Joseph Ledford
Assistant Professor
Joseph Ledford is assistant professor of security studies at UT Austin, holding a joint appointment in the School of Civic Leadership and the Clements Center for National Security, where he serves as Director of Research. Ledford is also a Griffin Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. A historian of U.S. foreign relations, his research examines the individuals and institutions responsible for the exercise of American power in the world, particularly in the Western Hemisphere, and the domestic politics of foreign policy, broadly construed.
He is the co-editor of History’s Dead-Hand Grip: Politics, Statecraft, and “Lessons” of the Past and the author of a forthcoming book on the Iran-Contra affair. In addition to his historical research, he frequently provides analysis on US foreign policy for popular and policy outlets.
Education
PhD in history, UC Berkeley
