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                            UPDATES:

• "A Substantive Approach to Peace: Rebel Group Grievances and the Durability of Peace Agreements” with Eric Keels and Minnie Joo has been published in European Journal of International Relations. 
• The Peaceful Resolution of Territorial and Maritime Disputes, with Emilia Justyna Powell, Oxford University Press - won the Best Book Award, International Law Section, International Studies Association, 2025
  
• "China and the US are locked in struggle - and the visit by Secretary of State Blinken is only a start to improving relations," The Conversation
• "The US is about to blow up a fake warship in the South China Sea - but naval rivalry with China is very real," The Conversation
• "South Korea’s President-Elect Promises Foreign Policy Shift," The Warcast Podcast
• "Legal strategies of China & the US in the South China Sea," -Sea Control Podcast, Center for International Maritime Security
• "How Biden Should Handle the South China Sea Disputes," War on the Rocks
• "Can IR Have Its Own 'Big 3' Journals?," Duck of Minerva

EDUCATION
Duke University
Ph.D., Political Science, 2004
M.A., Political Science, 2001
Fields of concentration: International Relations & Security Studies

American University, School of International Service
M.A., International Affairs: Comparative & Regional Studies,
Middle East, 1997
B.A., International Studies, 1993

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy, 2018
Bridging the Gap International Policy Summer Institute, 2018
Summer Workshop on Analysis of Military Operations & Strategy, 2003    
American University of Beirut, Intensive Arabic, 2002

                                               My CV
Hello! I am the Director of the Center for National Security and Foreign Affairs and Professor at the Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs at the University of Tennessee, with a joint appointment at Y-12 National Security Complex. I am a non-resident Adjunct Fellow with Pacific Forum. 

I am an International Relations scholar specializing in international security. My areas of focus include: territorial and maritime disputes, Indo-Pacific security, U.S. national security strategy, alliances, U.S.-Japan relations, U.S.-Australia relations, nuclear and conventional deterrence, rebel group grievances, and conflict resolution.

My current research includes: a book project about how territorial and maritime disputes influence the strategies of U.S. allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region, and papers about U.S. mediation in the Lebanon-Israel maritime dispute, rebel group dynamics, and maritime security. 

I can be reached at [email protected] or 865-974-0969. My address is Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs, University of Tennessee, 1640 Cumberland Ave., Knoxville, TN 37996-3839.

GRANTS, CONTRACTS, & FELLOWSHIPS
Japan Foundation, 2026-2027
Japan-U.S. Friendship Council, 2026
Fulbright Specialist Award, Department of State, 2025
Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Department of Defense, 2024-2025
Stanton Foundation, 2024-2025
Korea Foundation, 2024-2025
Department of State - U.S. Embassy, Tokyo, 2024-2025
Korea Foundation, 2021-2022
National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy, 2020-2021
National Science Foundation, 2018-2020
Minerva Initiative, Office of Naval Research, Department of Defense, 2015-2018
Fulbright Senior Scholar - Philippines, Department of State, 2017
Visiting Scholar, East-West Center, Honolulu, 2016
POSCO Visiting Fellow, East-West Center, Honolulu, 2013