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Prof John Dumbrell, MA(Cantab); MA; PhD(Keele)

Contact Prof John Dumbrell (email at j.w.dumbrell@durham.ac.uk)

Biography

John Dumbrell's PhD at Keele University was on the Presidency of Richard Nixon. He has held a lecturer appointment at Manchester Metropolitan University and professorial appointments at Keele and Leicester Universities. He is currently Professor of Government in the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University. He is a former chair of the American Politics Group of the Political Studies Association and co-editor of the Routledge book series, Studies in US Foreign Policy.

Current Research

John Dumbrell is currently completing a study of the Vietnam War. The resulting book will examine competing interpretations of the war, contrasting traditional 'orthodox' (anti-war) interpretations with various revisionist analyses. The project considers the developing policies of the Hanoi Politburo; the key decisions of the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations; the politics of the US antiwar movement; the role of allies in the war; and impact of the war on the development of the Cold War. On completion of the Vietnam War project, John Dumbrell intends to build on earlier research he has published on the human rights policy of President Jimmy Carter. This will culminate in a survey of the operation of the Carter human rights policy across the world.

Research Groups

School of Government and International Affairs

• Government
• International Relations/International Political Economy
• Working Papers

Research Interests

• The Vietnam War
• President Jimmy Carter's human rights policy
• Contemporary US foreign policy
• US-UK relations

Publications

Articles: magazine

• Dumbrell, John (2008). 'Hillary Clinton's Foreign Policy: Hillary's World'. The World Today 64(1).
• Dumbrell, John (2008). 'The Delayed Arrival of a New President; Transition Trauma'. The World Today 64(11).

Books: authored

• Dumbrell, John (2009). Clinton's Foreign Policy: Between the Bushes, 1992-2000. London and New York: Routledge.
• Dumbrell, John (2006). A special relationship Anglo-American relations from the Cold War to Iraq. Basingstoke, Hampshire New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Dumbrell, John (2004). President Lyndon Johnson and Soviet Communism. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
• Dumbrell, John (2001). A Special Relationship: Anglo-American Relations in the Cold War and After. Handmill, Hampshire: Macmillan.

Books: edited

• Dumbrell, John & Schaefer, Axel (2009). America's Special Relationships:Foreign and Domestic Aspects of the Politics of Alliance. London and New York: Routledge.
• Dumbrell, John & Owens, John E. (2008). America's "War on Terrorism": New Dimensions in US Government and National Security. Lanham Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield.
• Dumbrell, John & Ryan, David (2006). Vietnam in Iraqtactics, lessons, legacies and ghosts. New York: Routledge.

Conference papers

• Dumbrell, John (2005), Evaluating the Foreign Policy of President Clinton, or Bill Clinton: Between the Bushes, Eccles Centre Plenary Lectures British Association for American Studies Annual Conference 2005. Cambridge University, British Library, London, 22.

Departmental working papers

• Dumbrell, John W. (2007). 'The Bush administration, US public diplomacy and Iran'. (07/04).

Edited works: contributions

• Dumbrell, John (2010). 'Bush’s Foreign Policy Legacy: Counting the Cost’. In Assessing George W. Bush’s Legacy: The Right Man?. Morgan, Iwan & Davies, Philip Palgrave, New York.
• Dumbrell, John (2009). 'US-UK Relations: Structure, Agency and the Special Relationship'. In The Blair Legacy: Politics, Policy, Governance, and Foreign Affairs. Casey, Terrence London and New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 273-284.
• Dumbrell, John (2008). 'America in the 1990s: Searching for Purpose'. In US Foreign Policy. Cox, Michael & Stokes, Doug Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. 88-104.
• Dumbrell, John (2008). 'American Leadership into the New Century'. In American Thought and Culture in 21st Century. Halliwell, Martin & Morley, Catherine Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 35-48.
• Dumbrell, John (2008). 'The Neoconservative Roots of the War in Iraq'. In Intelligence and National Security Policymaking on Iraq: British and American Perspectives. Pfiffner, James P. & Phythian, Mark Manchester: Manchester University Press. 19-39.
• Dumbrell, John (2006). 'La 'Relacion Especiale': Anglo-Estadounidense Despues da la Guerra Fria'. In ?Somos Especiales? Las Relacions de Mexico, Gran Bretana con Estudos Unidos: Una Vision Comparada. De Castro, Rafael Fernandez, Whitehead, Lawrence & Salamocchia, Natalia Mexico City: ITAM. 139-151.
• Dumbrell, John (2006). 'President George W. Bush and Northern Irland'. In A Farewell to Arms? Beyond the Good Friday Agreement. Cox, Michael,, Guelke, Adrian, & Stephen, Fiona Manchester: Manchester University Press. 357-366.
• Dumbrell, John (2006). 'President Kerry's Foreign Policy: Continuity and Discontinuity in Contemporary American Foreign Policy'. In Right On?Political Change and Continuity in George W. Bush's America. Morgan,Iwan W. & Davies,Philip J. London: Institute for the Study of the Americas. 59-74.
• Dumbrell, John (2006). 'The Iraq and Vietnam Wars: some parallels and connections'. In Vietnam in Iraq. Dumbrell, John & Ryan, David London: Routledge. 209-222.
• Dumbrell, John (2005). 'Bush's War: the Iraq Conflict and American Democracy'. In The Iraq War and Democratic Politics. Danchev, Alex & MacMillan, John London: Taylor and Francis Ltd. 35-47.
• Dumbrell, John (2003). 'Foreign Policy'. In Governing Americathe Politics of a Divided Democracy . Hancke, Bob & Singh, Robert Oxford: Oxford University Press. 267-285.

Journal papers: academic

• Dumbrell, John (2010). ‘American Power: Crisis or Renewal?’.Politics. Politics 30(4): 15-23.
• (2010). 'President Bill Clinton and US Transatlantic Policy'. Journal of Transatlantic Studies 8(3): 268-278.
• Dumbrell, John (2009). 'The US-UK Special Relationship: Taking the 21st Century Temperature'. British Journal of Politics and International Relations 11(1): 64-78.
• Dumbrell, John (2008). 'President Clinton's Secretaries of State; Warren Christopher and Madeleine Albright'. Journal of Transatlantic Studies 6(3): 217-227.
• Dumbrell, John & Owens, J.E. (2006). 'Introduction: Politics and Policy in America's 'War' on Terror'. Politics and Policy 34(2): 233-256.
• Dumbrell, John (2006). 'Revisiting US Presidential Power'. Politics Review 15(4): 2-4.
• Davies, Philip, Dumbrell, John, Meehan, Elizabeth, Hames, Tim & Williams, Shirley (2006). 'The Grinding Reality of Realpolitik: Current and Future Directions in the UK, USA and Europe'. 21st Century Society: Journal of the Academy of the Social Sciences 1(1): 73-98.
• Dumbrell, John (2006). 'Working with Allies: The United States, the United Kingdom, and the War on Terror'. Politics & Policy 34(2): 452-472.
• Dumbrell, John (2005). 'American isolationism: a response to David Hastings Dunn'. Review of International Studies 31(4): 699-700.
• Dumbrell, John (2005). 'Winston Churchill and American foreign relations: John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush'. Journal of Transatlantic Studies 3(1): 31-42.
• Dumbrell, John (2004). 'Examining Political Change and Presidential Power in the US'. Journal of American Studies 38(3): 489-495.
• Dumbrell, John (2004). 'The US-UK 'Special Relationship' in a world twice transformed'. Cambridge Review of International Affairs 17(3): 437-450.
• Dumbrell, John & Ellis, Sylvia (2003). 'British Involvement in Vietnam Peace Initiatives, 1966-1967: Marigolds, Sunflowers, and 'Kosygin Week''. Diplomatic History 27(1): 113-149.
• Dumbrell, John (2002). 'Unilateralism and `America First'? President George W. Bush's Foreign Policy'. The Political Quarterly 73(3): 279-287.
• Dumbrell, John (2002). 'Was There a Clinton Doctrine? President Clinton's Foreign Policy Reconsidered'. Diplomacy & Statecraft 13(2): 43-56.

Monographs

• Dumbrell, John (2012). Rethinking the Vietnam War. Palgrave Macmillan.

Media Contacts

Available for media contact about:

• Politics & Society: American Politics
• Government: American Politics
• International politics: American Politics
• Social sciences: American Politics
• Politics & Society: Anglo-American relations
• International politics: Anglo-American relations