Rory Cormac is a Professor of International Relations at the University of Nottingham and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He writes about covert operations and secret statecraft, and is the author or co-author of six books, including How to Stage a Coup (2022), Disrupt and Deny (2018), and The Secret Royals (2021). He has presented television documentaries aired in the UK, US, and Australia, his research and commentary writing have featured in media outlets worldwide including The Spectator, and he has testified before UK and Australian parliamentary inquiries on subversion, disinformation, and electoral interference.