Ian Spears

Ian Spears is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Guelph, affiliated with the College of Social & Applied Human Sciences. His research focuses on violent conflict resolution, state formation, and political development in Africa and the Middle East. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in the Horn of Africa, East Africa, and Israel/Palestine. Spears has authored/co-edited multiple books including *Civil War in African States: The Search for Security* (2010) and *Believers, Skeptics and Failure in Conflict Resolution* (2019). His work has been published in journals like *Journal of Democracy*, *Third World Quarterly*, and *African Security Review*.

Education: Ph.D. in Political Science from McGill University (1998). Teaching awards include the University of Guelph’s Teaching and Learning Excellence Award (2013) and CSA Teaching Award (2012). He advises parliamentary committees on issues like Somalia (2017) and Ethiopia (2022), and lectures globally on conflict resolution. Courses taught include International Relations (POLS*2200), Conflict Resolution (POLS*3940), African Politics (POLS*3000), and Nationalism/State Building (POLS*4340).