Ilias Kouskouvelis is Professor of International Relations, Department of International and European Studies, University of Macedonia. He is the Director of the “International Relations and European Integration Research Laboratory”, and holder of “Thucydides – The Hellenic National Defense General Staff Chair in Strategic Studies”.
He is currently serving as the Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts. From 2006 to 2010, he has served as the University’s Rector.
He has studied Law at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, receiving his degree (1982) with distinction. He continued at the University of Nantes (France), obtaining his DEA (top of class – 1983), and at the University of Denver (USA – 1986) obtaining his MA with scholarship and distinction (4.0). Professor Kouskouvelis was awarded (1989) his Doctorat d’Etat with “summa cum laudae” from the University of Grenoble (France), and received the dissertation prize from the French Air and Space Academy.
During his career he has worked as a researcher for the UN Security Council, and also for French and American Universities (Nantes; Washington, Seattle), where he has also taught as a Lecturer (CU, Boulder, Co.) and Assistant Professor (UW, Seattle, Wa.). He has been member of several scientific boards, among them the board of the Hellenic Diplomatic Academy, and also a member of the Parliament’s National Council of Foreign Policy (2004-2007).
His research interests are International Relations Theory, Strategic Studies, Crisis Management, and European Politics. He has written extensively on these areas and his publications include the authoring of six books, the editing of another thirteen, as well as many journal articles and book chapters. His most recent publications include a book on Thucydides’ decision making theory (in Greek – 2015), an article in the Middle East Quarterly (2013) and the editing of two books (in Greek), The Arab Spring (2012) and The Strategic Depth and Turkey (2013).
In 2010 he has been awarded from the French Republic the “Palme de l’ordre académique”.
