Patrick Vaughan
Encyclopedia
Patrick Vaughan is an American historian and scholar, currently teaching at the MA program in Transatlantic Studies, Jagiellonian University
in Kraków
, Poland
. He specializes in the history of the Cold War
and America
’s use of “soft power
” to achieve its foreign policy aims in the 1970s, which helped turn the tide of the Soviet
-American conflict.
and attended post-secondary instruction at California State University, Chico
where he became friend with the NYPD Blue
and Prison Break
producer Matt Olmstead
, who encouraged Patrick to journalistic and academic writing. Patrick Vaughan completed college and pursued graduate education at West Virginia University
.
in 1980s. This work won the Southern Historical Association
’s John Snell Memorial Award and quickly opened a number of doors for the scholar; among others to Brzezinski’s personal archive at the Library of Congress
and a research stay in Poland with the support of the Fullbright Programme. In 2003 his work was recognized as "a major contribution to the historiography of the Cold War” by the Polish embassy in Washington D.C.
In May 2010 Patrick Vaughan will publish first-ever full, authorized biography of Zbigniew Brzezinski
in Polish. An English version of the biography is currently in preparation.
MA program in Transatlantic Studies, Jagiellonian University
The MA Program in Transatlantic Studies at Jagiellonian University, is a full-time, interdisciplinary graduate program in Krakow, Poland, geared predominantly towards international students. Students pursuing their Master of Arts focus mainly on the relationships between North America and Europe...
in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. He specializes in the history of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
’s use of “soft power
Soft power
Soft power is the ability to obtain what one wants through co-option and attraction. It can be contrasted with 'hard power', that is the use of coercion and payment...
” to achieve its foreign policy aims in the 1970s, which helped turn the tide of the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
-American conflict.
Early life
Patrick Vaughan was enrolled in Cardinal Newman High School (Santa Rosa, California)Cardinal Newman High School
Cardinal Newman High School known informally as Cardinal Newman or simply Newman, is an American Catholic high school located in Santa Rosa, California...
and attended post-secondary instruction at California State University, Chico
California State University, Chico
California State University, Chico is the second-oldest campus in the twenty-three-campus California State University system. It is located in Chico, California, about ninety miles north of Sacramento...
where he became friend with the NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
and Prison Break
Prison Break
Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...
producer Matt Olmstead
Matt Olmstead
Matt Olmstead is an American writer and producer for television shows.-Early life:Olmstead graduated from California State University, Chico. He is an alumnus of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts. He went to Hollywood in hopes of being a script writer. Olmstead eventually worked with an...
, who encouraged Patrick to journalistic and academic writing. Patrick Vaughan completed college and pursued graduate education at West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
.
Career
In 1999 Vaughan published an article in the Polish Review examining the role of the Carter Administration to deter a potential Soviet invasion of PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1980s. This work won the Southern Historical Association
Southern Historical Association
The Southern Historical Association is an organization of historians focusing on the history of the Southern United States . It was organized on November 2, 1934...
’s John Snell Memorial Award and quickly opened a number of doors for the scholar; among others to Brzezinski’s personal archive at the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
and a research stay in Poland with the support of the Fullbright Programme. In 2003 his work was recognized as "a major contribution to the historiography of the Cold War” by the Polish embassy in Washington D.C.
In May 2010 Patrick Vaughan will publish first-ever full, authorized biography of Zbigniew Brzezinski
Zbigniew Brzezinski
Zbigniew Kazimierz Brzezinski is a Polish American political scientist, geostrategist, and statesman who served as United States National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981....
in Polish. An English version of the biography is currently in preparation.
Quotations
- "You don't get an empire thirteen time-zones wide by being nice to people."—(on the Soviet Union)