Erik Åsard is a professor emeritus of North American studies and a former director of the Swedish Institute for American Studies at the Department of English, Uppsala University. Before that he was a lecturer in the Department of Government. His main research interests are American politics, media and political communication, and transatlantic relations. Since 2000 he has published six books, three of which are edited or co-edited; and a number of articles. His two latest books are about the United States as a superpower and the life and career of Hillary Rodham Clinton. Dr. Åsard is a member of several professional organizations and was president of the Nordic Association for American Studies from 1992 to 1997 and of the American Studies Network in Europe until 2011. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Uppsala. He attended three Sessions, most recently as faculty member of SSASA 08, Continuity and Change in US Presidential Foreign Policy: Plans, Policies and Doctrines, in 2011.