Kurt Mills, Ph.D.

Department of Politics
University of Glasgow
Glasgow G12 8RT
Scotland

Education:

Ph.D., Dept. of Government and International Studies, University of Notre Dame, August 1995

Major Field: International Relations
Minor Field: Comparative Politics
Geographical Area of Interest: Africa

M.A., Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame, August 1990

B.A., Hampshire College, January 1988

Teaching/Research Appointments:

Lecturer in International Human Rights, Department of Politics, University of Glasgow, 2004-Present
Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Gettysburg College 2003-2004
Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, James Madison University 2002-2003
Visiting Assistant Professor of Politics, Mount Holyoke College 2001-2002
Lecturer in Government, Smith College Spring 2001
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Political Science, The American University in Cairo 1996-2000
January Term Instructor, Hampshire College January 2000
Visiting Scholar, Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown University Summer 1997
Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for Refugee Studies, York University 1995-96
Instructor, University of Notre Dame Summer 1994

Administrative Appointments:

Assistant Director, Five College Program in Peace and World Security Studies, Hampshire College, 2000-2001

Courses Taught:

African Politics
Contemporary Foreign Policies
Core Seminar
Global Worlds/Global Issues
Human Rights and Global Politics
International Organization
Introduction to International Relations
Introduction to Political Science
Refugees in the Emerging Global Order
The Changing Basis of Global Society
US Foreign Policy

Other Teaching Interests:

Ethics and International Affairs
Identity, Community, and Citizenship
International Law
Theories of International Relations

Research Interests:

International Organization
Human Rights
Refugees
Humanitarian Access and Intervention

Books:

Human Rights in the Emerging Global Order: A New Sovereignty?, London: Macmillan, 1998.

Journal Articles:

"Toyota Land Cruisers as the Postmodern Tank of the Humanitarian International," Peace Review (forthcoming)

“Neo-Humanitarianism: The Role of International Humanitarian Norms and Organizations in Contemporary Conflict,” Global Governance 11 (April-June 2005).

"Using the Bush Doctrine As a Teaching Tool," International Studies Perspectives 4 (August 2003).

“Refugees and Security in the Great Lakes Region of Africa,” co-authored with Richard J. Norton, Civil Wars 5 (Spring 2002):1-26.

“Cybernations: Identity, Self-Determination, Democracy and the ‘Internet Effect’ in the Emerging Information Order,” Global Society 16 (January 2002): 69-87.

“United Nations Intervention in Refugee Crises after the Cold War,” International Politics 35 (December 1998): 391-424.

“Collaborating on the InfoBahn: A Case Study of Using the Internet for Scholarly Discussion,” International Studies Notes 23 (Winter 1998): 6-11.

“Reconstructing Sovereignty: A Human Rights Perspective,” Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights 15 (Sept. 1997) (refereed).

“Sovereignty Eclipsed?: The Legitimacy of Humanitarian Access and Intervention,” Journal of Humanitarian Assistance (July 1997), Online: http://www.jha.ac/articles/a019.htm (refereed).

“Permeable Borders: Human Migration and Sovereignty,” Global Society 10 (May 1996): 77-106.

“Refugees as an Impetus for Intervention: The Case of Haiti,” Refuge 15 (May/June 1996).

Book Chapters:

"Refugee Hosting/Producing Countries: Zaire/DRC," in Matthew Gibney and Randall Hansen, eds., Global Migration: An Encyclopedia, Oxford: ABC-CLIO, 2005 (forthcoming).

“Refugee Return from Zaire to Rwanda: The Role of UNHCR,” in Howard Adelman, ed., Analyzing and Evaluating Intervention in Zaire, 1996-97, Africa World Press/The Red Sea Press, 2004.

Working Papers:

“United Nations Intervention in Refugee Crises in the Post-Cold War World,” Centre for Refugee Studies, Working Paper Series, 1996: 1, York University, May 1996.

“Eclipsing Sovereignty: The Legitimacy of Humanitarian Intervention,” Working Paper, Center for International and Strategic Studies, York University, March 1996.

“Sovereignty, Borders, and Human Migration,” Occasional Paper 7:OP:2, Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame, Fall 1994.

“Human Rights and Sovereignty,” Occasional Paper 6:OP:2, Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame, Spring 1994.

“Humanitarian Intervention: The 1990-91 Ethiopian Crisis as a Test Case,” Occasional Paper 3:OP:3, Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame, Fall 1992.

Book Reviews:

Susan Kneebone, ed., The Refugees Convention 50 Years On: Globalisation and International Law in Human Rights Quarterly 27 (May 2005).

Robert I. Rotberg and Thomas G. Weiss, eds., From Massacres to Genocide: The Media, Public Policy, and Humanitarian Crises in The Journal of Conflict Studies, XVII (Fall 1997): 177-80.

Invited Lectures:

Panelist, “The role of the United Nations – 60 years of peace,” Modern Studies Association, Strathclyde University, November 5, 2005.

"The Toyota Land Cruiser: The Postmodern Tank of the Humanitarian Internationale," School of International Relations, St. Andrew's University, October 24, 2005

"The United Nations, Humanitarianism, and Contemporary Conflict," United Nations Students Association of Glasgow University, April 20, 2005

Roundtable Participant, "Assessing the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election," University of Edinburgh, 19 November 2004.

"Contemporary War and Humanitarian Action," Connecticut College, February 18, 2003.

“From Refugees to ‘Persons of Concern’: UNHCR As An Evolving International Actor,” Centre for Documentation and Research, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Geneva, August 19, 1998.

Conference/Workshop Papers/Presentations:

"The US and the International Criminal Court: Problematizing the Norms-Interest Divide," to be presented to the panel Norms vs. Interests?: Explaining State International Legal Behavior, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, San Deigo, California, March 21-25, 2006.

“The Darfur Discourse: Continuing Evasion or New Responses?” to be presented to the panel Old Wine in New Bottles? Revisiting Familiar Challenges in a Changed Humanitarian Context, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, San Deigo, California, March 21-25, 2006

“Triangulating Explanations: The Geometry of Norms and Interests in US Foreign Policy” (with Anthony Lott), Global International Studies Conference, Istanbul August 24-27, 2005.

“The US and the ICC: Five Years after the Millennium Declaration,” Annual Meeting of the Academic Council on the United Nations System, June 16-19, 2005.

“Tool of Hegemony or Agent of Assistance? UNHCR As An Evolving International Actor,” presented to the panel Agents of Influence or Tools of Policy? International Humanitarian Organizations, States, and Strategic Contest in the Post-Cold War, Post 9/11 Global Context, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, March 2004.

“Neo-Humanitarianism: The Role of International Humanitarian Organizations in the Emerging Global Order," presented to the panel Neo-Humanitarianism and IR Theory, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, March 2002.

“Africa: The Great Lakes,” co-authored with Richard J. Norton, presented to the panel Exploring the Nexus Between Security and Migration, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, Chicago, IL, February 2001.

“Security and Migration: Rwandan Refugees in the Great Lakes Region of Africa,” presented at the workshop on Victims, Intruders, or Invaders: The Place of Migrants in International Security, Los Angeles, March 19, 2000.

“Humanitarianism and International Organization,” presented to the panel International Organization: Where Are We? Where Do We Need To Go?, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, March 2000.

“Forced Repatriation to Rwanda, 1996: Do We Need a New Paradigm for Return?,” presented to the panel New Issues in Refugeedom: The Politicization and Securitization of the Displaced, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, February 1999.

“Reflections on 50 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” English Public Lecture Series, The American University in Cairo, December 14, 1998.

“The Virtualization of Identity: Cyberspace, the Relocation of Authority, and Self-Determination,” presented to the panel Global Cyberpolitics and Law, Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, September 1998.

“Reifying and Recreating Identity in Cyberspace: Virtuality and Self-Determination,” presented at the Fifth AUC Research Conference, Globalization: Blessing or Curse?, The American University in Cairo, March 29-30, 1998.

“Cybernations: The Internet, Virtual Identity, and Self-Determination,” presented to the panel Cyberhype or the Deterritorialization of Politics?: The Internet in a Post-Westphalian Order, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, March 17-21, 1998.

“Refugee Crises and UN Intervention: Security, Humanitarianism, Politics?” presented to the panel Lessons Learned and Applied in the Post-Cold War World, Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, August 28-31, 1997.

“United Nations Intervention in Refugee Crises in the Post-Cold War World,” presented to the panel Changing Responses to Refugee Crises, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, March 18-22, 1997.

“Enhancing Undergraduate Computer and Library Research,” co-authored with William DeMars, presented at the symposium Mental Models/Virtual Worlds: Intersections of Computer Technology, Humanities and Social Science, The American University in Cairo, November 24-25, 1996.

“Refugee and Human Rights Research on the Internet,” Centre for Refugee Studies 1996 Summer Course on Refugee Issues, York University, June 25, 1996.

“Identity, Community, and Citizenship in the Emerging Global Order,” presented at the conference on Citizenship: Nationality, Transnationality and Education, University of Toledo, April 25-27, 1996.

“Human Rights, International Organizations, and Sovereignty: Humanitarian Access and Intervention,” presented to the panel Challenging Sovereignty: Globalization, Organization, and Identity, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, April 16-20, 1996.

“Permeable Borders: Human Migration and Sovereignty,” presented to the panel Ethics and Humanitarian Crises: The Limits of Sovereignty, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, February 21-25, 1995.

“Nationalism, Ethnic Conflict, and Self-Determination: The Challenge for Sovereignty and Human Rights,” presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, March 29-April 1, 1994.

“The New Sovereignty: Reconstructing Sovereignty in Response to the Humanitarian Challenges in the Emerging Global Order,” presented at the colloquium Problems Without Borders: Perspectives on Third World Sovereignty, University of Toledo, April 23-25, 1993.

“Humanitarian Intervention Reconsidered,” presented to the panel War and the Military Ethos, Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, September 3-6, 1992.

“Humanitarian Intervention: A Legal, Political, and Moral Analysis,” presented to the panel Sovereignty and Human Rights in an Interdependent World, Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, IL, April 9-11, 1992.

Other Professional Activities:

Manuscript Reviewer, Lynne Rienner Publishers, Global Governance, Global Society, International Political Science Review, International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Refugee Studies, Security Dialogue, Small Arms Survey.

Media Interviews: Nile TV (Cairo), BBC Radio Scotland, Clyde Radio (Glasgow), Radio Ramadhan (Glasgow), de Volksgrant (Netherlands), WKCY (Harrisonburg, VA), The News Leader (Staunton, VA)

Member, Scottish Network for Peace and Conflict Research

Member, Central Belt International Relations Group (CBIR)

Organizer and chair of the panel Jus in Bello after 9/11, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, San Deigo, California, March 22-25, 2006.

Co-organizer of the panel Norms vs. Interests?: Explaining State International Legal Behavior, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, San Deigo, California, March 21-25, 2006.

Discussant on the panel Democracy and Foreign Policy in the U.S. Since 9/11, Global International Studies Conference, Istanbul August 24-27, 2005.

Chair of the panel Post-Conflict Peacebuilding: Promoting Human Rights and Protecting the Vulnerable, Annual Meeting of the Academic Council on the United Nations System, June 16-19, 2005.

Organizer and Chair of the panel Jus ad Bellum after 9/11, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, Honolulu, Hawaii, March 2005

Discussant on the panel Human Rights and Foreign Policy, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, Honolulu, Hawaii, March 2005

Public Lecture, "Iraq and the Bush Doctrine," part of a public panel discussion entitled "Should We Invade Iraq?" James Madison University, October 28, 2002

Participant, Five College Program in Peace and World Security Studies Faculty Institute, “American Hegemony in International Perspective” Amherst College, June 11-14, 2002.

Chair of a panel entitled Forgotten by Hegemony: Forced Migration in the New World Order, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, March 2004.

Co-Organizer of two panels entitled Agents of Influence or Tools of Policy? International Humanitarian Organizations, States, and Strategic Contest in the Post-Cold War, Post 9/11 Global Context, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, March 2004.

Organizer of two panels entitled Neo-Humanitarianism and IR Theory, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, March 2002.

Chair of the panel International Institutions and Their Capacity to Solve Global Migration Problems: The Search for Durable Solutions, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, March 2002.

Participant, “International Humanitarian Law and Current Conflicts,” seminar sponsored by the Harvard Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research and the International Committee of the Red Cross, October 29-November 2, 2001.

General Discussant, conference on Ethics and Weapons of Mass Destruction, Mount Holyoke College, April 27-29, 2001.

Organizer and Chair of two panels entitled The Refugee Convention 50 Years On: Critical Perspectives, Future Prospects, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, February 2001.

Organizer and Chair of two panels entitled The UN High Commissioner for Refugees at 50, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, March 2000.

Co-organizer of two panels entitled International Organization: Where Are We? Where Do We Need To Go? Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, March 2000.

Discussant on the panel The Regional Parties to the Conflict: The Zaire Crisis, 1996-1997, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, February 1999.

Organizer of the panel New Issues in Refugeedom: The Politicization and Securitization of the Displaced, 1999 Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, February 1999.

Organizer of the panel Cyberhype or the Deterritorialization of Politics?: The Internet in a Post-Westphalian Order, 1998 Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, March 17-21, 1998.

Participant, Five College Program in Peace and World Security Studies Faculty Institute, “Dilemmas of Hegemony: U.S. Paramountcy and Its Domestic and Foreign Critics,” Amherst College, June 10-13, 1997.

Organizer of the panels Changing Responses to Refugee Crises and The Role of International Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations in Refugee Crises, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, March 18-22, 1997.

Rapporteur, conference on “Synergy in Early Warning,” Centre for Refugee Studies, York University, Toronto, March 15-18, 1997.

Participant, 1996 ACUNS/ASIL Summer Workshop on International Organization Studies, “The Role of Governmental, Intergovernmental, and Nongovernmental Institutions in Global Governance: Nurturing the Next Generation of Scholars,” Brown University, July 28-August 9, 1996.

Participant, Centre for Refugee Studies Summer Course on Refugee Issues, York University, June 19-27, 1996.

Guest Editor, Refuge, special issue on “Refugees and Intervention,” May/June 1996.

Organizer of the panel Challenging Sovereignty: Globalization, Organization, and Identity, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, April 16-20, 1996.

Coordinator of an electronic conference as part of the ongoing project “Toward the Reformulation of International Refugee Law” of the Refugee Law Research Unit, Centre for Refugee Studies, York University. January to June 1996.

Coordinator, workshop on “Genocide in Rwanda: International Responsibilities and Responses,” Washington, DC, December 8-9, 1995, part of the multi-donor Joint Evaluation of Emergency Assistance to Rwanda.

Discussant for the conference "The Rwanda Crisis: Healing and Preventive Strategies," York University, Toronto, December 3-5, 1995.

Chair and discussant on the panel Refugees, Immigrants, and State Sovereignty, Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, February 21-25, 1995.

Discussant on the panel Subnational and Transnational Actors in International Politics, Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, April 15-17, 1993.

Professional Service:

Editorial Board, International Studies Review

Editorial Staff, Politics

Chair, Program Chair, Member of Executive Committee, Ethnicity, Nationalism, and Migration Section of the International Studies Association

Program Chair, Member, Executive Committee, International Organization section of the International Studies Association

Co-moderator, ACUNS-IO, an electronic discussion list focused on international organization, co-sponsored by the Academic Council on the United Nations System and the International Organization section of the International Studies Association

Member, Editorial Board, PSRT-L (Political Science Research and Teaching List)

Pedagogical Development:

Workshop on Engaging Your Students with Cooperative Learning Strategies, James Madison University, Feb. 7, 2003

Workshop on Collecting and Using Student Feedback, James Madison University, October 4, 2002

Workshop on Using the Case Study Method, Mount Holyoke College, January 14, 2002

Workshop on Oral Communication in the Classroom, Mount Holyoke College, January 21-23, 2002

University Committees/Service:

Convenor, MSc in Human Rights and International Politics (Glasgow)
Adviser of Studies (Glasgow)
Convenor, Working Group on Globalization Studies (Gettysburg)
Faculty Advisor, International Affairs Association (Gettysburg)
Member, Steering Committee, Five College Program in Peace and World Security Studies (MHC)
Member, Five College African Studies Council (MHC)
Member, University Web Development Committee (AUC)
Faculty Advisor, All African Human Rights Moot Court, Maputo, Mozambique (AUC)
Member, Departmental Curriculum Committee (AUC)
Faculty Advisor, “Friends of UNHCR” (AUC)
Chair, University Computer Users Committee (AUC)
Member, African Studies Advisory Committee (AUC)

Fellowships, Grants, and Awards:

 

Robertson Bequest Research Grant 2005
British Academy Overseas Conference Grant 2005
Faculty Grant (MHC) 2002
Junior Researcher Grant (AUC) 1999-2000
Research Grant (AUC) Summer 1998
Teaching Enhancement Grant (AUC) Spring 1998
Departmental Dissertation Year Fellowship Fall 1993
Zahm Research Travel Grant Fall 1993
Departmental Summer Research Fellowship Summer 1992
Institute for International Peace Studies Fellowship for Doctoral Study 1990-91
“Outstanding Delegate,” Purdue University Statewide USA-USSR Summit March 1990
Institute for International Peace Studies Fellowship for Masters Study 1989-90
Five College Program in Peace and World Security Studies Internship Fellowship Spring 1988

Travel and Research:

Visited for travel and/or research: Botswana, Burundi, Canada, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Malawi, Malta, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkey, United Kingdom, Zambia, Zimbabwe.