George A. Lopez was installed as Notre Dame’s first Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., Professor of Peace Studies on April 1.
A member of the Notre Dame faculty since 1986, Lopez is a leading scholar of repression and human rights violations, ethics and the use of force, and economic sanctions. He is a founding faculty member of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
Lopez serves as an advisor to the U.N. Security Council, the European Union, and governments, foundations and organizations involved in human rights, international affairs and peace research. He has written extensively on repression and state terror. Since 1992, he and Kroc research fellow David Cortright have published five books and more than 25 articles and book chapters on economic sanctions.
In 2002, Lopez and Cortright became particularly influential among those seeking an alternative to war with Iraq. Their research disputing the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was published before the war in “Arms Control Today” and later in “Foreign Affairs.” Their most recent book, “Uniting Against Terror” concerns the application of sanctions to counter-terrorism.
A popular speaker, teacher and media commentator, Lopez has twice received Notre Dame’s Kaneb Teaching Award. He also is the 2008 recipient of the Frank O’Malley award, given annually by the student government to an outstanding member of the Notre Dame faculty.
The Hesburgh Chair was established by the Kroc Institute to honor Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., president emeritus of Notre Dame, for his lifetime commitment to peace and justice.
Contact: George Lopez, 574-631-6972, glopez@nd.edu
Originally published by at newsinfo.nd.edu on April 07, 2008.