Dr John MacDonald
Contact Details
Email: : j.p.y.macdonald@dundee.ac.uk
Tel: + 44 (0) 1382 344029
Dr John MacDonald has taught on the Politics and International Relations programme since 2002, during which time he was awarded an MPhil and a PhD. He has had a lectureship on the programme since 2008. John teaches on a variety of undergraduate modules and also at postgraduate level. He currently convenes two Honours modules, ‘Governing the USA’ and 'The Politics of Transatlantic Relations’. The former focuses upon the key institutions and issues in American politics; the latter examines various aspects of the Euro-American relationship and the security and trade relationships which dominate the transatlantic agenda. In keeping with his research interests, he also teaches on a second year International Relations module and he runs seminars on military intervention as part of our Masters programme on International Politics and Security.
Teaching
Undergraduate Modules
Postgraduate
Research
Broadly speaking, Dr MacDonald's research interests lie in exploring ‘the democratic state as a military actor’. This interest lies in two distinct, but related, areas. Firstly, in how decisions on the use of military force are taken and publicly justified in democracies such as the United States. Secondly, he is interested in the military actions themselves and in the factors which influence their execution, form and longevity.
In terms of publications, Dr MacDonald is currently working on three projects:
- He is refining his PhD thesis for a book which examines the influence of the Vietnam War on the use-of-force decisions made by successive US Presidents (Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush;
- He is undertaking a critical analysis of America’s status as a ‘military superpower’ by examining US military planning and actions during the post-Cold War era;
- He is also working on a research paper which focuses upon NATO strategy in the current Afghanistan conflict.
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