ASU director earns Distinguished Scholar Award in foreign policy analysis

The International Studies Association (ISA) has awarded Cameron Thies, director of Arizona State University's School of Politics and Global Studies, with the Distinguished Scholar Award for his contributions to the study of foreign policy analysis. ISA is the largest professional association for scholars in the field of international studies.

The award was created to honor outstanding scholarship and disciplinary service in the field of foreign policy analysis. Thies’ advisor and emeritus professor from the School of Politics and Global Studies, Stephen Walker also won the award in 2003. Thies is one of the youngest winners of the Foreign Policy Analysis Distinguished Scholar Award.

“I am thrilled to be honored for my scholarship and contribution to building the subfield through my service to the Foreign Policy Analysis section,” Thies said.

Presenters at the roundtable honoring Professor Thies noted that one of the strengths of his work in foreign policy analysis is his ability to bring different theoretical and methodological literatures into conversation from across multiple subfields. In particular, presenters focused on his work reinvigorating the use of role theory in foreign policy analysis. Thies convened a workshop at the ISA that led to a 2012 special issue of the journal Foreign Policy Analysis on role theory as an integrator of International Relations theory and Foreign Policy Analysis. Soon thereafter, he became the co-editor of a new book series at Routledge titled, "Role Theory and International Relations." Presenters noted that the work on role theory was but one aspect of his published research spanning two books and over fifty articles.

Thies was also honored for his commitment to the foreign policy analysis section of the ISA, and for his development of the subfield. Thies served as vice president and program chair, then later president of the foreign policy analysis section, which is the second largest group within ISA. He recently assumed the editorship of the ISA journal, Foreign Policy Analysis, as well.  Finally, presenters noted that his extensive service to the ISA had previously been recognized by the Ladd Hollist Service Award presented to those who provide exceptional service to the association.

"I want to thank my peers and mentors for their constant guidance and assistance. I could not have achieved nearly as much without the support of so many, including ASU emeritus Professor Stephen Walker, my graduate school mentor,” Thies said.