Stephen R. Bowers

Dr. Stephen R. Bowers is director of the William R. Nelson Institute for Public Affairs at James Madison University, and a professor of political science at JMU.

Biograpphical note on the JMU website:

Dr. Bowers received his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee and his teaching interests are Eastern Europe, the former USSR, and International Relations in general. He has published two monographs: the most recent title is "Tibet: Endurance of the National Idea" and the other title is "Ethnic Politics in Eastern Europe" published by the Institute for the Study of Conflict in London. In addition to this, Dr. Bowers has published a little over forty articles on various aspects of East European politics, low intensity conflict, and Latin America.

His most recent projects involve work in Romania and the former USSR (Moldova). Dr. Bowers has traveled there seven times in recent years and, in 1991, was invited to give a presentation to the Moldovan Parliament. Since 1992, he has worked with the Romanian American University in Bucharest and has arranged for five Romanian students to attend JMU since 1993. Before coming to JMU, Dr. Bowers was with the First Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Working for the Pentagon

In October 2001 the Institute announced the 'Operating under a grant from the Pentagon Crisis Center', the institute will 'draw on the knowledge and expertise of journalists, academics and attorneys in Central Asia to answer a host of questions. These include:

• Are there indications of militant Islamic activism in your area?

• If so, what organizations are active and what are their goals?

• How are they funded?

• Do these organizations have visible links with other organizations outside the region? If so, what are those counterpart organizations?

• Who are the local individuals associated with militant Islamic activism?

The information that comes to the Nelson Institute will be translated and edited into a report that will then be made available to journalists, scholars, decision-makers and interested citizens. In September, the Nelson Institute published its report, "Terrorism and its Consequences: The Impact of the September 11th Attacks." Contact the institute for a copy at 540-568-3674, or visit the Web site at http://www.jmu.edu/orgs/wrni/ for the text.'

Publications

• Stephen R. Bowers, "Ethnic Politics in Eastern Europe," Conflict Studies 248 (February 1992): 10.
• Bowers, Stephen R. (LtCol, USAR). Restoring Normalcy: Army Civil Affairs Specialists Played Critical Role in Haiti. Armed Forces Journal International, no.8, 132:18 Mar '95.