DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

Interests

Research Interest(s): International Security; International Law; American Foreign Policy

Program Area(s): International Relations

Biography

Daniel Krcmaric is Professor of Political Science and Law (by courtesy) at Northwestern University. His research addresses the intersection of international security, international law, and American foreign policy.

Krcmaric's first book, The Justice Dilemma: Leaders and Exile in an Era of Accountability (Cornell University Press, 2020), highlighted the promise and peril of prosecuting heads of state for atrocity crimes. His second book, Above the Law: The United States and the International Criminal Court (Cambridge University Press, 2026), examined how America's global military presence has shaped its turbulent relationship with the International Criminal Court.

His articles have been published in political science journals such as the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, Annual Review of Political Science, and Perspectives on Politics, as well as international relations journals such as International Security, International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Journal of Peace Research, Conflict Management & Peace Science, and Security Studies.

This research has won awards such as the American Political Science Association's Kenneth Waltz Prize and the Peace Science Society's Glenn Palmer Prize and received funding from the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation and the National Science Foundation.

Krcmaric's public commentary and research have been featured in news outlets such as the Washington Post, Guardian, Associated Press, Newsweek, Foreign Policy, Vox, Barron's, NPR, ABC, BBC, and CNBC.

His teaching has been recognized with some of Northwestern's highest honors: the Farrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Teaching Award.

Select Publications

• Above the Law: The United States and the International Criminal Court. 2026. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
• "When Do Leader Backgrounds Matter? Evidence from the President's Daily Brief." 2024. Conflict Management and Peace Science 41(4): 414-437 (with Michael Goldfien and Michael Joseph).
• "Billionaire Politicians: A Global Perspective." 2024. Perspectives on Politics 22(2): 357-371 (with Stephen Nelson and Andrew Roberts).
• "Does the International Criminal Court Target the American Military?" 2023. American Political Science Review 117(1): 325-331.
• "I'll Be Back? Exiled Leaders and Political Instability." 2023. Journal of Conflict Resolution 67(2-3): 402-427 (with Abel Escriba-Folch).
• "Nowhere to Hide? Global Policing and the Politics of Extradition." 2022. International Security 47(2): 7-47.
• The Justice Dilemma: Leaders and Exile in an Era of Accountability. 2020. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs).
• "Studying Leaders and Elites: The Personal Biography Approach." 2020. Annual Review of Political Science. 23: 133-151 (with Steve Nelson and Andrew Roberts).
• "Information, Secrecy, and Civilian Targeting." 2019. International Studies Quarterly 63 (2): 322-333.
• "Should I Stay or Should I Go? Leaders, Exile, and the Dilemmas of International Justice." 2018. American Journal of Political Science 62 (2): 486-498.
• "Varieties of Civil War and Mass Killing: Reassessing the Relationship between Guerrilla Warfare and Civilian Victimization." 2018. Journal of Peace Research 55 (1): 18-31.
• "Dictators in Exile: Explaining the Destinations of Ex-Rulers." 2017. Journal of Politics 79 (2): 560-575 (with Abel Escriba-Folch).
• "Who Democratizes? Western-Educated Leaders and Regime Transitions." 2017. Journal of Conflict Resolution 61 (3): 671-701 (with Thomas Gift).
• "Refugee Flows, Ethnic Power Relations, and the Spread of Conflict." 2014. Security Studies 23 (1): 182-216.