Alasdair McCallum
Tagline:PhD in Political Science and International Relations at Monash University
Melbourne VIC, Australia
About Me
I am a political scientist with particular expertise in Russian and post-Soviet politics, political institutions, and comparative political development. I possess a PhD in Politics & International Relations from Monash University and a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) and Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the University of Queensland. I have published in peer-reviewed journals in the fields of politics, history, and law. I have extensive experience as a tutor in political science and history at Monash University, La Trobe University, ANU College and the Australian National University.
My research has focused on comparative politics and lies at the intersection of political science, law and history and has analysed the role of formal political and legal institutions under authoritarian conditions, with a focus on Russia and the post-Soviet region. My doctoral thesis focused on politics and opposition behaviour in authoritarian Russia; and I have also written on constitutional design and authoritarian resilience, as well as Australian politics and modern history.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy - PhD
from: 2019, until: 2024Field of study:Politics & International RelationsSchool:Monash University
Intensive Russian course
from: 2017, until: 2017School:Pushkin State Russian Language Institute
Bachelor of Arts - BA (Hons Class 1)
from: 2016, until: presentSchool:The University of Queensland
Bachelor of Laws - LLB (Second-class Honours)
from: 2010, until: 2015Field of study:LawSchool:The University of Queensland
Research Interests
- Russian politics
- Australian politics
- Constitutional law
- Russian history
- Authoritarianism
Publications
Of Dark Arts and Dictators—Why the Russian Constitution Matters: The Constitutional Dark Arts by William Partlett
Journal ArticlePublisher:Oxford Journal of Legal StudiesDate:2026Authors:Alasdair McCallumThe persistence of Russia’s Ukraine war propaganda
DocumentPublisher:Monash LensDate:2023Authors:Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is about imperialism, not NATO
DocumentPublisher:Monash LensDate:2022Authors:'A greenslide or winning in increments?: The greens in the 2022 federal election'
DocumentPublisher:Social AlternativesDate:2022Authors:Much Azov about nothing: How the ‘Ukrainian neo-Nazis’ canard fooled the world
DocumentPublisher:Monash LensDate:2022Authors:A word, please: How we got from “The Ukraine” to Ukraine, Kiev to Kyiv, Lvov to Lviv
DocumentPublisher:Monash LensDate:2022Authors:Putting Putin’s false history of Ukraine into perspective
DocumentPublisher:Monash LensDate:2022Authors:The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the 2022 Australian federal election
DocumentPublisher:Monash University special report: The 2022 Australian federal election: themes, challenges and issuesDate:2022Authors:Description:An assessment of the impact and domestic political relevance of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the upcoming Australian federal election
What we lose by ‘Westsplaining’ the Russian invasion of Ukraine
DocumentPublisher:Monash LensDate:2022Authors:Perviy Kanal's Trotsky and the “Atlanticisation” of Leon Trotsky's Legacy
DocumentPublisher:Australian Journal of Politics & HistoryDate:2020Authors:
Contact
Work Experiences
Volunteer
from: 2022, until: 2023Organization:Poland WelcomesLocation:Jarosław, Podkarpackie, Poland
PHD Scholar
from: 2019, until: 2024Organization:Monash UniversityLocation:Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Research assistant
from: 2019, until: 2020Organization:Monash University
English Second Language Tutor
from: 2017, until: 2018Organization:Imperial RepetitorLocation:Moscow, Russia
Skills
- Political Science
- Politics
- History
- Quantitative Research
- English
- English as a Second Language (ESL)
- Russian
Media Engagement
Lowy Institute “The constitutional dark arts spreading from Russia to the world.” Ass. Prof William Partlett and Alasdair McCallum, 12 December 2025: https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/constitutional-dark-arts-spreading-russia-world
SBS News, 'Not serious about ceasefire': What Russia's major attack means for the war in Ukraine, 8 September 2025: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/russias-biggest-air-attack-yet-could-prolong-war-in-ukraine/4ayseob3b
Channel 9 Adelaide news interview, 28 September 2024: https://x.com/9NewsAdel/status/1839949894007546270
Channel 7 Sunrise interview on the Russian Presidential Election, 16 March 2024
Channel 7 News Alasdair McCallum interview on Yulia Navalnaya and Alexei Navalny ’s legacy, 21 February 2024
Update from Kyiv podcast with Dr Jessica Genauer, 4 September 2022, episode 90 on Russian opposition, mobilisation, passivity and the Ukraine war: https://updatefromkyiv.podbean.com/e/90-analysis-alasdair-mccallum-on-russian-opposition/
Host on two episodes of Russian travel series Russkii Kovcheg “Russian Ark” on Telekanal Dozhd (TV Rain) Moscow, Russia 2018, (in Russian): https://tvrain.tv/teleshow/russkij_kovcheg/avstralijts-472079/?fbclid=IwAR1RWlJbtZm3vcSmjOQIOiD9FrC3GCJWbe21mVTbQbIs6UtWx-oB-k59wBY&_branch_match_id=573102534264026427