Alan C. Tidwell is the Director of the Center for Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Studies at the Georgetown University. Tidwell holds a Ph.D. in international relations from the University of Kent at Canterbury, England, a master of professional ethics from the University of New South Wales, and an M.S. in conflict resolution from George Mason University. From 2001 through 2004 he was a program officer with the United States Institute of Peace, where he focused on conflict resolution and education. His area of specialization includes work on conflict in the Australasian region.