Professional Affiliation

Professor of International Relations and Founder and Director of the Center for North American Studies at American University

Expert Bio

Robert A. Pastor is Professor of international relations, Founder and Director of the Center for North American Studies at American University, and author of The North American Idea. Pastor was Director of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs on the National Security Council (1977-81), Consultant to the State and Defense Departments, and was nominated by President Bill Clinton to be Ambassador to Panama.  

He was Vice Chair of the Council on Foreign Relations Task Force on the Future of North America, which issued a report “Building a North American Community” in May 2005.  Dr. Pastor was a Fulbright Professor at El Colegio de Mexico, a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malaysia, and Visiting Professor at Harvard University, where he received his Ph.D. in Government and an M.P.A. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government.  From 1986 until September 2002, Dr. Pastor was Professor at Emory University and Fellow and Founding Director of the Latin American Program and the Democracy Project at The Carter Center.