About

I am a Senior Lecturer and the programme leader of International Relations at the College of Business, Law, and Social Sciences here at the University of Derby.

Research interests

My research interests lie in three broad areas: sport and politics, international relations and Middle East studies. My work is interdisciplinary and located at the intersection of international relations, sociology of sport, history and other fields (such as diaspora studies). My research focuses on issues of power, identity and sport, including the role of sport and international sports institutions in the global system and sport's relationship to national and other identities. My PhD research developed a theoretical framework of alliance formation and analysed the foreign policy of Syria during the 1970-1989 years. I am currently working on two projects, one focusing on sport and politics (both at the global level and in the MENA region) and the other on regional involvement in civil wars, both at a theoretical level and in reference to the Syrian case. I am also interested in the politics of Israel/Palestine.

I am the main evaluator for the Derby Creative Arts Network project at the University, looking into the impact and insights of arts and culture for the people, communities, artists and organisational partnerships in the city of Derby.

Recent publications

• Belcastro, F and Wastnidge, E (monograph, eds.) “International Relations in a Multipolar Middle East”, Manchester University Press (forthcoming 2024).

• Belcastro , F “A Game of Politics? International Sport Organisations and the Role of Sport in International Politics”, The International Spectator, Volume 58 (2), pp.107-122 (2023).

• Belcastro, F and Dukhan, H “Tribes and proxy wars in the Middle East” in Rauta,V et al. (eds.) Routledge Handbook of Proxy Wars, Routledge (2023)

• Belcastro, F "Sport, politics and the struggle over ‘normalization’ in post-Oslo Israel and Palestine" Mediterranean Politics (2020).
• Belcastro, F  "Syrian Foreign Policy. The Alliances of a Regional Power" (Monograph) Abingdon, Routledge, 2019
• Belcastro, F "An Odd Foreign Policy Couple? Syria and the KSA 1970-1989". Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, (2019)
• Belcastro, F "From Domestic to Regional. The Civil War Conundrum and the Cases of Algeria and Syria". Civil Wars, Vol. 19 (2) 2017, pp. 198-219

Membership of professional bodies

• Fellow at Centre for Syrian Studies, University of St Andrews
• Fellow at SEPAD project, University of Lancaster
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Member of the Scientific Committee, Mediterranean International Centre for Human Rights, University of Reggio Calabria, Italy
• Member, BRISMES (British Society of Middle Eastern Studies)

Professional interests

My main areas of interest are sport and politics, international relations of the Middle East and conflict and security. I have published widely on the role of sport in international relations, on regional security (focusing specifically on civil wars and their regional dimension) and foreign policy of the MENA region, in particular Syria and Palestine/Israel.

I am the host of The FootPol podcast and I regularly appear on local and national media. I frequently contribute to several online publications in the fields of International Relations and Geopolitics.

Qualifications

Prior to joining the University of Derby, I was a Teaching Fellow at the University of St Andrews, where I also obtained my PhD. I hold an MA in Geopolitics, Territory and Security from King's College London and a BA in International Relations from the University of Bologna.

Recent conferences

• July 2023, BRISMES Conference, University of Exeter
• June 2023, guest speaker, Istituto Affari Internazionali, Rome. Webinar
• December 2022, SEPAD Conference, University of Lancaster
• July 2022, BRISMES Conference, St Andrews.
• June 2020, Conference organiser, International Relations in a Multipolar Middle East E-conference 
• February 2020, guest speaker, All Souls College, University of Oxford, T.E. Lawrence Research seminars.
• June 2019, BISA Conference, London
• March 2019, SEPAD workshop, University of Lancaster
• October 2018, guest speaker, Centre for Conflict, Security and Terrorism, University of Nottingham
• April 2018, ISA Conference, San Francisco

In the media

I am available for comments in the press on a range of topics including sport and politics, the current situation in Syria, the Palestinian-Israeli relations.

Teaching responsibilities

I am currently teaching several modules in the fields of International Security and Diplomacy. In the past I taught a range of modules in International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies.