Jason Davidson
Professor of Political Science and International Affairs | University of Mary Washington
Fredericksburg, VA, UNITED STATES
Dr. Davidson is a specialist in American Foreign and Security Policy, and International Security.
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Biography
If you’re interested in Italy-U.S. relations since the end of the Cold War or a vote-seeking explanation of Berlusconi's Iraq policy, look no further.
Jason Davidson, professor of political science and international affairs, is a specialist in American foreign and security policy; British, French and Italian foreign and security policy; and international security. He has delivered lectures at venues such as the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, the United States Marine Corps War College, the University of Rome (Roma Tre) and the University of Bologna.
An award-winning professor, Dr. Davidson was the 2007 recipient of UMW’s Alumni Association Outstanding Young Faculty Award and a two-time recipient of the Academic Affairs Council Professors’ Appreciation Award. He was awarded a UMW Jepson Fellowship for 2005-06 for his project “Signaling Resolve in Contemporary American Foreign Policy.”
He is the author of two books, "The Origins of Revisionist and Status-quo States" and "America’s Allies and War: Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq." His articles have been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Contemporary Security Policy, Modern Italy, Security Studies and The Nonproliferation Review. Dr. Davidson has written chapters in books such as "Power in Transition: The Peaceful Change of International Order," "Sanctions as Economic Statecraft: Theory and Practice" and "Italy in the Post-Cold War Order: Adaptation, Bipartisanship, Visibility."
Areas of Expertise (4)
American Foreign Policy
American Security Policy
International Security
British, French and Italian Foreign Policy
Accomplishments (2)
Outstanding Young Faculty Award (professional)
2007-01-01
Awarded by the University of Mary Washington.
Jepson Fellowship (professional)
2005-01-01
Awarded by the University of Mary Washington for the project titled “Signaling Resolve in Contemporary American Foreign Policy.”
Education (3)
Georgetown University: Ph.D., Government 2001
Georgetown University: M.A., Government 1999
University of California at Berkeley: B.A., Political Science 1996
Media Appearances (13)
NATO should be ambitious with its new Southern Flank Strategy
Atlantic Council online
2024-02-02
When the leaders of NATO member states gather for the Alliance’s seventy-fifth anniversary summit in Washington in July, they will have several high-profile items on the agenda.
No ‘free-riding’ here: European defense spending defies US critics
Atlantic Council online
2023-03-13
Barack Obama and Donald Trump agreed on very little.
Europe in the new US strategy according to prof. Davidson
Formiche online
2022-10-17
"Both the recognition of China's power and Russia's demonstrated weakness suggest that the current US concern for European security is bound to fade over time," said Jason Davidson, professor of Political Science and International Affairs at the University of Mary Washington and nonresident senior fellow of the New American Engagement Initiative at the Atlantic Council.
US Expert: Russia’s War In Ukraine Will Not Lead To World War III
Global World News Echo online
2022-08-29
In this context, Jason Davidson, a professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington, says in a report published by the “National Interest Magazine”, that there is increasing concern that the policy of the administration of US President Joe Biden in Ukraine will fall into an escalation spiral, which could lead to an escalation. It eventually leads to a third world war. At first glance, Davidson argues, the history of the United States’ entry into World War I and World War II appears to be the perfect cautionary tale to support those concerned about the dangers of escalation.
European Strategic Autonomy Is Dead
The National Interest online
2022-06-28
The war has increased the stakes and made apparent the risk involved in forming an alternative to NATO.
Ukraine Faces Challenges as Russian Forces Advance
Voice of America News online
2022-06-15
"At this moment what we are really seeing is primarily an artillery war, particularly from the perspective of Ukraine," said Jason Davidson. "What Ukraine can do...is mostly artillery as a means to counter the Russians."
The End of Strategic Cacophony? The Russo-Ukrainian War and the Future of NATO
War on the Rocks online
2022-04-14
In the midst of Russia’s assault on Ukraine, NATO turned 73.
Colin Powell Legacy
VOA News online
2021-10-25
“What his legacy should be, and what I hope in the broader scope of time people remember him as, is a skeptic of war and the use of force…,” said University of Mary Washington Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Jason Davidson. “When he was sitting around the table … and he expressed cautions about how war could get out of control and how it could have these adverse consequences, he did so from a perspective of direct personal experience.”
Situation in Afghanistan
LBC News - Global Radio London online
2021-09-01
Situation in Afghanistan
U.S. allies slam Afghanistan pullout as a debacle, but also see big opportunities
Fortune online
2021-08-19
“For NATO allies, what they care most about at the moment is that the U.S. is better equipped coming out of this conflict to focus on bolstering the alliance relative to a resurgent, aggressive Russia,” said Jason Davidson, a specialist on U.S. political alliances, and political science professor at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia. “The Afghanistan situation will be a blip to the U.S. commitment made to NATO,” he added.
Military Operations Throughout the World (With Good Reason; WHRV 89.5; WAMU-FM Radio)
With Good Reason online
2021-08-02
“The real benefit is the additional burden-sharing in military operations that the United States engages in," said University of Mary Washington Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Jason Davidson. "In addition, I would say that allies provide diplomatic and political support for U.S. positions in important international fora."
Biden needs to talk about the costs of our wars to America's allies
The Hill online
2021-06-03
Memorial Day is a day of remembrance. This week, President Biden delivered a moving address at Arlington National Cemetery ... There was a notable absence in the president’s remarks, however: the sacrifices America’s allies have incurred in these same wars.
British troops were twice as likely to be killed in Afghanistan as US forces
The Guardian online
2021-05-12
“Americans do not fully understand, do not acknowledge, the sacrifices that allies made in Afghanistan,” said Jason Davidson, the author of the report, and professor of political science and international affairs at the University of Mary Washington.
Event Appearances (1)
America's Allies and War
National Security Lectures, Fredericksburg, Va.
2012-03-07
Articles (6)
“The Limits of Radical Parties in Coalition Foreign Policy: Italy, Hijacking, and the Extremity Hypothesis”
Foreign Policy Analysis2016-04-15
Jason Davidson, professor of political science and international affairs, co-authored and published an article in the peer-reviewed journal “Foreign Policy Analysis.” The article, titled “The Limits of Radical Parties in Coalition Foreign Policy: Italy, Hijacking, and the Extremity Hypothesis,” was written with Fabrizio Coticchia, assistant professor of political science at the University of Genoa and explores the role of radical political parties in Italy.
American primacy by default: down but not out
The International Spectator: International Journal of International Affairs2009-01-01
American primacy continues to characterise the international system, despite trends toward a diffusion of power. The discussion is too often biased in favour of multipolarity due to imprecise or misleading definitions of U.S. primacy. On the basis of a simple definition of ...
Italy-U.S. relations since the end of the cold war: prestige, peace, and the transatlantic balance
Bulletin of Italian Politics2009-01-01
Since the end of the Cold War, the U.S. has repeatedly engaged its military abroad and has frequently asked Italy and other allies for military support. Governments of the center-right and center-left have responded favorably to American requests on most ...
In and out of Iraq: A vote-seeking explanation of Berlusconi's Iraq policy
Modern Italy2008-01-01
This article seeks to explain the Iraq policy of Silvio Berlusconi's second government. Why did Berlusconi's government declare 'non-belligerency' when the American-led war with Iraq began in March 2003? Why did the government send a mission of 3,000 Italian troops to ...
The Prodi government and Italy‐US relations: The case for optimism
The International Spectator: Italian Journal of International Affairs2006-01-01
On March 1, 2006, Italy's centre-right Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi addressed a rare joint session of the U.S. Congress. Speaking in the midst of a heated domestic electoral campaign, Berlusconi stressed Italy's solidarity with the U.S., which he referred to as ...
The Roots of Revisionism: Fascist Italy, 1922-39
Security Studies2002-01-01
The revisionist state has been brought back in to international relations theory. The reintroduction of revisionist states to the study of international relations has provided scholars from a variety of theoretical perspectives ...
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