James Ron, PhD, is an author and social scientist. A former academic, war crimes investigator, program evaluator, and journalist, James spent four decades both experiencing and studying political violence, human rights, humanitarian operations, and international affairs.

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As an academic, James taught sociology, political science, and public affairs at Johns Hopkins, McGill (Canada Research Chair), Carleton, and the University of Minnesota (Endowed Chair). He also held fellowships or visiting appointments at the Brookings Institution, Brown University’s Watson Institute, and CIDE in Mexico City.

 

His research — spanning Africa, Asia, Latin America, North America, and the Middle East — combined fieldwork, public opinion surveys, and statistical analysis. His scholarly articles appeared in International Organization, International Security, Human Rights Quarterly, and World Development, among others. He authored two scholarly books with the University of California Press and Oxford University Press.

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As a public intellectual, his commentary has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Foreign Policy, Le Monde, and other major outlets, bridging the gap between scholarship and public debate.

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James is now working on a book about his transition from soldiering to working on human rights documentation in the Palestinian territories. 

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This site, jamesron.org, features a blog on research, data, and international issues. Please visit www.jamesron.net for his blog on personal themes. 

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For more information, please visit his Google Scholar, ResearchGate, and LinkedIn profiles.