Tom Lansford is a professor of political science at the University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Coast, and served as academic dean from 2009 to 2014. His research interests include foreign and security policy and the U.S. presidency. Dr. Lansford is the author or editor or coeditor of more than 50 books and the author of more than 100 essays, book chapters, encyclopedic entries, and reviews. His notable books include A Bitter Harvest: U.S. Foreign Policy and Afghanistan (2003), Historical Dictionary of U.S. Diplomacy since the Cold War (2007), and 9/11 and the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq: A Chronology and Reference Guide (2011). His edited collections include Americas War on Terror (2003; second edition 2009), Judging Bush (2009), The Obama Presidency: A Preliminary Assessment (2012), A Transformation in American National Politics: The 2012 Presidential Election (2016), Leadership and Legacy: The Presidency of Barack Obama (2021). Dr. Lansford has served as the co-editor of the journal White House Studies since 2010 and the editor of Political Handbook of the World since 2012.