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James Horncastle
Assistant Professor, Global Humanities
Edward and Emily McWhinney Professor in International Relations
jhorncas@sfu.ca
AQ 6207
Profile
Research interests
- Refugee and Migration Studies
- Modern History of Greece
- International Relations
- Yugoslav Studies
- Identity Formation
- Conflict Studies
Education
- PhD, History, Simon Fraser University
- MA, History, University of New Bruswick
- BA, History, St. Thomas University
Biography
I was born and raised in New Brunswick, Canada. After attending St. Thomas University, I was inspired by its emphasis on liberal arts education, which I applied to my Masters studies at the University of New Brunswick, where I examined the social, political and military dimensions of Yugoslavia’s collapse in the 1990s. Upon completion of my Masters at the University of New Brunswick, I set out for PhD studies at Simon Fraser University, where I examined the Macedonian Question in the Greek Civil War. After serving as a limited-term appointment at Simon Fraser University for three years, I joined the Hellenic Studies Program as the inaugural holder of the Edward and Emily McWhinney Professorship in International Relations.
Publications
Monographs
Journal articles and book chapters
- “Russian warship, go f--- yourself!” Human Factors in the Russia-Ukraine War and Ukraine Defying Expectations, February-December 2022" Journal of Slavic Military Studies 37 (2024): 267-86.
- “Weaponization of refugees: Why now?” Comparative Strategy. 42 (2023) 747-62.
- “An Ongoing Paradox: The EU’s Response to the Migration Crises, Rising Nationalism, and its Treatment of Greece.” In Wallerstein 2.0: Thinking and Applying World-Systems Theory in the 21st Century. Ed. Frank Jacob. Wetzlar: Transcript, 2023. 99-120.
- “The Unsettled Foundation: Self-Management and its Implications for Yugoslavia’s policy of Total National Defence” Defense & Security Analysis 38 (2022) 106-21.
- w/ Jack MacLennan. “Where eagles err: Contemporary geopolitics and the future of Western special operations” Special Operations Journal 7 (2021) 43-54.
Older
- “Clandestine “Comrades”: The Comintern, Tito and the Underground Communist Party of Yugoslavia, 1939-1941” in Between Two Fires: Neutral Countries as Clandestine Battlefields during the Second World War and the Cold War, 1939-1962. Ed. Andre Gerolymatos, Denis Smyth, and w/ James Horncastle (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2020) 155-72.
- Turning off the Tap: The 1999 Bombing Campaign of Kosovo and the Securitization of Water" in Ethical Water Stewardship. Ed. Ingrid Stefanovic and Zadar Adeel (London: Springer, 2020) 179-94.
- “The Death of a City: The Yugoslav Peoples Army Siege of Vukovar, 1991, Refugee Crisis, and its Aftermath” in War and the City (Leiden: Brill, 2019) 85-104.
- “A Measure of Success? Soviet and American Military Advising in Yugoslavia, 1945-1957” Air Force Advising and Assistance: Developing Airpower in Client States(Solihull, UK: Helion, 2018) 73-88.
- “Majority Rule, Minority Issues: The Macedonian Question in the Dekemvriana,” Defense & Security Analysis 33 (2017): 1-12.
- “Mapping a term: Geography and its role in the success and failures of the Yugoslav and Greek Resistance movements, 1940-1945” in War and Geography: The Spatiality of Mass Violence (Paderborn: Ferdinand Schöningh, 2017) 77-97.
- “Tous Azimuts: Yugoslavia’s Defence Policy during the Cold War” The Means to Kill Essays on the Interdependence of War and Technology from Ancient Rome to the Age of Drones. Edited by Gerrit Dworok and Frank Jacob (Jefferson, NC: McFarland Press, 2015) 182-196.
- “Unfamiliar Connections: Special Forces and Paramilitaries in the Former Yugoslavia” Special Operations Journal 2 (2016) 12-21.
- “Croatia’s Bitter Harvest – Total National Defence’s role in the Croatian War of Independence” Small Wars & Insurgencies 26 (2015) 742-761.
- “Reaping the Whirlwind: Total National Defense’s Role in Slovenia’s Bid for Secession,” Journal of Slavic Military Studies 26 (2013) 528-550.
- “A House of Cards: The Yugoslav Concept of Total National Defence and its Critical Weakness” Macedonian Historical Review 2 (2011) 285-302.
Book Reviews
- KITROMELIDES, P. AND S. MATTHAEOU (EDS). Greek-Serbian Relations in the Age of Nation-Building, Journal of Modern Greek Studies 1 (2020): 249-51.
- WOLF-DIETER MÜLLER. The Unknown Eastern Front: The Wehrmacht and Hitler’s Foreign Soldiers, Global Humanities 2 (2015) 149-150.
Conference presentations
- Presented “Presaging the Future: EOKA and Contemporary Irregular Warfare” at SHoW 2024 in Nicosia, CY. 28 November 2024.
- Presented "Presaging the Future: EOKA, Cyprus, and Contemporary Irregular Warfare” at BC Hellenic Congress in New Westminster, BC. 24 June 2024.
- Presented "Winter of Discontent: The Russia-Ukraine War” at The Institute for the Humanities in Vancouver, BC. 21 November 2023.
- Co-organized “Envisioning the Greek Landscape: From Thera to Climate Change” in Athens, GR. 19-21 October 2023.
- Presented “From Gateway to Shield: Greece in the EU’s Perception on Migration” at XENOS Workshop 2023. In Athens, GR. 28 May 2023.
- Presented “Resilience as a Means of Obfuscation: Refugees in the International System” at NEMLA in Buffalo, NY. 24 March 2023.
- "Refugees and Migration in the Age of the Nation-State," Langara College, in Vancouver, BC, 5 October 2022.
- "Present Problem, Future Conflict? The Republika Srpska and Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine,” at Irish Association for Russian, Central and East European Studies 2022 Conference, in Maynooth, IR, 17 September 2022.
- "Russia-Ukraine War: An old-new legacy of nationalism and state-building?" Douglas College, in New Westminster, BC, 12 July 2022.
- "In the Shadow of Asia Minor: The Greek Population in Ukraine, Its History, and Future after the Russo-Ukrainian War,” The Angelo K. Tsakopoulos Hellenic Studies Center, in Sacramento, CA, 12 May 2022.
- "Understanding the War in Ukraine: A Panel with SFU Experts," SFU Public Square, in Burnaby, BC, 13 April 2022.
- “Using the Lion to Catch an Eagle: Greece’s use of the Macedonian Question in Greek-American Relations, 1947-1949,” Cold War (A)Symmetries: Conflict, Cooperation, and Trade, in Târgovite, RO, 28 October 2021.
- “Grabbing the Lion by the Tail: The Macedonians in the Greek Civil War, 1946-49,” Association for the Study of Nationalities, in New York, NY, 8 May 2021.
Older
- “Destroying a movement, building a nation: The events of 1924 and the founding of IMRO (United),” ‘Lords of the border marches’: Paramilitary mobilization, ethnic violence and nation-building in Anatolia and the Balkans during the European Civil War (1905-1949), in Bucharest, RO, 4 December 2020.
- “Greece, Nationalism, and Migration: An Ongoing Paradox,” World Systems Workshop, in Bodø, NO, 12 November 2020.
- “Recreating the Past: Historiography in the People’s Republic of Macedonia, 1945-1991,” Memory and Trauma Through History and Culture: Migrations, in Burnaby, BC, 9-10 October 2020.
- “Comrade or Foe? Yugoslavia’s Involvement in the Greek Civil War, 1946-1949,” Modern Greek Studies Symposium, in Sacramento, CA, 9 November 2019.
- “Terrorism and Refugees,” International Security Preparedness Professional Development Conference, in Victoria, BC, 19 June 2018.
- “The Death of a City: The Yugoslav Peoples Army Siege of Vukovar, 1991, Refugee Crisis, and its Aftermath,” War and the Urban Context, in New York, 19 May 2017.
- “Unfamiliar Connections: Special Forces and Paramilitaries in the Former Yugoslavia,” SORA, in Fort Walton Beach, FL, 11 December 2015.
- “Once again Comrades: Greek and Yugoslav Communist Party Relations, 1945-1946”, ASEEES, in Philadelphia, PA, 19 November 2015.
- “Mapping a term: Geography and its role in the success and failures of the Yugoslav and Greek Resistance,” War and Geography, in New York, NY, 1 May 2015.
- “Poisoning the Well: The Macedonian Question in the Dekemvriana (1944),” Western Consortium Graduate History Conference, in San Diego, CA, 25 April 2015.
- “The Dekemvriana and the Slavo-Macedonian Question,” December to Varkiza: Memory, Political Discourse, and the Greek Civil War, in Burnaby, BC, 20 February 2015.
- “Different Visions, Same Problem: Yugoslavia and the Macedonian Question, 1945-1949,” ASEEES, in San Antonio, Texas, 20 November 2014.
- “A Tout Azimuths: Yugoslavia’s Defence Policy during the Cold War,” International Conference “War and Technology“, in Würzberg, Germany, April 1, 2014.
- “Fraternal Discord: Yugoslavia’s Failed Intervention in the Greek Civil War, 1946 -1949”, Northern Great Plains History Conference, in Hudson, WI, September 26, 2013.
- “Keeping the Genie in the Bottle: The Greek Navy in the First Balkan War,” Greece and the Balkan Wars, in St. Louis, MO, October 27, 2012.
- “The Mixed Harvest: The Role of Total Natural Defence in Croatia’s Secession from Yugoslavia,” McGill-Queen’s University Graduate Conference in History 2012 “Shaping Space(s), Telling Time(s) /// Explorer l’espace, déchiffrer le temps”, March 2-4, 2012.
- “Sowing the Seeds of Chaos: Yugoslavia’s Defence Policy in the Cold War,” the Great Northern Plains History Conference, October 13-16, 2010.
- “Balkan Paper Tiger: Yugoslavia’s Military Strength” at the UNB-University of Maine Annual History Conference, September 25-27, 2009.
- “Contested History: The Historical Development of Dubrovnik” at St. Thomas Research and Ideas Fair, March 21, 2009.
- “Strategic Perspective, Tactical Problems: Valentino’s Strategic Perspective on Genocide” at St. Thomas Research and Ideas Fair, March 15, 2008
Community and professional outreach
- “Pourquoi la chute de Bachar Al-Assad ne mènera probablement pas à la paix en Syrie” The Conversation. 11 December 2024. https://theconversation.com/pourquoi-la-chute-de-bachar-al-assad-ne-menera-probablement-pas-a-la-paix-en-syrie-245718.
- “Por qué es poco probable que la caída de El Asad lleve la paz a Siria” The Conversation, 10 December 2024.https://theconversation.com/por-que-es-poco-probable-que-la-caida-de-el-asad-lleve-la-paz-a-siria-245711.
- “Why the fall of Bashar al-Assad is unlikely to lead to peace in Syria” The Conversation. 9 December 2024. https://theconversation.com/why-the-fall-of-bashar-al-assad-is-unlikely-to-lead-to-peace-in-syria-245543.
- “Amid the West’s wavering aid to Ukraine, North Korea backs Russia in a mutually beneficial move” The Conversation. 29 October 2024. https://theconversation.com/amid-the-wests-wavering-aid-to-ukraine-north-korea-backs-russia-in-a-mutually-beneficial-move-241970.
- “Ukraine drone strikes demonstrate its continuing intent to fight the long war against Russia” The Conversation. 23 September 2024. https://theconversation.com/ukraine-drone-strikes-demonstrate-its-continuing-intent-to-fight-the-long-war-against-russia-239438.
- “Ukrainian special operations abroad are part of its broader war effort against Russia” The Conversation. 14 August 2024. https://theconversation.com/ukrainian-special-operations-abroad-are-part-of-its-broader-war-effort-against-russia-236673.
- “Russian airstrike against a Ukrainian children’s hospital reveals Russia’s eroding military might.” The Conversation. 16 July 2024. https://theconversation.com/russian-airstrike-against-a-ukrainian-childrens-hospital-reveals-russias-eroding-military-might-234347.
- “Delays in western aid have put Ukraine in a perilous position. The Conversation. 16 May 2024. https://theconversation.com/delays-in-western-aid-have-put-ukraine-in-a-perilous-position-229987.
- “Israel hits back at Iran: How domestic politics is determining Israeli actions.” The Conversation. 19 April 2024. https://theconversation.com/israel-hits-back-at-iran-how-domestic-politics-is-determining-israeli-actions-228316.
- “L’attaque de l’État islamique (EI-K) à Moscou risque d’aggraver la guerre entre la Russie et l’Ukraine.” The Conversation. 26 March 2024. https://theconversation.com/lattaque-de-letat-islamique-ei-k-a-moscou-risque-daggraver-la-guerre-entre-la-russie-et-lukraine-226666.
- “ISIS-K’s attack in Moscow risks escalating the Russia-Ukraine war” The Conversation. 24 March 2024. https://theconversation.com/isis-ks-attack-in-moscow-risks-escalating-the-russia-ukraine-war-226472.
- w/ Jack Maclennan. “Western leaders threaten to undermine Navalny’s legacy in Russia” The Conversation. 21 February 2024. https://theconversation.com/western-leaders-threaten-to-undermine-navalnys-legacy-in-russia-223965.
- “Domestic and international developments risk undermining Ukraine in a critical year” The Conversation. 15 February 2024. https://theconversation.com/domestic-and-international-developments-risk-undermining-ukraine-in-a-critical-year-222353.
- “Zelensky’s tensions with his top military commander could undermine Ukraine’s war efforts” The Globe and Mail. 6 February 2024. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-zelenskys-tensions-with-his-top-military-commander-could-undermine/.
- “Western strikes against Houthis risk igniting a powderkeg in the Middle East” The Conversation. 22 January 2024. https://theconversation.com/western-strikes-against-houthis-risk-igniting-a-powderkeg-in-the-middle-east-221392.
Older
- “Ukraine can still defeat Russia, but it needs the right tools to do it” The Conversation. 21 December 2023. https://theconversation.com/ukraine-can-still-defeat-russia-but-it-needs-the-right-tools-to-do-it-220092.
- “Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza City is ignoring the past lessons of urban warfare” The Conversation. 28 November 2023. https://theconversation.com/israels-ground-offensive-in-gaza-city-is-ignoring-the-past-lessons-of-urban-warfare-218471.
- “How Serbia-Kosovo tensions hang like a spectre over the European Union” The Conversation. 16 October 2023. https://theconversation.com/how-serbia-kosovo-tensions-hang-like-a-spectre-over-the-european-union-215105.
- “Zelenskyy’s meetings with Trudeau and Biden are aimed at winning the long war” The Conversation. 22 September 2023. https://theconversation.com/zelenskyys-meetings-with-trudeau-and-biden-are-aimed-at-winning-the-long-war-214023.
- “Regardless of Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s fate, Vladimir Putin benefits” The Conversation. 24 August 2023. https://theconversation.com/regardless-of-wagner-group-leader-yevgeny-prigozhins-fate-vladimir-putin-benefits-212219.
- “Ukraine’s slow advance doesn’t signal failure in its counteroffensive against Russia” The Conversation. 18 July 2023. https://theconversation.com/ukraines-slow-advance-doesnt-signal-failure-in-its-counteroffensive-against-russia-209720.
- “El desafío del Grupo Wagner puede darle a Putin una excusa para salir de Ucrania” The Conversation. 25 June 2023. https://theconversation.com/el-desafio-del-grupo-wagner-puede-darle-a-putin-una-excusa-para-salir-de-ucrania-208435.
- “What the Wagner Group revolt in Russia could mean for the war in Ukraine” The Conversation. 24 June 2023. https://theconversation.com/what-the-wagner-group-revolt-in-russia-could-mean-for-the-war-in-ukraine-208428.
- “Paramilitaries in the Russia-Ukraine war could escalate and expand the conflict” The Conversation. 7 June 2023. https://theconversation.com/paramilitaries-in-the-russia-ukraine-war-could-escalate-and-expand-the-conflict-206441.
- “Bakhmut is increasingly a quagmire that works to Russia’s advantage” The Conversation. 13 April 2023. https://theconversation.com/bakhmut-is-increasingly-a-quagmire-that-works-to-russias-advantage-203524.
- “L’inculpation de Poutine par la Cour pénale internationale est symbolique. Mais les symboles ont aussi leur importance” The Conversation. 21 March 2023. https://theconversation.com/linculpation-de-poutine-par-la-cour-penale-internationale-est-symbolique-mais-les-symboles-ont-aussi-leur-importance-202213.
- “Why the International Criminal Court’s indictment of Putin has symbolic importance” The Conversation. 20 March 2023. https://theconversation.com/why-the-international-criminal-courts-indictment-of-putin-has-symbolic-importance-202111.
- “The Battle of Bakhmut exposes Russia’s fault lines” The Conversation. 8 March 2023. https://theconversation.com/the-battle-of-bakhmut-exposes-russias-fault-lines-201254.
- “The EU shows its weaknesses again amid another looming migration crisis” The Conversation. 7 February 2023. https://theconversation.com/the-eu-shows-its-weaknesses-again-amid-another-looming-migration-crisis-199165.
- “Russia is using drones to target Ukrainian electricity and erode morale,” The Conversation. 16 January 2023. https://theconversation.com/russia-is-using-drones-to-target-ukrainian-electricity-and-erode-morale-197565.
- “The Russian draft isn’t likely to help Vladimir Putin win the war in Ukraine,” w/ Jack MacLennan. The Conversation. 12 October 2022. https://theconversation.com/the-russian-draft-isnt-likely-to-help-vladimir-putin-win-the-war-in-ukraine-191838.
- “Why North Macedonia is the European Union’s latest self-inflicted wound” The Conversation, 19 July 2022. https://theconversation.com/why-north-macedonia-is-the-european-unions-latest-self-inflicted-wound-186898.
- “Bosnia-Herzegovina could be the next site of Russian-fuelled conflict.” w/ Jack MacLennan. The Conversation. 13 April 2022. https://theconversation.com/bosnia-herzegovina-could-be-the-next-site-of-russian-fuelled-conflict-180745.
- “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine fuels a refugee crisis that could help Putin win the war,” The Conversation. 28 February 2022. https://theconversation.com/russias-invasion-of-ukraine-fuels-a-refugee-crisis-that-could-help-putin-win-the-war-177951.
- “Not the 1990s Again: Rethinking US Strategy for Afghanistan under the Taliban” w/ Jack MacLennan. Modern War Institute. 10 November 2022. https://mwi.usma.edu/not-the-1990s-again-rethinking-us-strategy-for-afghanistan-under-the-taliban/.
- “Europe’s Refugee Crisis, North America’s Refugee Opportunity,” ELIAMEP. 3/4 (2015) 11-14.
- “Local Politics, Global Dimensions: Canada and the Fight against ISIS,” Bridging Europe. 26 May 2015. http://www.bridgingeurope.net/local-politics-global-dimensions-canada-and-the-fight-against-isis.html.
- “An Insidious Threat: The ambiguity of the term Terrorism and the Threat this poses to Democratic Institutions,” Bridging Europe. BREF Commentary 23. 4.11.14. http://www.bridgingeurope.net/an-insidious-threat-the-ambiguity-of-the-term-terrorism-and-the-threat-this-poses-to-democratic-institutions.html.