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Dr. Scott Fitzsimmons, Associate Professor of International Affairs in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the ������, attended the International Studies Association (ISA) Annual Convention in Chicago, USA, from March 2 to 5, 2025. The ISA is one of the leading global platforms for scholars in international relations, and Dr. Fitzsimmons’s participation highlights UL’s growing engagement in international academic dialogue. 

At the convention, Dr. Fitzsimmons presented two significant and timely research papers that generated strong interest among fellow scholars: “Chronic Misperceptions and Presidential Leadership: A Personality-Based Analysis of Donald Trump,” which explores how aspects of Donald Trump’s personality contributed to chronic misperceptions during his presidency. Dr. Fitzsimmons argues that Trump’s high belief in his ability to control events, low task orientation, and high distrust of others impaired his capacity to process complex political and strategic information. As a result, Trump routinely misjudged both foreign leaders’ intentions and broader global dynamics. The study adds an important psychological dimension to the growing body of literature on political leadership and decision-making. 

“Navigating Moral Frontiers: An Empirical Application of Just War Theory to Private Security Operations,” which applies the jus ad bellum principles of just war theory to the operations of nine private security firms in Afghanistan between 2003 and 2009. This study assesses these operations against six ethical criteria: legitimate authority, just cause, right intention, proportionality, likelihood of success, and last resort. Contrary to common criticism of private military actors, it finds that most operations adhered to these ethical standards. This challenges the narrative that equates private security firms with mercenary groups and emphasizes the value of evidence-based approaches to evaluating modern warfare ethics. Dr. Fitzsimmons’s work continues to contribute meaningfully to key debates in international affairs, ethics, and security studies.