Lawrence Katzenstein

I'm a poltiical scientitst who has previously worked at the New York City Human Rights Commission and taught international relations, comparative politics, and conflict resolution at major universities. I've spent the last five years explaining the prespectives of local populations to our military leaders in order to faciliate better understanding and reduce unneeded violence. I'm currently shifting to include political risk and political instability consulting so that business investors, NGOs, and governmental agencies can better anticipate and prepare for sudden political and social shocks in other countries.

I've also liked to explore various methods for understandng politcal and social life. This includes both quantitative and qualitative methods. I agree with those who see mathamatics as a different language that provides insights natural language can't, but also see the understanding cultural systems of meaning as a key to motivation. Being an exchange professor in China and an embedded social scientist in Iraq allowed me to experience the importance of cultural frames in understanding behavior.

I enjoy tinkering with computers and technology and have often helped friends with computer problems avoid the high costs of repair. In addition I really enjoy sailing and biking. Sailing has often offered relaxation after a tense time at work. Biking is fun because I'm fast! I did a half Ironman when I lived in New Orleans and may start racing again now that I live in a warmer climate.