BA (Hons) PhD, UWS
Oliver was born in Mendoza, Argentina and has lived in Sydney for most of his life. In 2008 he completed his PhD on the political economy of contemporary Colombia in the context of the cocaine drug trade at the then Latin American Research Group (LARG) at the University of Western Sydney (UWS). Whilst completing his PhD, Oliver's research interests in political economy and the 'war on drugs' and 'war on terrorism' followed teaching positions in politics at UWS and Macquarie University. His published scholarly work focuses on international relations concerns, such as the exploitation of labour and natural resources for profit, security and conflict between the Global North and Global South, and the socio-political and environmental impacts of global capitalism.
At CSU Oliver's academic interests continue to focus on 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, American foreign policy, and United States-China-Latin America relations. His book 'Cocaine, Death Squads, and the War on Terror: U.S. Imperialism and Class Struggle in Colombia' (2012) was published by Monthly Review Press. His current research project investigates the subject of growing great power rivalries in the twenty-first century within Latin America and the Caribbean, with special attention on China's rise and US efforts to maintain its position as the dominant hegemonic power in the Americas and the world.