Jonathan Wilkenfeld (born March 24, 1942) is an American political scientist and professor emeritus at University of Maryland, specialized in foreign policy, terrorism and simulation methodology in political science.[1] He is the Founding Director of the International Communication and Negotiation Simulations (ICONS) Project.
Jonathan Wilkenfeld | |
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Born | March 24, 1942 |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Political scientist |
Academic background | |
Education | University of Maryland (B.S.) George Washington University (M.A.) Indiana University (Ph.D.) |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Political science |
Sub-discipline | International relations, Foreign policy, Comparative politics |
Wilkenfeld attended University of Maryland, where he received a B.S. in Political Science. He later obtained an M.A. from George Washington University and a Ph.D. from Indiana University.[2]
Wilkenfeld has been a professor at University of Maryland since 1969, where he has worked with the university’s Department of Government and Politics and the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS). He is also a research professor of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START).[2]
Wilkenfeld and Michael Brecher are the creators of the International Crisis Behavior Project (ICB),[3] which maintains an online database of 1,078 countries in international conflict, also called “crisis actors”, and their behavior in over 487 crises international crises since 1918.[4] An example of an international conflict in the database is the Cuban Missile Crisis where the “crisis actors” were the U.S., the Soviet Union and Cuba.[4] The ICB Project has been referenced in a number of academic papers in the analysis of conflict, terror and international crisis.[5][6][7][8]
In 1982, Wilkenfeld founded the International Communication and Negotiation Simulations (ICONS) Project.[9] The project allows students to learn about international relations, crisis management, and negotiation through simulations and scenario-driven exercises.[9] The project has been referenced in multiple academic articles as an example of simulation programs in international relations (IR) for educational purposes.[10][11]
Wilkenfeld research focuses on crisis theory, war, protracted social conflict, foreign policy, and international relations in the Middle East and South Asia.[2]