Oliver Villar

Teaching and Research Staff3794104

Dr Oliver Villar

BA (Hons) PhD, UWS

Lecturer in History, Politics and Sociology
Bathurst
Mansfield Building 1411, Room 224

Oliver Villar is a political scientist at Charles Sturt University, where he has taught since 2009. His work focuses on international relations, international political economy, foreign policy, and contemporary imperialism. He is widely recognised for his independent scholarship and critical perspectives on U.S. imperial power and Latin American politics. His most well-known study, co-authored with Drew Cottle- Cocaine, Death Squads, and the War on Terror: U.S. Imperialism and Class Struggle in Colombia (Monthly Review, 2011)- posits that profits from the global drug trade bolster the U.S. financial system and a Colombian ‘narco-bourgeoisie’. They map this out geographically as the ‘Crystal Triangle’ across Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador, a region deeply tied to the river networks of the Amazon Basin. Oliver’s work has been published in major studies such as: Counter-Terrorism and State Political Violence: The 'War on Terror' as Terror (Routledge, 2012), The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015), and The Political Economy of Dissent: A Research Companion (Routledge, 2025). His current research investigates the dynamics of inter-imperialist rivalry in the 21st century, centring on the erosion of U.S. hegemonic stability and China’s emergence as the primary systemic challenger.

Biography

Born in Mendoza, Argentina, and raised in Sydney, Oliver began lecturing in politics, history, and sociology at the University of Western Sydney (UWS) and Macquarie University in 2002. In 2008, he completed his PhD at UWS, where he examined the political economy of the Colombian cocaine trade to offer a radical critique of the global drug trade and the U.S. ‘war on drugs’ and ‘war on narco-terrorism’.

Oliver is a recognised public commentator on Australian, Latin American, and global politics across international media outlets, including radio, podcasts, and documentaries. Outside of international relations, he also contributes to local commentary on Australian issues and collaborates with universities and the wider community, providing guest lectures, journal reviews, thesis examinations and research supervision. His critical research on U.S. foreign policy, militarism, anti-imperialism, narco-politics, and corporate interventions in the Americas and the Global South has influenced academic debate and has been utilised by journalists and community organisers.

At Charles Sturt, Oliver’s academic interests continue to revolve around the vast and dynamic reservoir of political economy and the study of class analysis and class relations. This abiding interest extends across critical security studies, the role of BRICS in a multi-polar world, and Sino-Latin American relations.

Media Studies

  • HST210 The Rise of Media and Propaganda in the Twentieth Century
  • POL305 Power, Politics and Propaganda in the Media Today

Australian Politics, Public Policy, and Sociology

  • POL110 Australian History and Politics
  • POL213 Understanding Australian Political Life: Actors, Institutions and Policy (currently not offered)
  • SOC101 Understanding the Social World
  • SPE211 Foundations in Social Policy

International Relations

  • HST301 International History From 1945
  • HST308 Australia and Asia (currently not offered)
  • POL111 International Relations (currently not offered)

Honours

1421AS01 - Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences (Honours)

Oliver welcomes expressions of interest from prospective Honours, Masters, and PhD students whose research goals align with his own.

  • Sam Malloy: A Political History of Ben Chifley in the Context of the Ben Chifley Home and Education Centre - thesis completed.
  • Maslathif Dwi Purnomo: The Power of Language on the Political Event in Indonesia: A Multimodal Analysis of President Jokowi's Speeches - thesis completed.
  • Jennifer O'Dempsey: An Evaluation of Women's Social Roles, and Representations of Women in the Brisbane social protests (1967-1982) - thesis completed.
  • Jennifer Watkins: Rural Rites: Women's Experience of Funerals and Remembrance on Lower Eyre Peninsula in the post 1960s era - thesis completed.
  • Alexander Crampton: The Political Economy of the Video Games Industry - thesis completed.
  • Peter Hanes: The Politics of Adam Smith in Local Government Procurement - thesis completed.
  • Paul Antonopoulos: Origins of the Syrian Conflict - thesis completed.
  • Jordan McSwiney: The Far-Right in Australia - thesis completed.
  • Claudio Dionigi: The Works and Influence of Karl Polanyi - thesis completed.
  • Marina Clayton: Why Are Drugs Still Coming into Australia? - thesis completed.

Current and abiding research interests

  • Global rivalries of the twenty-first century: the US, China, and Russia in the Americas and the world; contemporary imperialism, inter-imperial rivalry, and resistance.
  • Critical security studies: international security and great powers; economic and resource security; territorial conflicts and cross-border security; grand strategy; intra-state conflicts, insurgencies and guerrilla movements.
  • American foreign policy: counterinsurgency and counterterrorism strategy; state violence; civil wars and proxy wars.
  • International political economy: capitalism, corporatism, neoliberalism, globalisation, class analysis and class relations between and within the First World and Third World (or Global North and Global South), and the West and East.

Research impact samples

Memberships and Collectives

  • Latin America Social Forum, Sydney, Australia
  • Latin American House Inc. Melbourne, Australia
  • Migrante Australia
  • National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU)

Awards

  • ERA discipline expert, Charles Sturt University’s Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) 2018

Thesis examinations

  • Master of Arts (Research) thesis examiner, Australia’s Position in the Capitalist World System: Marxist Theories of Imperialism and Australian Marxism. By Nicolas Lourenco, University of Sydney, 5 February 2023.
  • Master of Research thesis examiner, The Balkans Unplugged (1991-2008): Serbia, Geopolitics, and the Ideal of a Russian “New Byzantium”. By Branko Tanaskovic, Western Sydney University, 4 September 2021.
  • Honours thesis examiner, The Origins of the Cambodian-Vietnamese War. By Paul Antonopoulos, University of Western Sydney, 5 November 2012.
  • Honours thesis examiner, An Imperial Legacy: American Foreign Policy in Post War Latin America. By James Trapani, University of Western Sydney, 17 November 2010.
  • Honours thesis examiner, A Delicate Alliance: Hegemony and the Political Economic Genesis of Neoliberalism in Australia. By Joe Collins, Charles Sturt University, 27 August 2010

Reviewer (journals, conferences, theses)

  • Reviewer, academic journal Civil Wars, “The Origins of FARC-EP: Insurgent Military Doctrine and the Evolution of Armed Conflict in Colombia”, 12 January 2024.
  • Reviewer, academic journal Alternatives: Global, Local, Political, “Defence Diplomacy in Argentina: Finding New Roles for the Military in Democracy”, 16 February 2023.
  • Reviewer, academic Journal of Labor and Society (JLSO), “Conceptualizing the Popular Economy in Latin America: A View from Colombia,” 3 June 2022.
  • Reviewer, academic journal The International Journal of Community and Social Development, “Demands and Expectations by Young Residents of Impoverished Neighbourhoods in Central America,” 31 July 2021.
  • Reviewer, academic journal Social Sciences, “The Rise of Fascist Formations in Chile and in the World,” 30 November 2020.
  • Reviewer, PhD examiners reports meeting, Charles Sturt University, 9 April 2018. Thesis topic: Exploring the Limit to Neutrality in Political Liberalism, Paul Griffiths.
  • Reviewer, PhD Candidature confirmation, Charles Sturt University, 9 March 2018. Thesis topic: Media and Democracy in the Third Space: Defining the spatial location of the Turkish media in the Euro-Muslim World, Fulya Vatansever.
  • Reviewer, academic journal Rural Society, “The Trump Administration & Efficiency: The proposed border ‘wall’ and its possible geopolitical implications", 6 January 2018.
  • Reviewer, academic Journal of Labor and Society (LANDS), “Jose Carlos Mariategui: Welding Marxism and Indigenism in Latin America”, 11 November 2017.
  • Reviewer, PhD Candidature confirmation, Charles Sturt University, 26 May 2016. Thesis topic: Political Scandals in Australian Politics, Liam Lander.
  • Reviewer, Master’s Candidature confirmation, University of Western Sydney, 28 October 2013. Thesis topic: The Syrian Crisis, Paul Antonopoulos.
  • Reviewer, PhD Candidature confirmation, University of Western Sydney, 15 April 2011. Thesis topic: The Cold War in Latin America, James Trapani.
  • Reviewer for conference proceedings, The Australasian Political Studies Association (APSA) Annual Conference.Macquarie University, Sydney, 28-30 September 2009.

Selected talks and guest lectures

  • “Applying a Marxist perspective to the political economies of Colombia and Bolivia” via Zoom, Claremont McKenna College, California, 12 February 2022.
  • Expert forum participant, “Imperialism, Globalisation and the Challenges of 2017”, Federation of Italian Migrant Workers and Their Families, Granville Public Library, 8 July 2017.
  • Guest speaker, “The left in crisis? Problems of strategy and ideology in the age of 21st century imperialism”, Latin American House Inc. Sydney Australia, 29 October 2016. (Presented in Spanish).
  • Expert panel participant, “Voting yes or no to peace: Implications for upcoming plebiscite on ending the Colombian civil war,” United for Colombia, Sydney, 24 September 2016.
  • “In Whose Hands is Colombia's Future?” Guest speaker, “Colombia: Prospects and Challenges in the Context of the Peace Process,” Latin America Social Forum/United for Colombia, Sydney, 9 April 2016.
  • Invitation as expert to “Colombia: Inside Out,” Debate hosted by LATITUDES / Latin American Research Group Australia, University of New South Wales (UNSW), 8 August 2014.
  • Talk on the current situation in Colombia and neighbouring countries – Guest speaker for postgraduate students, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), 31 May 2014.
  • Talk on “Analysis of the Situation of Colombian Farmers” – Guest speaker for United for Colombia committee, Newtown community centre, 30 November 2013.
  • Guest lecture on the Latin American drug trade, Centre for Transnational Crime Prevention, University of Wollongong, 24 August 2012.
  • “The Great Struggle in Latin America,” guest speaker, Latin America Social Forum (LASF) Conference,Sydney, 18-19 August 2012.
  • “Critiques of international political economy,” Chair for the Annual Historical Materialism Australasia conference, Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts, 20-21 July 2012.
  • Talk on Colombia for International Solidarity Conference for Latin America, Trades Hall, Melbourne, 28-29 August 2009.
  • Talk on US counterinsurgency operations in Central and South America since the Cold War – Guest speaker for Committee for Human Rights in Guatemala, 24 January 2009.
  • Talk on “Parapolitica” scandal and International Criminal Court investigation (ICC) of the Colombian government of Alvaro Uribe Velez – Guest speaker for Peace and Justice for Colombia (PJFC), Sydney, 29 November 2008.
  • Talk on Colombian conflict for Latin America Conference, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), 10 October 2006.
  • Guest lecture on US policy towards Colombia, University of Western Sydney (UWS), 3 September 2004.