Francis Gavin
Encyclopedia
Francis J. Gavin is a leading academic authority on American foreign policy. A historian by training, his teaching and research interests focus on U.S. foreign policy
, national security affairs
, nuclear strategy
and arms control, presidential policymaking, and the history of international monetary relations. He is the founding Director of Studies for The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law
and the first Tom Slick Professor of International Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin
. He is also the director of The Next Generation Project – U.S. Global Policy and the Future of International Institutions, a multi-year national initiative sponsored by The American Assembly at Columbia University
. He was a founding member of the Historical Society, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
. Gavin co-taught the 2010 Hertog Global Strategy Seminar at Columbia University, a research program that employs historical analysis to confront present and future problems in world politics. This year's seminar focused on nuclear proliferation.
and M.A.
in Diplomatic History
from the University of Pennsylvania
, a M.St.
in Modern European History from Oxford
, and a B.A.
in Political Science
(with honors) from the University of Chicago
. He has previously held positions as an Olin National Security Fellow at Harvard University's
Center for International Affairs and an International Security Fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government
. He was also a Research Fellow at the Miller Center of Public Affairs
at the University of Virginia
, where he worked on the Presidential Recordings Project and directed the Presidency and Economic Policy Project.
His publications include numerous scholarly articles, book reviews and editorials. His book, “Gold, Dollars, and Power: The Politics of International Monetary Relations, 1958-1971”, was published in 2004 by the University of North Carolina Press
under their New Cold War History series. Gavin has won several prestigious awards and honors, including the 2002-2003 Smith Richardson Junior Faculty fellowship in International Security and Foreign Policy and the 2003-2004 Donald D. Harrington Faculty Fellowship at the University of Texas
. His current research project is entitled, "Strategy and Arms Control Reconsidered: Reassessing the History of Missile Defense, Nuclear Proliferation, and U.S. National Security Policy."
Foreign relations of the United States
The United States has formal diplomatic relations with most nations. The United States federal statutes relating to foreign relations can be found in Title 22 of the United States Code.-Pacific:-Americas:-Caribbean:...
, national security affairs
National security
National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
, nuclear strategy
Nuclear strategy
Nuclear strategy involves the development of doctrines and strategies for the production and use of nuclear weapons.As a sub-branch of military strategy, nuclear strategy attempts to match nuclear weapons as means to political ends...
and arms control, presidential policymaking, and the history of international monetary relations. He is the founding Director of Studies for The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law
The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law
The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law is a nonpartisan, multidisciplinary global affairs research center at The University of Texas at Austin. The Center is named for renowned lawyer and public servant Ambassador Robert S...
and the first Tom Slick Professor of International Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. He is also the director of The Next Generation Project – U.S. Global Policy and the Future of International Institutions, a multi-year national initiative sponsored by The American Assembly at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. He was a founding member of the Historical Society, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
. Gavin co-taught the 2010 Hertog Global Strategy Seminar at Columbia University, a research program that employs historical analysis to confront present and future problems in world politics. This year's seminar focused on nuclear proliferation.
Academic Scholar
Gavin received a Ph.D.Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
and M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Diplomatic History
Diplomatic history
Diplomatic history deals with the history of international relations between states. Diplomatic history can be different from international relations in that the former can concern itself with the foreign policy of one state while the latter deals with relations between two or more states...
from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, a M.St.
Master of Studies
The Master of Studies is a postgraduate degree at the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, The Australian National University and University of Dublin which typically requires both classroom study and the completion of a thesis...
in Modern European History from Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, and a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Political Science
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...
(with honors) from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. He has previously held positions as an Olin National Security Fellow at Harvard University's
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
Center for International Affairs and an International Security Fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
. He was also a Research Fellow at the Miller Center of Public Affairs
Miller Center of Public Affairs
The Miller Center of Public Affairs is a non-partisan research institute that is part of the University of Virginia.Founded in 1975, the Miller Center is a leading public policy institution that serves as a national meeting place where engaged citizens, scholars, students, media representatives and...
at 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...
, where he worked on the Presidential Recordings Project and directed the Presidency and Economic Policy Project.
His publications include numerous scholarly articles, book reviews and editorials. His book, “Gold, Dollars, and Power: The Politics of International Monetary Relations, 1958-1971”, was published in 2004 by the University of North Carolina Press
University of North Carolina Press
The University of North Carolina Press , founded in 1922, is a university press that is part of the University of North Carolina....
under their New Cold War History series. Gavin has won several prestigious awards and honors, including the 2002-2003 Smith Richardson Junior Faculty fellowship in International Security and Foreign Policy and the 2003-2004 Donald D. Harrington Faculty Fellowship at the University of Texas
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. His current research project is entitled, "Strategy and Arms Control Reconsidered: Reassessing the History of Missile Defense, Nuclear Proliferation, and U.S. National Security Policy."
Organization Membership
- Council on Foreign RelationsCouncil on Foreign RelationsThe Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
- Council for European Studies
- Austin Council on Foreign Relations
- Society for Historians of American Foreign RelationsSociety for Historians of American Foreign RelationsThe Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations is the leading learned society for the academic study of the history of United States foreign policy....
- International Studies AssociationInternational Studies AssociationThe International Studies Association was founded by a group of scholars and practitioners in 1959 to pursue mutual interests in international studies. Representing eighty countries, ISA has over three thousand members worldwide and is the most respected and widely known scholarly association in...
Book Reviews
External links
- Gavin bio at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin
- The Next Generation - Facing Up to the Global Challenges of the 21st Century - Keynote Address, International Consular Ball, March 24th, 2007
- Gavin speech, The Next Generation Project - West Coast Assembly, February 2007
- Gavin speech, The Next Generation Project - Southwest Assembly, October 2006
- Gavin speech, The Next Generation Project - The UN Turns 60, October 23, 2005
- Gavin Receives Harrington Fellowship, November 13, 2003
- Gavin Probes the 1960s to Illuminate Current U.S. Foreign Policy Dilemmas
- Forum - The Tale of the Tapes: New Findings from the JFK Recordings, Gavin with Tim Naftali and Erin Mahan, May 18, 1999