Giulia Garbagni

Dr. Giulia Garbagni is a Research Fellow at King's College London's Centre for Grand Strategy, specializing in modern East Asian international history with focus on Japanese foreign policy. She investigates Japanese diplomatic practices during the Cold War, particularly informal diplomacy through special envoys and executive agents in Southeast Asia. Garbagni earned her PhD from the University of Cambridge as an AHRC and Cambridge Trust scholar, with research fellowships at the Library of Congress, University of Tokyo, and Sogang University.

Her research examines how personality-driven diplomacy and informal channels shaped Japan's postwar foreign relations, particularly with Myanmar and Indonesia. Current work explores connections between Japanese infrastructure diplomacy and strategic objectives in Southeast Asia during the Cold War period.

Publications analyze Japanese mediation in Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation, Karen statehood movements in Burma, and historical patterns of Japanese development assistance. Methodologically, her work emphasizes multi-archival research and analysis of informal diplomatic networks.

At the Centre for Grand Strategy, Garbagni contributes to historical perspectives on statecraft and recently co-organized the 'Strategic Thinking in Japan: Bridging the 1945 Divide' conference. Her research bridges historical analysis with contemporary implications for understanding informal diplomacy in East Asian international relations.