Abiodun Williams

I am Professor of the Practice of International Politics at Tufts University. I have also held academic appointments at the University of Rochester, Georgetown University, and the National Defense University. I have held leadership positions in think tanks, including as Senior Vice President of the Center for Conflict Management at the U.S. Institute of Peace. From 2001 to 2007, I was Director of Strategic Planning for UN Secretaries-General Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-Moon. I served in three UN peacekeeping operations in the Balkans and Haiti. I have served on several professional boards including as Chair of the Academic Council on the U.N. System (ACUNS). I am the author or editor of five books on international relations, including “Kofi Annan and Global Leadership at the United Nations” (Oxford University Press, 2024). I have also published several articles and book chapters on conflict prevention, peacekeeping, and negotiations. I hold MA degrees from the University of Edinburgh and The Fletcher School-Tufts, and a PhD from the latter.