Home - Professor Herman T. Salton | International Relations

ABOUT ME

I am a tenured Associate Professor of International Relations based in Tokyo, Japan. I am also a Visiting Fellow at Exeter College, Oxford University, as well as the Deputy-Director of the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS), Tokyo Liaison Office.

I was educated at the Universities of Trento (Italy), Auckland (New Zealand), Wales/Aberystwyth (UK), and Oxford (UK), and I hold two doctoral degrees, one in International Law and the other in International Relations.

Because of my double doctorate, my areas of specialization are broad and include international relations, international history, the United Nations and international organizations, genocide, the international relations of Africa, and the links between art, archaeology, and international relations.

I have written six books and more than 20 academic articles in three languages. My 2017 book on the role of the United Nations in Rwanda, titled 'Dangerous Diplomacy', was published by Oxford University Press (OUP) and won the Alger Prize of the International Studies Association as best book on international organization and multilateralism, as well as the ACUNS Biennial Book Award.

My latest book, published in French in 2024, is a critical assessment of the United Nations titled "L'Artisan de la Paix?" ["The Peacemaker?"]. After publication, I was invited to appear before the French Parliament ("Assemblée Nationale") as a UN expert and my report was used by its Foreign Affairs Committee to advise the French Government on how to reform the UN, including the Security Council.

I am currently under contract with OUP to write two other monographs: a 'political' history of the United Nations Secretariat (due in 2026), and a book on the relations between UN peacekeeping and political affairs (due in 2028).

Before moving to Tokyo, I was a visiting scholar at Sciences-Po in Paris; an officer at the Icelandic Human Rights Centre in Reykjavik, Iceland; an Assistant and then Associate Professor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) at the Asian University for Women (AUW) in Chittagong, Bangladesh; and briefly an Associate with the Under-Secretary-General's Office at UN Headquarters in New York.

I have also been a Secretary-Treasurer of the International Studies Association, Asia-Pacific (ISA-AP); a Senior Adviser to the South Asian Foundation for Academic Research (SAFAR) and to the Center for Advanced Studies in South Asia (CASSA) in Kathmandu, Nepal; and a Visiting Professor at the School of International Studies of Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.

A cosmopolitan by vocation, I am fluent in English, Italian, French, and Spanish; I am a life-long enthusiast of history and archaeology; and I am a passionate collector of ancient art, especially as it relates to diplomacy and global politics.

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Events (Selection)

French Parliamentary Audition on UN Reform

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SSRI Talk in Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo, Japan "Between a...

ACUNS Podcast

ACUNS, Ontario, Canada In this podcast, Pro...

Book Launch in Oxford

Oxford, United Kingdom Held At: The U...

Book Launch in Nepal

Kathmandu, Nepal Held At: T...

Visiting Professor in China

Hangzhou, PR China Zhejiang University, Hangz...

Book Launch in Bangladesh

24 September 2017 | Chittagong, Bangladesh

East Asia Seminar in Beijing

Beijing, PR China The China Academic Network ...

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48

Countries Visited

367

Antiquities in Collection

27

Courses Taught

MEDIA & PRESS

Expertise

Areas of Specialization

My double doctorate in International Law and International Relations, coupled with my teaching experience in Liberal Arts universities and exposure to several countries and languages, means that I have a broad range of academic and personal interests. Although my four main areas of specialization are listed on the right-hand side, enquiries are welcome on related subjects and can be submitted via email or through the contact form at the top of this page. I am happy to be contacted in English, French, Italian, or Spanish.

International Relations

International Organizations, United Nations (especially the Secretary-General and Secretariat), Art and International Relations, Africa in International Relations, Morality and Ethics in International Affairs.

International History

History of International Relations, Archaeology and International History, African History, History of the 20th Century, Historiography, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Totalitarianism, Archival Research.

International Law

Human Rights Law, Genocide Convention, Legal History and History of International Law, Humanitarian Intervention in International Relations, Legal Protection of Cultural Heritage, Responsibility to Protect (R2P).

Human Rights

History of Human Rights, Legal History, Non-Western (especially Asian and African) Conceptions of Human Rights and Civil Liberties, International Human Rights Law, the Role of Human Rights in International Relations.

Testimonials & Reviews

"Dangerous Diplomacy is the result of superior scholarship. It is an outstanding book and this year’s undisputed prize winner...As many of us who have written professionally about this organization will agree, even though we believed that we understood the UN at a level of considerable sophistication, reading Salton, the reader will recognize how much more knowledge there is to take into account in order to understand the actual workings and political role of the UN". [Excerpt from the Laudatio delivered by the Chadwick Alger Prize Committee at the ISA Annual Conference, San Francisco, 2018].

International Studies Association (ISA), Chadwick Alger Prize Committee, San Francisco, USA, 2018

"This book is a work of great ethical and intellectual depth, as well as of interpersonal and organizational insight, which is genuinely exceptional, original and of superlative quality...An extremely important and valuable work, Dangerous Diplomacy contributes substantially and impressively to understanding the pathologies of politics and power at the United Nations, specifically with regard to the organization’s actions before and during the Rwandan genocide...It is a major contribution to the UN literature". [Published in International Affairs, Vol.94, Issue 2, March 2018, pp.459-460].

Noam Schimmel, University of Oxford, UK, and McGill University, Canada

"Far and away the most sophisticated treatment of the UN's handling of a major political disaster that I know about. The material is wonderful, the analysis original, and the verve considerable”. Richard Rathbone, Emeritus Professor of African History, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, UK

Richard Rathbone, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, UK

"Outstanding research and writing...The best book on the United Nations published in the 2016-18 period...". Friends of ACUNS Biennial Book Award. Friends of ACUNS is directed by a Board of Officers (President: Jacques Fomerand; Vice-Presidents: Charlotte Ku; Jim Sutterlin; Treasurer: Jean Krasno; Members: Michael Doyle; Melissa Labonte; Richard Ponzio: Member).

Academic Council on the United Nations System, Friends of ACUNS Biennial Book Award, 2016-18

"In this deeply researched and beautifully written book, Herman Salton has provided new insights on both the international politics of the Rwanda genocide and UN bureaucracy and power structures. Making use of a variety of archives, and particularly the papers of the late Sir Marrack Goulding, Under-Secretary-General at the UN from 1986 to 1997, Salton has produced a sombre and reflective study....As the author has demonstrated so admirably in relation to Rwanda, the UN can certainly exacerbate the problems when it is dysfunctional." [Published in The Political Quarterly, Vol.90, No.2, 2019].

Michael Newman, London Metropolitan University, UK

"Although I always thought that I was not a good writer, Professor Salton made me understand that I can do better in my writing. As a result of his effort, I started his classes by getting a ‘B’ grade and ended up with an ‘A’ grade. This was due to the interesting course materials and to his excellent command on delivering lectures. I have also learnt a lot from his unique personality, because he is not just an amazing professor, but a very humble person. He treated each of us equally and made sure that we all participated in his class. He always respected and valued whatever each of us had to say."

Ms B.Y., Former Student from Pakistan, Class of 2016

"Professor Salton is not only incredibly accomplished; he is one of the most kind, organized, supportive, and invested professors I have known. As his teaching assistant, I was able to witness how he interacted with students in and outside of class. Inside class he encouraged participation, facilitated nuanced discussions and debates, and challenged his students to look past the ideas and histories they grew up with as objective. Outside of class, he held some of the most well-attended office hours...From sitting in on his class and many discussions with students, I know he is not only an inspiration to them, but has mentored and supported them in invaluable ways".

Ms E.E., Former Teaching Assistant from the United States, 2015

"Professor Salton is extremely hard-working and organized, and I feel privileged to have attended his courses. I respect him immensely for his extreme professionalism as well as for his knowledge of the subject matter, ranging in breadth from history and politics, to ethics and international law. His teaching style is original and effortlessly delivered. He is always well-prepared, resulting in classes that run smoothly. He encourages student participation and is flexible in the direction of class discussions, while also being able to relate those discussions back to the core of the lesson which is being discussed. I also found him exceptionally fair in his assessments".