Dr. Steven A. Leibo, the Sherman David Spector Professor in the Humanities at the Sage Colleges in New York, specializes in Modern International History & Politics. He teaches courses on a range of topics from Modern China, the Modern Middle East, and Modern World History to classes on Globalization and Climate Change. Dr. Leibo has also taught at the State University of New York at Albany since 1986. A former Fulbright scholar, Prof. Leibo specializes in the relationship between Asia and the West. Leibo has extensive experience leading study tours through Vietnam. Leibo is also a documentary filmmaker. His most recent film is From Albany to Saigon: Vietnam & the Capital Region.
Among scholars of Asia, Leibo is best known for his role with the international discussion group H-ASIA. In 1994 he and Frank Conlon created the list for the emerging H-NET organization. For the following ten years, until 2004 Leibo usually served as the list’s lead editor. He remains a member but is no longer involved in the day to day editing activities.
Leibo is probably best known to upstate New York residents for his work as a frequent international political analyst for regional television, radio, and newspapers. During the Persian Gulf War of 1990-91 he served as the international political analyst for WTEN TV. Since 1997 Dr. Leibo has served as an international affairs commentator for WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
More recently Leibo was among those personally trained by Al Gore and The Climate Realty Project to give updated versions of the slide show featured in the Academy Award-winning film An Inconvenient Truth. He currently serves as a Climate “Mentor” for the organization and has given over a hundred and fifty talks on global warming in the upstate New York region. He also serves as an international adviser for Brill Publication’s up-coming series on Chinese research on climate change. In November 0f 2012 Dr. Leibo appeared as a guest on Al Gore’s 24 Hours of Climate Reality: The Dirty Weather Report global webcast which attracted over 16 million viewers. He was recently elected to membership on the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.
Earlier in life Leibo held a a great many jobs from shoe salesman and gas station attendant to Fuller Brush man and even spent almost two years at Stanford University interviewing people about their sex lives during the mid 1970s. In short, he brings to all his work, from teaching and writing to commentary, a very broad and diverse range of experiences to draw upon.
Professor Leibo is the author/and or editor of many academic and popular works, among them:
Adviser with Li Yang of the English language translation of Tsinghua University’s Annual Review of Low Carbon Development in China (2011-2012) in press Brill Publications
“Asia & the Climate Crisis” Education about Asia Winter 2010/11 issue vol. 15, number 3)
“Can Historians Be Helpful in Addressing the Climate Crisis”
History News Network September 2008
East, And Southeast Asia 1997 to 2012 an annual from Stryker-Post (2013 edition available in August) Rowman & Littlefield
Transferring Technology to China: Prosper Giquel and the Self-Strengthening Movement. Berkeley, 1985
Journal of the Chinese Civil War by Prosper Giquel 1864. Hawaii, 1985
Tienkuo: The Heavenly Kingdom (published under the name Li Bo) this is a historical novel set in nineteen China and is now available as an e-book through Amazon for their Kindle or I Pods and the IPad)
Leibo is currently writing a sequel to his historical novel Tienkuo, to be called Beyond the Heavenly Kingdom
The commentaries on this site are slightly modified versions of the scripts I read on radio.
Individuals interested in inviting me to speak to your organization should contact me directly at leibos@sage.edu
When will Steven Leibo’s commentary on Midday Magazine TODAY -MARCH 10 – be available online? It was very fine!
it is now up.. thank you for your interest!
Hi, Steve,
I heard part of your commentary about the recent events we have all read and seen, relating them to our collective addiction to coal, oil and nuclear power. I very much liked what I heard. I think it was on about Mar. 24. When it is posted I would like to see it and share it with others. Thank you!
My question to all of us is what will it take to wake us up?
Stephen
thanks for writing. I am now up to date with uploading commentaries. Appreciate your interest in my work.
Steven Leibo
I commented on some recent posts. As I have told you before, I am ready to help attack climate change where I can. It needs to be the right plan of attack though.
great to hear from you Bob! Do send me a private note and catch me up on how you are doing.” About dealing with the climate crisis, frankly I think the world is doing a great job. Across the planet enormous projects are going on to switch to green energy. The only problem is that we are not going fast enough to deal with the challenge!
Dr. Leibo
Stephen: Enjoyed your talk today at JCA (Humanist Society). What are your thoughts about why foreign policy is so seldom on the front burner in our domestic politics? Are we entering another period of isolationism? And how can you relate all you said today (Sunday the 11th) to Campaign 2012? Hard to avoid some reference, however fleeting, to domestic politics, isn’t it? And when are you coming back to HILL and/or OASIS? Next year?
Good questions, for years America was so powerful that Americans thought they could ignore the rest of the world unless there was a major threat. It was not true but that was the impression. Today, I don’t see a difference between domestic and foreign policy though few people appreciate that they have largely blended.
Thanks for your kind words.
Steven Leibo
Hi Dr/ Steven
it was a great time had with you and wonderful talk so want to thank you a lot w insha allh we will meet again……
look after your self
Ibrahim
Hello! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the good info you’ve gotten right here on this post. I will be coming again to your blog for extra soon.