Simon Miles

Simon Miles is an Associate Professor at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, where he has been affiliated since 2017. His research specializes in Cold War diplomatic and military history, with a focus on US-Soviet relations and the relevance of historical lessons to contemporary geopolitics.

• Ph.D. in History from the University of Texas at Austin (2017)
• M.A. in International Relations from the London School of Economics (2011)
• B.A. in History from the University of Toronto (2010)

Miles analyzes Cold War-era archives from both Western and Eastern bloc nations to understand superpower cooperation and rivalry. His work challenges prevailing narratives, such as the mythologized Able Archer 83 military exercise, and examines the Warsaw Pact's role in Cold War security dynamics. His current research extends to the lived experiences of Soviet intelligence officers during Gorbachev's reforms.

The trajectory of his recent publications highlights a shift from high-level diplomatic analysis (e.g., Johnson and Reagan administrations) to grassroots perspectives within Soviet institutions. His cross-disciplinary approach bridges public policy, history, and political science, often contextualizing Cold War strategies within modern geopolitical frameworks.