Nicolai N. Petro

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I teach comparative and international politics, with a focus on the role that religious, historical, and cultural narratives play in democratic development. My regional areas of expertise are Russia and Ukraine.

My latest book, The Tragedy of Ukraine: What Classical Greek Tragedy Can Teach us About Conflict Resolution (Boston and Berlin: De Gruyter, 2023), looks at the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of classical Greek tragedy, highlighting its deep domestic roots. For the parties to move from confrontation to dialogue will require untangling these roots and embracing a change of heart or catharsis. To facilitate this process we should look to classical Greek tragedy, which once performed a similar therapeutic function in Athenian society.

As of 2024, I am also a Senior Washington Fellow at the Institute for Peace and Diplomacy.

Experience

  • 1991–present
    Professor of Political Science, University of Rhode Island
  • 2017–2019
    Silvia-Chandley Professor of Peace Studies and Nonviolence, University of Rhode Island

Education

  • 2004 
    University of Virginia, Ph.D. in Foreign Affairs

Publications

  • 2023
    The Tragedy of Ukraine, De Gruyter
  • 2017
    Ukraine in Crisis, Routledge
  • 2004
    Crafting Democracy, Cornell University Press
  • 1997
    Russian Foreign Policy, Longman Publishers
  • 1995
    The Rebirth of Russian Democracy, Harvard University Press

Grants and Contracts

  • 2021
    Visiting Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies
    Role:
    Research
    Funding Source:
    University of Bologna (Italy)
  • 2013
    Fulbright Scholar to Ukraine
    Role:
    Research
    Funding Source:
    U.S. Department of State
  • 1996
    Fulbright Scholar to Russia
    Role:
    Lecturer
    Funding Source:
    U.S. Department of State
  • 1990
    International Affairs Fellow
    Role:
    Special Assistant for Policy, U.S. Department of State
    Funding Source:
    Council on Foreign Relations
  • 1988
    Thornton D. Hooper Fellow in International Affairs
    Role:
    Research
    Funding Source:
    Foreign Policy Research Institute
  • 1983
    Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship
    Role:
    Funding Source:
    Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
  • 1983
    H. B. Earhart Fellowship
    Role:
    Research
    Funding Source:
    Earhart Foundation

Honours

Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Bologna, Italy; two Fulbright awards (Russia in 1996 and Ukraine in 2013); International Affairs Fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Contact Nicolai for

  • General
  • Media request
  • Speaking request
  • Consulting / Advising
  • Research collaboration