About Me
I'm Alexander Morrow, a policy researcher and writer specializing in international relations, security, and global governance. My work is grounded in a liberal internationalist perspective—committed to the defense of democratic values, multilateral cooperation, and rules-based order in a rapidly changing world.
With academic training in political science, history, and diplomacy from the University of British Columbia and the University of Oxford, I approach geopolitical issues with analytical depth and a principled lens. I’ve collaborated with government agencies and policy institutes on projects ranging from Indo-Pacific strategy to peace and security agendas, bringing together empirical research and normative insight.
This Substack offers clear, accessible, and critically informed commentary on global developments—from great power competition and regional security dynamics to institutional reform and foreign policy strategy. I aim to equip readers with both context and clarity, guided by the belief that liberal values and pragmatic statecraft can and must coexist.
Whether you’re a policymaker, student, or globally curious citizen, welcome aboard.
Power and Purpose aims to be a publication for those who believe that power should serve principle, and that liberal democracy; flawed, fragile, but indispensable, is still worth fighting for.
This is a home for liberal internationalists who understand that maintaining a just and peaceful world order requires more than hope and hashtags. It takes strategy, alliances, and sometimes hard power, deployed in defence of democracy, human rights, and the dignity of sovereign peoples.
My commitment is to be clear-eyed about the realities of geopolitics, but reject fatalism. Realism without resignation. Idealism without naïveté. That’s the balance this newsletter aims to strike.
What You’ll Find Here:
Sharp analysis of global power dynamics
Commentary on the future of the liberal international order, with a strong Euro-Atlanticist anchor
Critiques of authoritarianism, left isolationism, and right-wing nationalism alike
Defence of international institutions; alongside ideas for how to reform and revive them (particularly from a Social democratic perspective).
A commitment to solidarity across borders, rooted in both moral clarity and strategic interest
This isn’t about nostalgia for the Cold War or blind faith in the status quo. It’s about building a renewed, democratic global architecture; fit for the 21st century’s challenges.
If you believe that internationalism and realism can coexist, that Liberal democracies still matter, and that liberal values are worth the fight, you’re in the right place.
Subscribe for essays, commentary, and the occasional dispatch on global events; written with conviction, but without illusion.
