Watson Institute for International Studies
Encyclopedia
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, focusing mainly on global security and political economy and society. Its faculty span a wide range of disciplines, including, anthropology, economics, political science, and sociology. The Institute also works with governmental and non-governmental organizations such as the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
.
The Institute oversees Brown's International Relations, Development Studies, Latin American Studies, Middle East Studies, and South Asian Studies concentrations, and the Graduate Program in Development, an interdisciplinary social science doctoral program.
History
The Watson Institute was founded in 1981 as the Center for Foreign Policy Development by Thomas J. Watson, Jr.Thomas J. Watson, Jr.
Thomas John Watson, Jr. was an American businessman, political figure, and philanthropist. He was the 2nd president of IBM , the 11th national president of the Boy Scouts of America , and the 16th United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union...
, former chairman of IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
and Ambassador to the Soviet Union. The Center was formed to explore solutions to the major global issues of the day, foremost of which was the possibility of a nuclear encounter between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Soviet Union. In 1986, the Center and Brown's other international programs were integrated in the creation of the Institute for International Studies. In 1991, the Institute was rededicated in Watson's honor. Originally housed in five separate locations on campus, the programs of the Watson Institute moved into its new building, designed by architect Rafael Viñoly
Rafael Viñoly
Rafael Viñoly is an Uruguayan architect living in the United States.-Biography:He was born in Montevideo, Uruguay to Román Viñoly Barreto, and Maria Beceiro ....
, in January 2002.
Publications and projects
The Watson Institute is the editorial home to two major academic journals:- Brown Journal of World AffairsBrown Journal of World AffairsThe Brown Journal of World Affairs is an American magazine of foreign policy and international relations, published bi-annually at Brown University. It was founded in 1993 as the Brown Journal of Foreign Affairs by Daniel Cruise, Alex Scribner, and Michael Soussan. The magazine features essays...
- Studies in Comparative International Development
Other projects: