Omar E. Hawthorne is a senior lecturer of international relations and senior research fellow for the Center of Leadership and Governance at The University of the West Indies, Mona (UWI) She earned her PhD in international studies from Old Dominion University, Virginia where she was a Fulbright Scholar. She also holds an MSc in government, with a specialisation in international relations and a Bachelor of Arts in history and international relations from The UWI. Her research areas include governance, corruption, global security, foreign policy and civil society.