Svante Cornell
Encyclopedia
Svante E. Cornell, born in 1975, is a Swedish scholar specializing on politics and security issues in Eurasia
, especially the South Caucasus
, Turkey
, and Central Asia
. He is a director and co-founder of the Stockholm-based Institute for Security and Development Policy
, and Research Director of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program, a Joint Center affiliated with the ISDP and Johns Hopkins University
-SAIS
.
He studied at the Department of the International Relations, Middle East Technical University
, Ankara
, Turkey, and holds a Ph.D. in Peace and Conflict Studies
from Uppsala University
. From 2003-2007, he served as Associate Professor in East European Studies at Uppsala University
. He also briefly taught at the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences
and in 2002-03 served as the course Chair of the Caucasus Area Studies at the Foreign Service Institute
of the U.S. Department of State.
Currently, aside from his positions at the ISDP and CACI, he holds the position of Associate Research Professor at Johns Hopkins University
-SAIS
and Associate Professor (part-time) in Government at Uppsala University
. He has received an honorary doctorate from the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan.
, he edited The Guns of August 2008: Russia's War in Georgia, which addresses the causes and consequences of the 2008 South Ossetia War
. His op-eds and commentary have appeared in the Jerusalem Post, Le Monde
, The New York Times
, The Guardian
, the International Herald Tribune
, Le Figaro
, The Baltimore Sun
, Dagens Nyheter
, the Moscow Times, Turkish Daily News
, the Los Angeles Times
, and The Washington Times
, and also published a paper for NRB Analysis.
, Svante Cornell was criticized by Mark Ames
in The Nation
. Ames rejected Cornell's New York Times op-ed that placed the blame for the conflict squarely on Russia's shoulders.
American journalist Joshua Kucera, in his article about Cornell's new book "Azerbaijan Since Independence" (2010), thinks that "Cornell is generally pretty pro-Azerbaijan, and his framing of the situation as something inevitable seems to absolve Azerbaijan of any responsibility for its actions, which I think one could quibble with. But he knows Azerbaijan well, and this is an analysis worth considering."
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
, especially the South Caucasus
South Caucasus
The South Caucasus is a geopolitical region located on the border of Eastern Europe and Southwest Asia also referred to as Transcaucasia, or The Trans-Caucasus...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
. He is a director and co-founder of the Stockholm-based Institute for Security and Development Policy
Institute for Security and Development Policy
The Institute for Security and Development Policy is a Stockholm-based independent and non-profit research and policy institute. The institute examines international affairs through the lens of conflict, security, and regional development, with a primary geographic focus on Europe and Asia...
, and Research Director of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program, a Joint Center affiliated with the ISDP and Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
-SAIS
SAIS
SAIS can refer to:* Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, part of The Johns Hopkins University.* Sharjah American International School* Southern Association of Independent Schools...
.
He studied at the Department of the International Relations, Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University is a public technical university located in Ankara, Turkey...
, Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, Turkey, and holds a Ph.D. in Peace and Conflict Studies
Peace and conflict studies
Peace and conflict studies is a social science field that identifies and analyses violent and nonviolent behaviours as well as the structural mechanisms attending social conflicts with a view towards understanding those processes which lead to a more desirable human condition...
from Uppsala University
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
. From 2003-2007, he served as Associate Professor in East European Studies at Uppsala University
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
. He also briefly taught at the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences or Kungl. Krigsvetenskapsakademin, founded in 1739 by King Frederick I, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. The Academy is an independent organization and a forum for military and defense issues. Membership is limited to 160 chairs under the age of...
and in 2002-03 served as the course Chair of the Caucasus Area Studies at the Foreign Service Institute
Foreign Service Institute
The Foreign Service Institute is the United States Federal Government's primary training institution for employees of the U.S. foreign affairs community, preparing American diplomats and other professionals to advance U.S. foreign affairs interests overseas and in Washington...
of the U.S. Department of State.
Currently, aside from his positions at the ISDP and CACI, he holds the position of Associate Research Professor at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
-SAIS
SAIS
SAIS can refer to:* Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, part of The Johns Hopkins University.* Sharjah American International School* Southern Association of Independent Schools...
and Associate Professor (part-time) in Government at Uppsala University
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
. He has received an honorary doctorate from the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan.
Publications
Svante is the author of a number of books, including Small Nations and Great Powers: A Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict in the Caucasus. His doctoral thesis was entitled Autonomy and Conflict: Ethnoterritoriality and Separatism in the South Caucasus - Cases in Georgia. In 2009, together with S. Frederick StarrS. Frederick Starr
Stephen Frederick Starr is the founder and Chairman of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute. He is also a noted musician.-Academic career:...
, he edited The Guns of August 2008: Russia's War in Georgia, which addresses the causes and consequences of the 2008 South Ossetia War
2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
. His op-eds and commentary have appeared in the Jerusalem Post, Le Monde
Le Monde
Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, the International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
, Le Figaro
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
, The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
, Dagens Nyheter
Dagens Nyheter
is a daily newspaper in Sweden. It has the largest circulation of Swedish morning newspapers, followed by Göteborgs-Posten and Svenska Dagbladet, and is the only morning newspaper that is distributed to subscribers across the whole country. In 2009 DN had a circulation of 316,000, reaching 881...
, the Moscow Times, Turkish Daily News
Turkish Daily News
The Hürriyet Daily News, formerly Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review, is the oldest current English-language daily in Turkey....
, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, and The Washington Times
The Washington Times
The Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and until 2010 was owned by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the...
, and also published a paper for NRB Analysis.
Criticism
Due to an article he wrote on the 2008 South Ossetia War2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
, Svante Cornell was criticized by Mark Ames
Mark Ames
Mark Ames is a writer known for his work as a Moscow-based expatriate American journalist and editor. He is the founding editor of the satirical biweekly the eXile in Moscow, to which he regularly contributed before he returned to America...
in The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
. Ames rejected Cornell's New York Times op-ed that placed the blame for the conflict squarely on Russia's shoulders.
American journalist Joshua Kucera, in his article about Cornell's new book "Azerbaijan Since Independence" (2010), thinks that "Cornell is generally pretty pro-Azerbaijan, and his framing of the situation as something inevitable seems to absolve Azerbaijan of any responsibility for its actions, which I think one could quibble with. But he knows Azerbaijan well, and this is an analysis worth considering."