Professor Neil Cooper interviewed on Radio 4's Today Programme
On the 2nd January 2014, Professor Neil Cooper from the University of Bradford's Peace Studies Division, was interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, as part of a feature on the UK's arms export policy.
The programme was guest edited by singer/songwriter PJ Harvey, who covered torture, war and morale in the NHS, in a special edition of the daily radio show, which is recognised as 'setting the scene' for the day's news. Professor Cooper was interviewed on the subject of the arms trade, in a feature entitled: Arming Repression, led by the BBC's policy analyst, Mark Curtis.
The Today programme traditionally hands over the reigns to guest editors during the festive season, where they are given a say in up to half of their three-hour broadcast. PJ Harvey's controversial show included contributions from Julian Assange, Ralph Fiennes and war photographer Giles Julie.
Professor Neil Cooper's research has included work on the political economy of peacebuilding, the regional dimensions of war economies, post-conflict reconstruction in Sierra Leone and ethical trading initiatives, most notably the Kimberley Certifications System to prevent the trade in conflict diamonds. His current research is on the history of conventional arms trade regulation, particularly focussing on regulatory initiatives from the late 19th century onwards.