LEXINGTON, Va. March 12, 2025 — Virginia Military Institute alumnus Peter W. Moore ’88, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Political Science at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, returned to his alma mater March 6 to share part of a manuscript he has been working on for several years titled, “Security Contra Development: U.S. Military Relations and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.”  

Moore, who double majored in history and German while a cadet at VMI, shared with his audience — mostly cadets majoring in international studies (IS) — that IS was only a concentration when he was a cadet. “The faculty that I had then were integral to my career, to helping me become interested in international politics. They kept me on the straight and narrow. I don’t think I would have graduated from VMI without that faculty support and to see the Department of International Studies and Political Science today, and to see the depth of the faculty, how varied it is, it’s really amazing. From my perspective, this VMI as an educational institution is far better than when I graduated from here, and it’s just a real honor to see how it’s developed. I’m very happy to share this research with you tonight,” he said. 

Moore discussed with his audience of the extraordinary level of Jordanian militarization since the 1980s and how it has shaped chronic economic crisis and social protest. Moore shared several ways in which the U.S. security relationship with Jordan has been integral to extending and deepening this security/development dilemma.  

Moore has conducted field research in Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen, and the Gulf States. His work has been published in multiple journals including the Middle East Report, The International Journal of Middle East Studies, The Middle East Journal, and Middle East Law and Governance. He is currently completing a book titled, “Jordan’s Long War: State Building and War Economies.” After graduating from VMI, he earned a master’s degree from the School of Government and Foreign Affairs at the University of Virginia. He spent several years working in the private sector in Washington, D.C., then moved to Montreal to earn a doctorate in political science at McGill University. Moore has held academic positions at Dartmouth College, Concordia University, University of Miami, and Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates. In academic year 2021-22, he was the Visiting Kuwait Chair at the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po.  

The event was sponsored by the Dean’s Academic Speakers Program and the Department of International Studies and Political Science. 

Marianne Hause
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE