Iraq War and the hundreds of thousands who have died since March 2003?'
- Hamourtziadou, L. and Gokay, B. (2015) 'Body counting and precision bombing in failed states'
听
Iraq Body Count publications
- Hamourtziadou, L. Dardagan, H. and Sloboda, J. (2024) 鈥業RAQ 2023: Tribal wars, 'terrorist elements' and continuing air strikes鈥�
- Hamourtziadou, L., Dardagan, H. and Sloboda, J. (2023) 鈥業raq鈥檚 Residual War鈥�
- Hamourtziadou, L. and Dardagan, H. (2022) 鈥業raq 2021: Grave violations. Chronicling the rising tide of child deaths鈥�
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2021) 鈥極n the 18th anniversary, Iraq鈥檚 state of war鈥�
- Hamourtziadou, L., Dardagan, H. and Sloboda, J. (2021) 鈥楧eath in Baghdad鈥�
- Hamourtziadou, L (2021) Iraq 2020: 鈥楲egitimacy, security and war crime let-offs鈥�
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2020) Iraq in 2019: Calls for a 鈥楾rue Homeland鈥� met with deadly violence
- Hamourtziadou, L., Dardagan, H. and Sloboda, J. (2018) 鈥楪eneration: War; 15 years in the shadow of ceaseless conflict鈥�
- Hamourtziadou, L., Dardagan, H. and Sloboda, J. (2017) 'Another year of relentless violence in Iraq. IBC鈥檚 2016 analysis of civilian deaths'
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2016) 'Lest we forget'
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2016) 'Besieged: Living and dying in Fallujah'
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2016) 'Iraq: Wars and Casualties 13 years on'
- Hamourtziadou, L., Dardagan, H., Sloboda, J, and Dougherty, J. (2016) 'Iraq 2015: A Catastrophic Normal'
- Hamourtziadou, L. (2015) 鈥榃ar鈥檚 Moral Chaos鈥�
Media Work
- Lily is regularly interviewed by and collaborates with national and international media.
Work With Industry
- Counter Terrorism Evidence Based Review Group (Met Police). She is a member of CTEBRG, which is part of the Counter Terrorism Policing HQ, that devises policy and strategy, coordinates and evaluates national CT projects, facilitates the collaboration between academia and the building of a Prevent database, and works with the government and intelligence agencies.
- Airwars. Since 2014 she has worked with this NGO on reports, sources, incidents under investigation and identification of casualties.
- Every Casualty Counts. She has facilitated the publication of Standards for Casualty Recording, through her collaboration with ECC to develop and promote best practice in casualty recording globally.
- Action on Armed Violence. She covered the Independent Inquiry Relating to Afghanistan and has written reports for AOAV.
- UN High Commission for Refugees. As a Middle East expert, she wrote monthly briefings for UN staff on the security of Iraq and neighbouring countries, both disseminating data and advising on strategy and humanitarian aid.
- NATO Cyber Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence: research and collaboration on the use of biometrics by armed forces, contractors working with armed forces and ICT companies involved in military acquisition and procurement.