William J. "Will" Dobson is an American journalist and author who writes frequently on foreign affairs and international politics. He is currently the Politics and Foreign Affairs Editor for Slate.

Early life

Dobson was born on a naval base in North Kingston,

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

. His father, W. Joel Dobson, was a Lt. Commander in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

. His mother, Barbara Joyce Dobson, is an English teacher. Dobson grew up in

Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. For a time, the Off ...

, and attended Spartanburg Day School. He received a Bachelor of Arts ''summa cum laude'' from Middlebury College. He later earned a master's degree in East Asian Studies from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

and a Juris Doctor ''cum laude'' from Harvard Law School. He lives in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

with his wife and two children.

Career

From 2004 to 2008, Dobson was the Managing Editor of ''Foreign Policy'' magazine. During his tenure at ''Foreign Policy'', the magazine was nominated for a National Magazine Award five years in a row – the only magazine of its size to receive five consecutive nominations – and won the top prize twice. Previously, he served as the Senior Editor for Asia at

Newsweek International ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

and as Associate Editor at ''Foreign Affairs''. He has also been a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. During the height of the

Arab Spring The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in Tunisia in response to corruption and econo ...

, he wrote daily pieces on modern authoritarianism for the Washington Post’s editorial page. While reporting from Cairo, Dobson wrote the first account of the Egyptian military’s torture of female protestors in Tahrir Square. Dobson's first book, ''The Dictator's Learning Curve'' was published by Doubleday in 2012. The non-fiction book is an analysis of modern authoritarianism and has been reviewed by various media.Publishers WeeklyBusinessWeek
an
Foreign Policy
magazine

Awards

Dobson was named a Young Global Leader by the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...

in 2006.Young Global Leader
/ref> In 2003, he was named the U.S. Rapporteur for the World Economic Forum's East Asia Summit. The

Singapore International Foundation The Singapore International Foundation (SIF; ; ) is a not-for-profit organisation established on 1 August 1991. Arts for Good Arts and culture can aid sustainable development, particularly in fostering inclusive societies and promoting susta ...

awarded him a Distinguished Visitor Fellowship in 2008. The

East-West Center East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *''East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salma ...

awarded him a Senior Journalist Fellowship for Southeast Asia (2006) and a
Journalism Fellowship
(2008). Dobson was
Knight Media Fellow
(2003) to the

Salzburg Global Seminar Salzburg Global Seminar is a non-profit organization that challenges current and future leaders to shape a better world. It convenes programs on health care, education, culture, finance, technology, public policy, media, human rights, corporate g ...

, and later
Freeman Fellow
in U.S.-East Asian Relations (2007). Middlebury College recognized him with a
Alumni Achievement Award
in 2011. Dobson is also a 1994

Truman Scholar The Harry S. Truman Scholarship is the premier graduate fellowship in the United States for public service leadership. It is a federally funded scholarship granted to U.S. undergraduate students for demonstrated leadership potential, academic ...

Published works

''The Dictator’s Learning Curve''
(Doubleday; 2012). ]

Articles

The East Is Crimson
''Slate'', May 23, 2012

''Slate'', May 2, 2012

Tunisia Edition, ''The Washington Post'', January 23, 2011

''The Washington Post'', March 15, 2011

''The Washington Post'', March 16, 2011

''The Washington Post'', March 17, 2011

''The Washington Post'', March 18, 2011

''The Washington Post'', March 24, 2011

''The Washington Post'', April 16, 2011

''The Washington Post'', May 5, 2011

''The Washington Post'', May 15, 2011

''The Washington Post'', August 26, 2011

''The Washington Post'', October 21, 2011

''The Washington Post'', August 13, 2010
China’s Jittery Leaders
''The New Republic'', March 3, 2011
A Victory for Democratic Foreign Policy
''The New Republic'', May 3, 2011
The Day Nothing Much Changed
''Foreign Policy''. August 8, 2006
Tunisia’s Lessons for Repressive Regimes
''U.S. News & World Report''. January 20, 2011
Global Democracy over a Barrel
''The Boston Globe'', May 14, 2009

Media appearances

Dobson has provided commentary for various news organizations, including

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and politi ...

PBS NewsHour ''PBS NewsHour'' is an American evening television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS member stations. It airs seven nights a week, and is known for its in-depth coverage of issues and current events. Anchored by Judy Woodruff, the pro ...

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

, and

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dobson, William J. American male journalists Middlebury College alumni American foreign policy writers American male non-fiction writers American magazine editors International relations scholars Living people 1973 births Harvard Law School alumni