Kenneth R. Rutherford (born August 25, 1962) is co-founder of the Landmine Survivors Network and a researcher in the field of political science.

International work

While studying political science at the University of Colorado in the mid-1980s, Rutherford decided to work in

international development International development or global development is a broad concept denoting the idea that societies and countries have differing levels of economic or human development on an international scale. It is the basis for international classifications ...

. Since graduating in 1985, he has worked for international aid agencies in

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

, Kenya,

Mauritania Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania ( ar, الجمهورية الإسلامية ...

, Senegal and Somalia, and was a

Fulbright Scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

in Jordan. Rutherford began his international career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mauritania (1987–1989). During this period he was contracted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to assist in

refugee camp A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for internally displaced peo ...

s on the border between Mauritania and Senegal. He returned to the US to earn his MBA at the University of Colorado, then in 1993 went to work for the

International Rescue Committee The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. Founded in 1933 as the International Relief Association, at the request of Albert Einstein, and changing its name in 19 ...

in Kenya and Somalia, where he was injured by a landmine. Together with Jerry White he co-founded Landmine Survivors Network in 1995 which later became

Survivor Corps Survivor Corps, formerly known as the Landmine Survivors Network, was a global network of survivors helping survivors to recover from war, rebuild their communities, and break cycles of violence. The organization currently operated programs in Alb ...

. He and White accompanied

Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

on her last humanitarian mission to visit landmine survivors in

Bosnia-Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and Pars pro toto#Geography, often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of Southern Europe, south and southeast Euro ...

in August 1997, only three weeks before her death. Rutherford was a prominent leader in the International Campaign to Ban Landmines which won the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize. In 2000, he earned his doctorate in Political Science from Georgetown University. He was Associate Professor of Political Science at

Missouri State University Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second largest university by enr ...

from 2002 until 2010. In 2005, Rutherford went to Jordan on a

Fulbright Fellowship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

where he taught international politics at the University of Jordan in

Amman Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 a ...

. In 2008 Rutherford played a key role in the drafting of the

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international human rights treaty of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. Parties to the convention are required to promote, ...

and the Convention on Cluster Munitions. He was a board member of Survivor Corps until it closed in September 2010. In February 2010, Rutherford became Director of the

Center for International Stabilization and Recovery The Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR), formerly the Mine Action Information Center (MAIC), is a public policy center at James Madison University that manages information, conducts training, holds conferences and workshops, ...

(CISR), which includes the

Mine Action Information Center The Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR), formerly the Mine Action Information Center (MAIC), is a public policy center at James Madison University that manages information, conducts training, holds conferences and workshops, ...

, at James Madison University. In his capacity as CISR Director, he oversees and participates in post-conflict missions and projects in numerous countries worldwide, including

Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...

, Iraq, Tajikistan and Vietnam. He currently serves on the

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

o
Legacies of WarFriendship Industries
the Shenandoah Valley Civil War Roundtable and th
Shenandoah Valley Battlefield Foundation.

Landmine accident

On December 16, 1993, while working for the

in Somalia, Rutherford's vehicle struck a landmine, injuring him severely. After a

medical evacuation Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to wounded being evacuated from a battlefield, to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of a ...

during which he nearly bled to death, one leg was amputated to save his life and the second one amputated several years later. He has since spoken to the United States Congress against landmines. "It was an experience that fundamentally altered my life for the good," Rutherford said. "It crystallized my vision of what I believe I was put on this Earth to do."

Publications

Articles

Ken Rutherford has published more than 40 articles in numerous academic and policy journals, including the ''Journal of International Law and Policy'', '' World Politics,'' ''Journal of International Politics,'' ''International Journal of World Peace,'' '' Alternatives,'' ''Non-Proliferation Review,'' '' Harvard International Review'',
The Journal of ERW and Mine Action
'' ''Journal of Transnational Associations,'' ''Pain Medicine,'' ''International Journal on Grey Literature,'' and ''

Security Dialogue ''Security Dialogue'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes scholarly articles which combine contemporary theoretical analysis with challenges to public policy across a wide-ranging field of security studies. The journal is owned by t ...

''. He has contributed book reviews to ''Armed Forces and Society,'' and ''National Security Studies Journal.''

Books

Rutherford is the author o
''Humanitarianism Under Fire: The US and UN Intervention in Somalia,'' (2008)
an
''Disarming States: The International Movement to Ban Landmines'' (2011)
He has co-edited two books
''Reframing the Agenda: The Impact of NGO and Middle Power Cooperation in International Security Policy'' (2003)
an
''Landmines and Human Security: International Politics and War's Hidden Legacy'' (2004)

Book chapters and contributions

Rutherford has contributed chapters to ''Negotiating Sovereignty and Human Rights,'' ''Global Society in Transition: An International Politics Reader,'' ''Civil Society in the Information Age,'
''The Landmine Action Smart Book''
''Primary Care of Landmine Injuries in Africa: A Basic Text for Health Workers,'
''Landmine Monitor Report 2000,''
an
''To Walk Without Fear: The Global Movement to Ban Landmines''
Rutherford also contributed to the chapter on Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 1998 ''Report for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict Office.''

Awards, honors and public appearances

The organization he was associated with, International Campaign to Ban Landmines, shared the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize. Rutherford was co-recipient of the 199
Leadership in International Rehabilitation Award
presented by th
Center for International Rehabilitation
and has been inducted into th
University of Colorado Heritage Center

"Hall of Excellence,"
a permanent exhibit at the University of Colorado. He has received th
Marshall Legacy Institute
s 2005 Survivors' Assistance Award, the 2002 United Airlinesbr>Everyday Hero Award
and the 2002 Adopt-A-Minefield Humanitarian Award, presented by Paul McCartney and Lady

Heather Mills Heather Anne Mills (born 12 January 1968) is an English former model, businesswoman and activist. Mills first came to public attention in 1993 when she was a model and was involved in a traffic collision with a police motorcycle in London. T ...

. Rutherford is also the 2013–2014 recipient of the Human Security Award from th
Center for Unconventional Security Affairs (CUSA)
at the

University of California-Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 und ...

. As an advocate for people with disabilities affected by landmines, he has presented in more than 30 countries, testifying before U.S. Congress and the

U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizin ...

( New York City and Geneva). He has also appeared on '' Dateline,

Nightline ''Nightline'' (or ''ABC News Nightline'') is ABC News' late-night television news program broadcast on ABC in the United States with a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. Created by Roone Arledge, the progra ...

,'' '' The View'' and National Public Radio's '' Morning Edition'' and '' All Things Considered''. His personal story of recovering from his accident to pursue his dreams of marrying his fiancée, having children and becoming a professor has been profiled by '' The Oprah Winfrey Show'', '' Reader's Digest'' and the BBC. In June 2013, he was included among the "one hundred most influential people in armed violence reduction" by the London-based organizatio
Action on Armed Violence
"Top 100: The most influential people in armed violence reduction."
/ref>

References

External links

Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at James Madison University

Ken Rutherford, "Landmines: A Survivor’s Tale"
-

Journal of Mine Action The Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR), formerly the Mine Action Information Center (MAIC), is a public policy center at James Madison University that manages information, conducts training, holds conferences and workshops, ...

Landmine Survivor Leads JMU Center for International Stabilization

A CU EMBA Alum And His Worldwide Crusade

Ken Rutherford took part in a panel discussion sponsored by the Georgetown School of Continuing Studies and co-sponsored by the United States Campaign to Ban Landmines, Georgetown University Department of Government, Lecture Fund of Georgetown University, Georgetown University Mortara Center for International Studies and the Georgetown Public Policy Institute on March 3, 2011.
"Victim Assistance Intervention: Survivor Voice and Victim Assistance in the Convention on Cluster Munitions," by Ken Rutherford, presented at the South East Asia Regional Conference on the Convention on Cluster Munitions, October 20, 2008, Xiengkhuang, Lao PDR.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rutherford, Ken 1962 births American amputees American anti-war activists American human rights activists American humanitarians American political scientists Landmine victims Living people Mine action Georgetown University alumni Peace Corps volunteers University of Colorado alumni University of Jordan faculty James Madison University people