Peter Hoffman
Associate Professor of International Affairs and Director of the Julien J. Studley Graduate Programs in International Affairs
Email
hoffmanp@newschool.edu
Office Location
H - 72 Fifth Avenue
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Profile
Peter J. Hoffman is Associate Professor of International Affairs in the Julien J. Studley Graduate Programs in International Affairs (GPIA) at The New School, director of GPIA, and director of United Nations Summer Study. His work spans the fields of Strategic and Security Studies, International Organization, International Relations Theory, and Comparative Historical Sociology. Peter’s main focus is on the dynamics of war and global responses, concentrating primarily on the international humanitarian system. Other major areas of his work encompass the United Nations; global governance; asymmetric warfare and Fourth Generation Warfare; armed non-state actors (guerrillas, warlords, militias, terrorists, and private military and security contractors); and, United States foreign policy.
Peter’s scholarship has appeared in academic journals and books. His most recent book, Humanitarianism, War and Politics: Solferino to Syria and Beyond (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018), analyzes seminal wartime emergencies and organizational developments and refines an approach of “Critical Humanitarianism.” He is currently at work on two projects: an analysis of changing principles and policies of humanitarian agencies regarding the use of private security contractors to protect aid workers (Mercy and Mercenaries: Critical Perspectives on Humanitarian Security Practices), and a comparative study of the power of culturally-driven knowledge production in shaping security behavior (War Zones: Security Cultures and the Politics of Conflict Analysis).
He has also been a consultant for non-governmental organizations—such as the Fund for Peace, the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, the Stanley Foundation, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, and the Open Society Foundations—and was a member of the research team of the International Commission for Intervention and State Sovereignty that developed the concept of the “responsibility to protect.”
Peter is also a Research Fellow at the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies, The Graduate Center of The City University of New York.
Degrees Held
PhD, The Graduate Center of The City University of New York
MA, Political Science with Certificate in International Affairs, The New School for Social Research
Research Interests
Conflict analysis, humanitarianism, private military and security sector, the United Nations, US foreign policy
Current Courses
Equivalency (PHD)
NEQV 7001, Spring 2024
Future Courses
Equivalency (PHD)
NEQV 7001, Fall 2024
LAB UN&WO Colloq & Site Visits
UGLB 4034, Summer 2024
LAB UN&WO Colloq & Site Visits
NINT 5034, Summer 2024
Reimagining Security
NINT 5142, Fall 2024
The Evolution of Warfare
NINT 6294, Fall 2024
UN Practicum
UGLB 4035, Summer 2024
UN Practicum
NINT 6002, Summer 2024
United Nations & World Order
NINT 5033, Summer 2024
United Nations & World Order
UGLB 4033, Summer 2024
Past Courses
Equivalency (PHD)
NEQV 7001, Fall 2023
Global Governance
NINT 5158, Fall 2023
Independent Study
NINT 6959, Fall 2023
Internship
NINT 6965, Fall 2023
LAB UN&WO Colloq & Site Visits
UGLB 4034, Summer 2023
LAB UN&WO Colloq & Site Visits
NINT 5034, Summer 2023
Thesis Supervision
NINT 6951, Fall 2023
UN Practicum
UGLB 4035, Summer 2023
UN Practicum
NINT 6002, Summer 2023
United Nations & World Order
NINT 5033, Summer 2023
United Nations & World Order
UGLB 4033, Summer 2023