The Duck of Minerva

Amanda Murdie

Amanda Murdie is Professor & Dean Rusk Scholar of International Relations in the Department of International Affairs in the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia. She is the author of Help or Harm: The Human Security Effects of International NGOs (Stanford, 2014). Her main research interests include non-state actors, and human rights and human security. When not blogging, Amanda enjoys hanging out with her two pre-teen daughters (as long as she can keep them away from their cell phones) and her fabulous significant other.

Recent Posts

The Implications of 5,000 troops to Colombia

by Amanda Murdie | 5 February, 2019 |

The following is a guest post by Carla Martinez Machain, Michael Allen, Michael E. Flynn, and Andrew Stravers. One week ago, National Security Adviser John Bolton appeared at a White House briefing holding a note pad with the phrase “5,000 troops to Colombia” written on it. This occurred in the context of rising tensions between the U.S. and the Maduro government in Venezuela after the U.S. recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the legitimate leader of Venezuela. Since then, there has been much speculation about how likely a deployment is to happen and what it means for the possibility...

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What Makes a Good Book Review: Some Editorial Advice

by Amanda Murdie | 21 August, 2018 |

The following is a guest post by Andrew Owsiak, Associate Professor at the University of Georgia and Book Editor for International Studies Review.  The race to push scholarly research into the world carries a few consequences, perhaps the most notable being that it proves challenging to stay up-to-date with what is published. To help with this, some journals, for example International Studies Review[1], publish reviews of recently released, scholarly books. These reviews offer great sources of information--to those wishing to remain abreast of current trends, seeking to incorporate relevant...

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The Trump-Kim Nuclear Summit By: Dr. Seuss

by Amanda Murdie | 25 June, 2018 |

The following is a guest post by Mason Richey, an associate professor of international studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.   I am Trump; I am Trump.   Trump I am.   That Trump I am, that Trump I am, I do not like that Trump I am.   Would you like CVID[1]?   I do not like it, don’t you see? I do not like CVID. Would you like it here or there?   I would not like it here or there, I would not like it anywhere. I do not like CVID, I do not like it, don't you see?   Would you like it in Kaesong, would you like it for your Hwaseong?   I do not...

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A solid investment if you know what you’re getting: Why continued support for UN peacekeeping is good policy for the US

by Amanda Murdie | 26 February, 2018 |

The following is a guest post by Jay Benson and Eric Keels.  Jay Benson is a Researcher at One Earth Future (OEF), with research focusing on issues of peacekeeping, civilian protection and intrastate conflict.  Eric Keels is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Global Security at the Howard H. Baker Center and a Contractor with the OEF Research. His research focuses on international conflict management and democracy in post-war countries.  During the first year of the Trump administration, the United States government has initiated numerous changes to the United States’ foreign policy. Since...

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Women Also Know, International Relations Edition

by Amanda Murdie | 14 February, 2018 |

Layna Mosley is Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research investigates the politics of sovereign debt, and the effects of global supply chains on worker rights. She joined the WAKS Editorial Board in November 2017. Website: laynamosley.web.unc.edu/ or find her on Twitter at @thwillow. Duck of Minerva readers may have noticed Max Fisher’s recent New York Times Interpreter piece, addressing Taliban attacks against Afghan civilians. On Twitter, Fischer reported that he “made an effort to quote only women in this.” Six of the seven experts...

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The Politics of Research on Trauma – A Gendered Perspective

by Amanda Murdie | 29 November, 2017 |

The following is a guest post by Ayelet Harel-Shalev and Shir Daphna-Tekoah.   Ayelet Harel-Shalev is a Senior Lecturer at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Her academic interests include Feminist IR; Women Combatants; Ethnic Conflicts and Democracy; Minority Rights; and Women and Politics. @harelayelet  ayeleths@bgu.ac.il Shir Daphna-Tekoah is a Senior Lecturer at Ashkelon Academic College, and Kaplan Medical Center.  Her academic interests include Gender, Health and Violence; Women Combatants; Child Abuse and Neglect; Dissociation and Trauma. shir.dt@gmail.com In the era of the #MeToo...

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Law and the Post-Conflict Protection of Women from Violence

by Amanda Murdie | 1 September, 2017 | ,

The following is a guest post by Dr. Jillienne Haglund, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Haglund is a contributor to a forthcoming special issue in Conflict Management and Peace Science on gender and political violence. All of the articles in the special issue are now available on Online First and several are currently available to download for free.   In her 2015 statement, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Hawa Bungura noted that conflict-related sexual violence is “not about sex; it...

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A Perspective on Engaging Scholars with Autism

by Amanda Murdie | 22 April, 2017 |

The following is a guest post by Rachel Harmon, a PhD student in Political Science at Emory University. Recent events have prompted necessary discussions about mental health in academia, but a topic that remains underdiscussed are the challenges faced by individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). As an adult diagnosed with ASD and current PhD student, I have personally experienced how ASD can be a strength or a struggle, conditional on the surrounding environment. ASD is a spectrum and effects each person differently, but for me, being autistic shapes every moment of every day of my...

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Building Safe Space for Depression in Academia

by Amanda Murdie | 21 April, 2017 |

The following is a guest post by Emily Hencken Ritter, Assistant Professor at the University of California, Merced. Like so many, my heart and mind aches for the loss Will Moore’s death represents to humanity. He was as much a mentor to me in grad school and my career as if he had been on my dissertation committee. He supported me, critiqued my work, told me to be bold, and showed me I could be myself. Perhaps the most special thing he gave me was an example for generating bigger conversations. I attended conference after conference that he hosted not to present papers in panels but to get...

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For Will: Some Reflections on Sorrow

by Amanda Murdie | 21 April, 2017 |

The following is a guest post by Jana von Stein, Senior Lecturer of Political Science and International Relations at Victoria University of Wellington.   Will Moore’s suicide carries with it a special sorrow that I can’t yet even wrap my head (or heart) around. I met Will when I was on the job market in 2005, but it wasn’t until 2008 that we became close. My comradery with him did not revolve chiefly around academics, although he was a tremendous mentor to me. Instead, it revolved around tragedy. “Somewhere, my son’s brain is in a jar in a medical researcher’s office,” Will bellowed to a...

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