Michael Nathan Barnett is a major constructivist scholar of international relations.
Education
He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois and his Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Minnesota. While studying for his Doctor of Philosophy, he was widely recognized by his graduate school peers for his fondness for early rap music (eg, Grandmaster Flash), his brilliant lime green tuxedo, and his camping prowess.
Career
His research has been in the areas of international organizations, international relations theory, and Middle Eastern politics. With Emanuel Adler, he reintroduced the concept of security community to international relations. In 2010, Barnett was named University Professor of International Affairs and Political Science at George Washington University.
He has taught at the University of Minnesota, the University of Wisconsin, Macalester College, Wellesley College, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Additionally, he was a visiting scholar at the New School for Social Research and the Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University, and he was a visiting professor at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. Most recently, Barnett held the Harold Stassen Chair of International Affairs in the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs and Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota.
His most recent books are Empire of Humanity: A History of Humanitarianism, Cornell University Press, 2011. Humanitarianism Contested: Where Angels Fear to Tread, with Thomas G. Weiss, Routledge, 2011.
And Sacred Aid: Faith and Humanitarianism, with Janice Stein (eds) Oxford University Press, 2012.
See also He is currently teaching at George Washington University and lives in Maryland with his family.