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Claire Yorke


Empathy Specialist | Political Analyst | Educator








Interviewer: Courtney Boag
Cinematography: Stéphanie Austruy

Photo (below): Provided by Claire Yorke


4 October, 2024





“I define my approach as pragmatic idealism. I’m hopeful that things can be better, but I’m also very conscious that it’s hard and it’s not going to be straightforward at all. But I’d like to see empathy built into organisational cultures...A key part of my work is to focus on how we can build power through collaboration and cooperation and if we learn to build empathy into our everyday conversations, I think we will get better at talking to issues or people that we may disagree with. We stop fearing difference when we make it more familiar.”


Claire Yorke










Dr Claire Yorke is a Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Future Defence and National Security at Deakin University, Canberra, where her teaching and research focus on the role of empathy and emotions in international affairs, politics, leadership, and society. With an extensive international career, Claire has held positions including Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow at the University of Southern Denmark and Henry A. Kissinger Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University. Her work bridges academic research and applied policy, with particular expertise in diplomacy and international security.

Claire is the author of two forthcoming books: one exploring the critical role of empathy and emotions in diplomacy and another examining their importance in political leadership, to be published by Yale University Press. She has also co-edited two volumes on diplomacy and conducted interdisciplinary research on historical and contemporary topics, including changing ideas of empire in the 1800s. Her writing has appeared in publications such as Political Psychology, NATO Journal of Defence Strategic Communications, and Newsweek.

With a PhD in International Relations from King’s College London, a Master’s in Middle East Politics from the University of Exeter, and a BA from Lancaster University and Sciences Po, Lille, Claire combines academic rigour with practical experience. Her early career included roles at Chatham House and the House of Commons, where she worked on defence and security strategy. Claire continues to shape policy and practice through advisory roles with organisations such as Women in International Security UK and the Resolve Network, alongside teaching courses on international relations, statecraft, and emotions in foreign policy.

































Interested to learn more about Claire’s research? Follow her work here. 


Listen to Claire speak on the importance of empathy in decision-making here and a further podcast with Claire speaking about the importance of empathy as a tool for navigating conflict here.

Be sure to read Claire’s forthcoming books; ‘Empathy and Diplomacy’ and ‘Empathy and Political Leadership’ here and Claire’s other publications here.
 

Follow Claire on LinkedIn via @claireyorke


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