Dr. McDonald is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science & International Affairs at the University of North Georgia. Prior to arriving at UNG, he completed his Ph.D. at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University after spending 24 years as an officer in the US Marine Corps. In addition to tours as an armor officer in the 2nd and 1st Tank Battalions, he was trained as a China Foreign Area Officer and learned Mandarin Chinese. This specialty led to diplomatic tours at the US Embassy in Canberra, Australia and the American Institute in Taiwan in Taipei, Taiwan. Combined with additional tours at the operational and strategic level, these experiences led Dr. McDonald to focus on why foreign policy decision-makers come to the conclusions they do. His research focuses on producing scholarship relevant to both academics and policy makers that will increase our understanding of the intentions and decisions of adversaries and partners alike.
