I am Professor of Political Science at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Born in Baghdad, Iraq and educated in England, I received my Ph.D. in 1974 from the London School of Economics. I have taught in a number of American and British universities, and have kept an active research and publication record. My current research interests are in the application of theories of democratic transitions and consolidation to the Middle East, particularly post-2003 Iraq.

I am married to Karen Dawisha, The Havighurst Professor of Russian and Post-Soviet Studies at Miami University. We have two children, Nadia, a graduate student in the Department of Communications, and Emile a Journalism Major, both at Miami University. Emile and I are avid supporters of the Maryland Terps football and basketball teams, and the entire family shares a great passion for Broadway musicals, which we see regularly at the Aronoff Center in nearby Cincinnati.