Political Science Professor Wins Best Book Award

Alex Thompson, associate professor, political science, was selected by the ISA-Midwest, an affiliate of the International Studies Association, for The J. David Singer Best Book Award for his book, Channels of Power: The UN Security Council and U.S. Statecraft in Iraq (Cornell University Press, 2009). The Singer Best Book Award is given every other year to the author (or co-authors) of an outstanding book published in the previous three years.

In Channels of Power, Thompson looks at U.S. policy toward Iraq, starting with the Gulf War, continuing through the interwar years of sanctions and coercive disarmament, and concluding with the 2003 invasion and its long aftermath. He offers a framework for understanding why powerful states often work through international organizations when conducting coercive policies-and why they sometimes choose instead to work alone or with ad hoc coalitions.

Thompson’s book was selected winner of the International Studies Association–Midwest Best Book Award as well as co-winner of the Chadwick F. Alger Prize (International Organization Section, International Studies Association).