O'Neill School at IUPUI
801 W. Michigan Street
BS 4050
Indianapolis, IN
46202
Biography
Dr. Pierre Atlas, a comparative political scientist by training, teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in both the Public Affairs and Criminal Justice programs for the O’Neill School. Prior to joining the O’Neill School in fall 2021, Dr. Atlas was a Professor of Political Science at Marian University.
Dr. Atlas devoted much of his academic career to studying and writing about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, and other conflicts and conflict resolution. More recently, his comparative research and publications have examined historical and contemporary political differences between the United States and Canada on issues such as Indigenous policy, the role of government, and gun laws and gun culture.
Dr. Atlas writes a monthly opinion column for the Indianapolis Business Journal and, before that, was an opinion columnist for The Indianapolis Star for 16 years. A native of Texas, he grew up in California and is a U.S. Army veteran.
Education
- Ph.D., Political Science, Rutgers University, 2000
- M.A., Political Science, University of Arizona, 1993
- B.A., Political Science and History, University of Toronto, 1984
Professional Experience
- Professor of Political Science, Marian University (2016–2021)
- Founding Director, The Richard G. Lugar Franciscan Center for Global Studies, Marian University (2003–2020)
- Associate Professor of Political Science, Marian University (2008–2016)
- Assistant Professor of Political Science, Marian University (2002–2008)
- Adjunct Instructor, IUPUI, (2000–2003)
- Adjunct Instructor, Butler University (2001–2002)
Highlights
- Faculty Affiliate, Center for the Study of the Middle East, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, Indiana University
- Member of Governing Council, World (formerly Western) Social Science Association (2023–2026); Canadian Studies Section Coordinator for WSSA (2017–2022)
- AP U.S. Government and Politics exam reader for College Board (2007–present)
- Senior Fellow, Sagamore Institute, (2005–present)
- Board of Directors, Indiana Council on World Affairs; member, Indiana Leadership Council of Anti-Defamation League-Midwest
- Monthly opinion columnist, Indianapolis Business Journal (2019–present)
- Opinion columnist, The Indianapolis Star (2003–2018)
- Peer reviewer for Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence applications (2015–2017)
- U.S. Army language student (Arabic), Defense Language Institute, Monterey, California (1987–1989)
Selected Intellectual Contributions
- "American Gun Culture is Based on Frontier Mythology – But Ignores How Common Gun Restrictions were in the Old West," The Conversation (June 29, 2022). Published in The Conversationon Guns, edited by James Densley. Johns Hopkins University Press (2023)
- Book review: “A Line of Blood and Dirt: Creating the Canada-United States Border across Indigenous Lands,” by Benjamin Hoy. History: Reviews of New Books 49:6 (November 2021): 143–144
- Book review: "Sand Creek and the Tragic End of a Lifeway," by Louis Kraft. Great Plains Quarterly 41(1) (Winter–Spring 2021): 156–157
- “Frontier Violence and Law and Order: Historical and Geographical Variance in the Great Plains of the North American West.” International Journal of Canadian Studies (2020)
- “Of Peaceable Kingdoms and Lawless Frontiers: Exploring the Relationship between History, Mythology and Gun Culture in the North American West.” American Review of Canadian Studies (2019)
- “Constructing and Enforcing the ‘Medicine Line’: A Comparative Analysis of Indian Policy on the North American Frontier.” American Review of Canadian Studies (2016)
- “U.S. Foreign Policy and the Arab Spring: Balancing Values and Interests.” Digest of Middle East Studies (2012)
- “Conflict among Former Allies after Civil War Settlement: Sudan, Zimbabwe, Chad, and Lebanon.” (with R. Licklider) Journal of Peace Research (1999)