Dr. Christopher Leskiw attended Niagara University and earned a B.A. in Political Science in 1997. He attended Vanderbilt University where he was awarded an M.A. in Political Science, followed by a Ph.D. in Political Science in 2002.

Prior to joining the Cumberland College faculty in 2004, Dr. Leskiw taught at the University of Vermont. While in Vermont he founded a Model United Nations program that brought students to a week long International Model United Nations Conference held at the UN in New York City. In addition to his Model UN course, he taught courses in international relations, international organizations, and international law. His other teaching interests include European Politics, Democratization and Development, War and Peace, and Conflict Resolution.

Courses Taught

POLS 131 Introduction to Political Science

POLS 230 Introduction to Law and Legal Education

POLS 331 Developing Democracy

POLS 338 Comparative Government

POLS 339 American Foreign Policy

Articles and Chapters

“The Origins and War Proneness of Interstate Rivalries,” Annual Review of Political Science
2001. 4:295-316. (with John Vasquez)

"With One Voice? The United Nations and Public Opinion" 2004. In Public Opinion and Polling Around the World: A Historical Encyclopedia,
ed. John Geer. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.

Reviews

Feargal Cochrane, Rosaleen Duffy and Jan Selby (eds.) 2003. Global Governance, Conflict and Resistance.
Palgrave Macmillan Ltd., 255 pp. forthcoming in Millennium Journal of International Studies.

Fortna, Virginia Page. 2004. PeaceTime: Cease-Fire Agreements and the Durability of Peace.
Princeton University Press, Princeton New Jersey., 243 pp. forthcoming in Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries.

Presentations

“Over the Falls Without a Barrel: The Bush Doctrine and the Post 9/11 World” Phi Alpha Theta Lecture, April 12, 2005, Cumberland College

“When Friends are Foes: Alliance Behavior and Interstate War,” (with John Vasquez and Paul Senese), presented at the Annual International Studies Association Convention, March 17-22, 2004, Montreal, Canada.

“Building Bridges: Intergovernmental Organizations and the Development of Interstate Rivalry,” (with Brandon Valeriano) presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, August 27-September 1, 2003, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“International Organizations and Interstate Conflict,” presented at the Annual International Studies Association Convention, March 24-27, 2002, New Orleans, Louisiana.

“The Weight of Issues: Revisionist Claims and International Conflict,” presented at the annual Peace Science Society (International) Meeting, October 26-28, 2001. Emory University, Georgia.

“Shadows of the Past: Construction of an Index that Measures Escalation of Intensity Between Recurrent Disputes,” Presented at the International Studies Association 2000 Convention, March 14-18, Los Angeles, California.

“IGO Membership as an Element of System Structure,” (with Meredith Sarkees) Presented at the annual Peace Science Society (International) Meeting, November 1997, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Dr. Leskiw's Course Webpage