Jeffrey S. Morton

Jeffrey Scott Morton is a professor of Political Science at Florida Atlantic University and a fellow at the Foreign Policy Association.*A native of North Carolina, he was born on March 13, 1964 and earned a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, an M.A. from Rutgers University and Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1995.In 1986 he completed the International Law Commission Summer training program at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Jeffrey Morton has written three books and several journal articles, book chapters and editorials.

Jeffrey Morton specializes in International Law with a principal focus on the laws of armed conflict.His first book, The International Law Commission of the United Nations (University of South Carolina Press, 2001), is an empirical analysis of the Commission’s work on the Draft Code of Crimes Against the Peace and Security of Mankind. His journal publications have addressed a wide range of conflicts and weapons of war, including blinding lasers, tactical nuclear weapons, landmines, depleted uranium shells, mercenaries, genocide and the 1999 Kosovo War.

At Florida Atlantic University, Jeffrey Morton has been the recipient of the Researcher of the Year Award, Talon Service Award, Master Teacher Designation, Lifelong Learning Society Distinguished Professor, and University Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award. In 2012, he was the recipient of the Foreign Policy Association (FPA) Medal.The FPA Medal is awarded to leading practitioners, academics and members of the foreign policy establishment.

Jeffrey Morton has founded and developed two major programs at Florida Atlantic University.In 1996 he established the Diplomacy Program, which trains undergraduate students in the art of diplomacy and conflict resolution.His program has competed in academic diplomacy simulations in New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco and Maastricht, Netherlands. In 2016, the program was named in honor of Leon Charney, a key player in the Camp David Accord. In 2018, the Leon Charney Diplomacy Program placed first overall at the National Model United Nations competition in Washington, D.C.

In 1997 he co-established the FAU Peace Studies Program, which he directed from 2001 until 2005. Peace Studies was transformed in 2016 into the Peace, Justice & Human Rights Initiative.

Jeffrey Morton lectures widely on matters of international law, U.S. foreign policy, conflict and terrorism. In 2014, the Foreign Policy Association launched its annual on-line certificate course which is based on the Great Decisions program. Jeffrey Morton delivered the eight lecture series, which awards the FPA Certificate to students who successfully complete the course, from 2014-2018.

Jeffrey Morton is considered a pragmatist in his conceptualization of world affairs and U.S. foreign policy, grounding his analysis in legal realism.He was a strong supporter of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 1991 following its occupation of Kuwait, but was a vocal public critic of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, both prior to and after the intervention. He claimed that even a quick and successful war that introduced democracy in Iraq would result in a significant strategic victory for Iran. In a live television interview on the day that NATO forces initiated an aerial assault on Libya in 2011, Jeffrey Morton labeled the policy a strategic blunder.He argued that Libya, like Iraq in 2003, was ill prepared for democratic pluralism and would ultimately disintegrate into lawless factions.

"Reflections on the International Law Commission." Florida International University Journal of International Law (2019).

"The Legality of the NATO Invasion of Libya." The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences: Annual Review (2015).

“The Mine Ban Treaty: Compliance Among Latin American States."International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences (2012).

“The Arab Spring: Implications for Israeli Security." Mediterranean Quarterly (2012).

“The Prohibition on Landmines.” International Journal of the Humanities (2009).

“Crisis in American Foreign Policy Identity.”International Journal of the Humanities (2007).

“Depleted Uranium Munitions: Clear Threat to Human Security.” Australasian Journal of Human Security (2006).

“The Legal Status of Tactical Nuclear Weapons.”International Journal of the Humanities (2006).

“The Legal Regulation of Conflict Diamonds.”Journal of Politics & Policy (2005).

“Re-Assessing the ‘Power of Power Politics’ Thesis: Is Realism Still Dominant?”International Studies Review (2005).

Reflections on the Balkans: Ten Years After the Break-Up of Yugoslavia. (Palgrave Macmillan Press, 2004).

“The Legality of NATO’s Intervention in Yugoslavia in 1999: Implications for theProgressive Development of International Law.”Journal of International and Comparative Law (2003).

“The International Legal Regime on Genocide.” Journal of Genocide Research (2003).

“The Legal Status of Mercenaries.”Journal of Politics & Policy (2002).

“The International Legal Adjudication of the Crime of Genocide.” Journal of International and Comparative Law (2001).

“Uncertainty, Change and War: Power Fluctuations and War in the Modern Elite Power System.” Journal of Peace Research (2001)

“The United Nations and US Participation: The UNESCO Case.” Political Chronicle (2001).

The International Law Commission of the United Nations. (University of South Carolina Press, 2000).

"The End of the Cold War and International Law: An Empirical Analysis." Journal of Global Society (1999).

“The Legal Status of Laser Weapons that Blind.” Journal of Peace Research (1998).

"The International Law Commission of the United Nations: Legal Vacuum or Microcosm of WorldPolitics?" International Interactions (1997).