Sean Richmond

Background

Sean Richmond is a Canadian lawyer and academic who researches, teaches and advises in the areas of international law and international relations. He joined the Department of Law and Legal Studies at Carleton University in July 2018, where he teaches Public International Law; the Criminal Justice System; and Law, State and Citizen. Prior to this position, Sean was the Special Advisor to Canada’s Legal Adviser at the Department of Foreign Affairs, and a Legal Officer in the United Nations, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Section. He also taught at Carleton’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.

Sean was an Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track) in the Law Faculty at the University of Western Australia from 2014 to 2016, and a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto in 2013. He completed his DPhil at Oxford University under a Commonwealth Scholarship and a Fellowship from Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Sean also holds a JD from the University of Ottawa, an MA from the University of British Columbia, and a BA (Hon.) from Queen’s University. In addition to academic achievement, he has worked in the Policy Section of Legal Aid Ontario, and articled with a leading Canadian labour law firm. Sean was admitted to the Law Society of Ontario as a Barrister and Solicitor in 2009.

Research Interests

Drawing on a range of sociological and legal theory, Sean’s research examines the relationship between international law and international politics, with a focus on the use of military force, international criminal law, and Canadian foreign policy.  Sean is building his national and international reputation in these areas, and seeks to increase the understanding of these subjects to advance both scholarly debate and public dialogue.  He has published his research in leading peer-reviewed journals and academic presses, including most recently a monograph with the University of Toronto Press.

Sean is currently working on four collaborative international research projects. The first study examines the untold story of law in Canada’s puzzling response to the Vietnam War.  The second initiative compares Australia and Canada’s policy and conduct regarding the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts.  The third project analyzes whether the recent negotiations on the crime of aggression indicate that authority for international peace is shifting from states and the UN Security Council to the International Criminal Court.  And the fourth study examines the politics of international criminal law more broadly.

Sean welcomes supervision inquiries from potential graduate students that relate to the above projects, or his research interests more generally.

In addition to advancing scholarly knowledge, Sean has also employed his research in op-ed articles he has published in Canada and Australia; and in live national television interviews and public presentations he has been invited to give. By disseminating his work widely in these ways, Sean seeks to help inform public debate of important policy issues, and improve external scrutiny of internal state decision-making.

Sean is available for media interviews and policy commentary related to his areas of expertise, and encourages interested journalists to contact him directly.