kislenko.com

Bio

January5

Arne Kislenko is a professor in the Department of History at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) and an instructor in the Margaret MacMillan Trinity One International Relations Programme at Trinity College, University of Toronto. His teaching focus is on 19th and 20th century international relations, and includes courses on the two world wars, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the history of espionage, the history of terrorism, comparative foreign policy, justice and conflict, culture and identities, and modern Southeast Asia.

He has won numerous awards for his teaching, including the 3M National Teaching Fellowship (2011), Ryerson University’s first President’s Award for Teaching Excellence (2007), the inaugural Province of Ontario Leadership in Faculty Teaching (LIFT) Award (2007), and being named as an Honourary Member of the Golden Key Society (2006). In Fall 2005 he was named Ontario’s “Best Lecturer” by TV Ontario following its first “Academic Idol” contest. In the summers of 2011 and 2008 he was a Visiting Professor at the Freie Universität Berlin International Summer programme (FUBIS). In 2006 he served as a Visiting Professor at the John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies at the Freie Universität Berlin.

Arne’s research interests include United States diplomatic history, 20th century international relations, modern Southeast Asia, contemporary intelligence/national security issues, and the history of terrorism. His books include Culture and Customs of Laos (2009), Culture and Customs of Thailand (2004), The Uneasy Century: International Relations, 1900-1990 (with Dr. Margaret MacMillan, 1996). He has helped edit several books and published numerous book chapters and articles on a wide range of topics in modern international relations history, contemporary intelligence/international security studies, and Southeast Asia. He also currently serves as the book review editor for the prestigious journal Intelligence and National Security.

Arne is the founder and faculty advisor of the International Issues Discussion (IID) (www.iid.kislenko.com) lecture series at TMU. He is also the founder of and faculty advisor to the Alternative Spring Break (ASB) international development experiential learning programme at TMU (Alternative Spring Break at Toronto MetU (asbtmu.ca). Arne founded and endowed the Dale W. Nelson Memorial Award, which helps fund history students on international academic exchange (Awards – Department of History – Toronto Metropolitan University (torontomu.ca))

Arne graduated with an Honours B.A. in History and Politics and an M.A. in History, both from the University of Western Ontario. Arne completed his Ph.D. in History at the University of Toronto while teaching at Ryerson and U of T and working with Canada Immigration at Lester B. Pearson Airport. He served there for 12 years as a Senior Officer, dealing with many high profile and national security cases.

He appears regularly in the media commenting on current affairs, including U.S. foreign policy, Russia, national security, terrorism, immigration, and modern diplomatic history. He has worked as a consultant on national security matters for the federal government, including the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. He has also advised on and appeared in numerous TV documentaries, and is the host of the National Geographic television series Living in the Time of Jesus (2010-11). Living in the Time of Jesus He was also an historical advisor and on-air expert for several TV programmes including History’s Greatest Mysteries (2022), Forgotten Heroes (2022), Secret Nazi Expeditions (2021), History by the Numbers (2021), Secret Nazi Bases (2020), Phantom Signals (2020), Spies of War (2019), Operation Foxley (2017), and The Secret Life of Mata Hari (2014). He is currently working on two new TV series.