Thomas Ambrosio

Thomas Ambrosio (born May 31, 1971) is a professor of political science in the Criminal Justice and Political Science Department at North Dakota State University. He teaches courses in international studies, international relations, and international law.

Career

Ambrosio received his Ph.D. in foreign affairs in 2000 from the University of Virginia. In 2007, he was awarded the NDSU College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences 'Outstanding Research Award' as well as the 'Distinguished Educator's Award' from the NDSU chapter of the Blue Key National Honor Society. Ambrosio was director of NDSU's International Studies Major from 2009-2014. In 2011, he was awarded the NDSU College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences 'Outstanding Educator' award.

Publications

Ambrosio has published extensively on the relationship between ethnic groups and nation states, examining such topics as: attempts by states to annex the territory of other states where their co-nationals reside (Irredentism); the status of nations in international law; the role played by organized ethnic interest groups in the formulation of governmental foreign policy; the role that political opportunity structures limit nationalist expression; and, how Russia's conception of itself affects its relationship with the United States and its perceived role in the unipolar international system.

He has most recently completed a book project entitled Authoritarian Backlash: Russian Resistance to Democratization in the Former Soviet Union which examines five strategies that an increasingly authoritarian Russia has adopted to preserve the Kremlin's political power: insulate, bolster, subvert, redefine and coordinate. Each strategy seeks to counter or undermine regional democratic trends both at home and throughout the former Soviet Union. Policies such as these are of great concern to the growing literature on how autocratic regimes are becoming more active in their resistance to democracy. Through detailed case studies of each strategy, this book makes significant contributions to our understandings of Russian domestic and foreign policies, democratization theory, and the policy challenges associated with democracy promotion.

Books

• Russian Resistance to Democratization in the Former Soviet Union. 2009. ISBN 0-7546-7350-2
• Challenging America's Global Preeminence: Russia's Quest for Multipolarity. 2005. ISBN 0-7546-4289-5
• Ethnic Identity Groups and U.S. Foreign Policy. (as editor and contributor) 2002. ISBN 0-275-97532-0
• International Law and the Rise of Nations: The State System and the Challenge of Ethnic Groups. (as co-editor, with Robert J. Beck, and contributor) 2001. ISBN 1-889119-30-X
• Irredentism: Ethnic Conflict and International Politics. 2000. ISBN 0-275-97260-7