I am a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's Perry World House and hold a Ph.D. in International Relations from the Department of Government at Cornell University. In the fall of 2018 I will join the Political Science Department at Loyola University Chicago as an Assistant Professor. My research bridges security studies, domestic politics, and public opinion to examine the relationship between leaders, their publics, and the use of force.
My book project examines the widespread use of humanitarian justifications in contemporary U.S. military interventions. I argue that support for interventions is dependent on the president's ability to build a broad coalition of approval from a public with diverse foreign policy beliefs and that humanitarian claims are an essential part of leaders' justification strategies. The findings clarify the role of moral appeals in military interventions and highlight the conditions under which the public holds leaders accountable for their rhetoric.
Previously, I worked for a service delivery non-profit in North Carolina. I received a B.A. in Government and Sociology with a social justice concentration from Georgetown University.
Contact: smaxey@upenn.edu
My book project examines the widespread use of humanitarian justifications in contemporary U.S. military interventions. I argue that support for interventions is dependent on the president's ability to build a broad coalition of approval from a public with diverse foreign policy beliefs and that humanitarian claims are an essential part of leaders' justification strategies. The findings clarify the role of moral appeals in military interventions and highlight the conditions under which the public holds leaders accountable for their rhetoric.
Previously, I worked for a service delivery non-profit in North Carolina. I received a B.A. in Government and Sociology with a social justice concentration from Georgetown University.
Contact: smaxey@upenn.edu