I teach comparative and international politics, with a focus on the role that religious, historical, and cultural narratives play in democratic development. My regional areas of expertise are Russia and Ukraine.
My latest book, The Tragedy of Ukraine: What Classical Greek Tragedy Can Teach us About Conflict Resolution (Boston and Berlin: De Gruyter, 2023), looks at the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of classical Greek tragedy, highlighting its deep domestic roots. For the parties to move from confrontation to dialogue will require untangling these roots and embracing a change of heart or catharsis. To facilitate this process we should look to classical Greek tragedy, which once performed a similar therapeutic function in Athenian society.
As of 2024, I am also a Senior Washington Fellow at the Institute for Peace and Diplomacy.
Experience
1991–present
Professor of Political Science, University of Rhode Island
2017–2019
Silvia-Chandley Professor of Peace Studies and Nonviolence, University of Rhode Island
Education
2004
University of Virginia, Ph.D. in Foreign Affairs
Publications
2023
The Tragedy of Ukraine, De Gruyter
2017
Ukraine in Crisis, Routledge
2004
Crafting Democracy, Cornell University Press
1997
Russian Foreign Policy, Longman Publishers
1995
The Rebirth of Russian Democracy, Harvard University Press
Grants and Contracts
2021
Visiting Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies
Role:
Research
Funding Source:
University of Bologna (Italy)
2013
Fulbright Scholar to Ukraine
Role:
Research
Funding Source:
U.S. Department of State
1996
Fulbright Scholar to Russia
Role:
Lecturer
Funding Source:
U.S. Department of State
1990
International Affairs Fellow
Role:
Special Assistant for Policy, U.S. Department of State
Funding Source:
Council on Foreign Relations
1988
Thornton D. Hooper Fellow in International Affairs
Role:
Research
Funding Source:
Foreign Policy Research Institute
1983
Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship
Role:
Funding Source:
Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
1983
H. B. Earhart Fellowship
Role:
Research
Funding Source:
Earhart Foundation
Honours
Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Bologna, Italy; two Fulbright awards (Russia in 1996 and Ukraine in 2013); International Affairs Fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations.