Thomas Ambrosio
Encyclopedia
Thomas Ambrosio is an associate professor of political science
in the Criminal Justice and Political Science Department at North Dakota State University
and director of NDSU's International Studies Major http://www.ndsu.edu/international/international_studies_major/. He teaches courses in international relations, international law, and ethnic conflicts. In 2007, he was awarded the NDSU College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Outstanding Research Award and the Distinguished Educator's Award from the NDSU chapter of the Blue Key National Honor Society.
Ambrosio received his Ph.D. in foreign affairs in 2000 from the University of Virginia
.
He has published extensively on the relationship between ethnic groups and nation states, examining such topics as: attempts by states to annex the territory of other states where their co-nationals reside (Irredentism
); the status of nations in international law
; the role played by organized ethnic interest group
s in the formulation of governmental foreign policy
; the role that political opportunity structures limit nationalist expression; and, how Russia's conception of itself affects its relationship with the United States and its perceived role in the unipolar international system
.
He has most recently completed a book project entitled Authoritarian Backlash: Russian Resistance to Democratization in the Former Soviet Union which examines five strategies that an increasingly authoritarian Russia has adopted to preserve the Kremlin's political power: insulate, bolster, subvert, redefine and coordinate. Each strategy seeks to counter or undermine regional democratic trends both at home and throughout the former Soviet Union. Policies such as these are of great concern to the growing literature on how autocratic regimes are becoming more active in their resistance to democracy. Through detailed case studies of each strategy, this book makes significant contributions to our understandings of Russian domestic and foreign policies, democratization theory, and the policy challenges associated with democracy promotion.
He intends to extend this line of research with an eye toward developing a theory of authoritarian diffusion.
Articles
Book Chapters
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
in the Criminal Justice and Political Science Department at North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, more commonly known as North Dakota State University , is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota. NDSU has about 14,000 students and it is the largest university in North Dakota based on full time students and land size...
and director of NDSU's International Studies Major http://www.ndsu.edu/international/international_studies_major/. He teaches courses in international relations, international law, and ethnic conflicts. In 2007, he was awarded the NDSU College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Outstanding Research Award and the Distinguished Educator's Award from the NDSU chapter of the Blue Key National Honor Society.
Ambrosio received his Ph.D. in foreign affairs in 2000 from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
.
He has published extensively on the relationship between ethnic groups and nation states, examining such topics as: attempts by states to annex the territory of other states where their co-nationals reside (Irredentism
Irredentism
Irredentism is any position advocating annexation of territories administered by another state on the grounds of common ethnicity or prior historical possession, actual or alleged. Some of these movements are also called pan-nationalist movements. It is a feature of identity politics and cultural...
); the status of nations in international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
; the role played by organized ethnic interest group
Ethnic interest group
An ethnic interest group or ethnic lobby, according to Thomas Ambrosio, is an advocacy group established along cultural, ethnic, religious or racial lines by an ethnic group for the purposes of directly or indirectly influencing the foreign policy of their resident country in support of the...
s in the formulation of governmental foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
; the role that political opportunity structures limit nationalist expression; and, how Russia's conception of itself affects its relationship with the United States and its perceived role in the unipolar international system
Polarity in international relations
Polarity in international relations is any of the various ways in which power is distributed within the international system. It describes the nature of the international system at any given period of time. One generally distinguishes four types of systems: Unipolarity, Bipolarity, Tripolarity, and...
.
He has most recently completed a book project entitled Authoritarian Backlash: Russian Resistance to Democratization in the Former Soviet Union which examines five strategies that an increasingly authoritarian Russia has adopted to preserve the Kremlin's political power: insulate, bolster, subvert, redefine and coordinate. Each strategy seeks to counter or undermine regional democratic trends both at home and throughout the former Soviet Union. Policies such as these are of great concern to the growing literature on how autocratic regimes are becoming more active in their resistance to democracy. Through detailed case studies of each strategy, this book makes significant contributions to our understandings of Russian domestic and foreign policies, democratization theory, and the policy challenges associated with democracy promotion.
He intends to extend this line of research with an eye toward developing a theory of authoritarian diffusion.
Selected bibliography
Books- Authoritarian Backlash: Russian Resistance to Democratization in the Former Soviet Union. 2009. ISBN 0-7546-7350-2
- Challenging America's Global Preeminence: Russia's Quest for Multipolarity. 2005. ISBN 0-7546-4289-5
- Ethnic Identity Groups and U.S. Foreign Policy. (as editor and contributor) 2002. ISBN 0-275-97532-0
- International Law and the Rise of Nations: The State System and the Challenge of Ethnic Groups. (as co-editor, with Robert J. BeckRobert J. BeckRobert J. Beck is an educator and scholar of international law and international relations.-Education:Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and educated at Marquette University High School, Beck received an Honors B.A. Magna Cum Laude , Phi Beta Kappa, from Marquette University in 1983...
, and contributor) 2001. ISBN 1-889119-30-X - Irredentism: Ethnic Conflict and International Politics. 2000. ISBN 0-275-97260-7
Articles
- “Constructing a Framework of Authoritarian Diffusion: Concepts, Dynamics, and Future Research,” International Studies Perspectives, forthcoming.
- "The Kurdistan Referendum Movement: Political Opportunity Structures and National Identity," Democratization, vol.15, no.5 (December 2008): 891-908, with Azad Berweri.
- “Catching the ‘Shanghai Spirit’: How the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Promotes Authoritarian Norms in Central Asia,” Europe-Asia Studies, vol.60, no.8 (October 2008): 1321-1344.
- "The Kurdistan Referendum Movement: Political Opportunity Structures and National Identity," Democratization, vol.15, no.5 (December 2008): 891-908 (with Azad Berweri).
- "Insulating Russia from a Colour Revolution: How the Kremlin Resists Regional Democratic Trends," Democratization, v.14, no.2 (April 2007): 232-252.
- “The Political Success of Russia-Belarus Relations: Insulating Minsk from a ‘Color’ Revolution,” Demokratizatsiya, v.14, no.3 (Summer 2006): 407-434.
- "Major Power Balancing under Conditions of Unipolarity: The Role of Non-Material Values,” Contemporary Security Policy, v.27, no.2 (August 2006): 258-281.
- “The Geopolitics of Demographic Decay: HIV/AIDS and Russia's Great Power Status,” Post-Soviet Affairs, v.22, no.1 (January 2006): 1-23.
- “Trying Saddam Hussein: Teaching International Law Through an Undergraduate Mock Trial,” International Studies Perspectives v.7, no.2 (May 2006): 159-171.
- “The Russo-American Dispute over the Invasion of Iraq: International Status and the Role of Positional Goods,” Europe-Asia StudiesEurope-Asia StudiesEurope-Asia Studies is an academic peer-reviewed journal published 10 times a year by Routledge on behalf of the Institute of Central and East European Studies, University of Glasgow, and continuing the journal Soviet Studies , which was renamed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union...
v.57, no.8 (December 2005): 1189-1210.
- “The Third Side? The Multipolar Strategic Triangle and the Sino-Indian Rapprochement,” Comparative Strategy v.24, no.5 (December 2005): 397-414.
- “Bringing Ethnic Conflict into the Classroom: A Student-Centered Simulation of Multiethnic Politics,” PS: Political Science and Politics v.37, no.2 (April 2004): 285-9.
- “From Balancer to Ally? Russo-American Relations in the Wake of September 11th,” Contemporary Security Policy v.24, no.2 (August 2003): 1-28.
- “Congressional Perceptions of Ethnic Cleansing: Reactions to the Nagorno-Karabagh War and the Influence of Ethnic Interest Groups,” Review of International Affairs v.2, no.1 (Autumn 2002): 24-45.
- “Russia's Quest for Multipolarity: A Response to U.S. Hegemony,” European Security v.10, no.1 (2001): 45-67.
- “The Geopolitics of Slavic Union: Russia, Belarus, and Multipolarity,” Geopolitics v.4, no.3 (2000): 73-90.
Book Chapters
- "Russia Reacts to the Color Revolutions: A Multifaceted Approach to Undermining Democratization in the Former Soviet Union," in Donnacha O Beachain and Abel Polese, eds., The Color Revolutions (Routledge, 2010).
- “Russia Against Estonia: Defending the Kremlin through Tu Quoque Rhetoric,” in Roger Kanet, ed., A Resurgent Russia and Europe (Martinus Nijhoff, 2009).
- “East Timor Independence: Changing Foci of International Pressure,” in Robert Compton, ed., Transforming East Asian Domestic and International Politics: The Impact of Political Economy and Globalization (Ashgate, 2002), pp. 115–137.