Bio

Sean T. Byrnes is a writer, teacher, and historian. His work explores issues related to U.S. politics, international relations, and global economic inequality.

The author of The United States and the Ends of Empire: Decolonization, Hierarchy, and World Order since 1776 (Bloomsbury, 2026) and Disunited Nations: U.S. Foreign Policy, Anti-Americanism, and the Rise of the New Right (LSU, 2021), he is currently working on a third book, No Guarantee: The Family Assistance Plan and the Transformation of American Politics, 1968-1972. It tells the story of the “Family Assistance Plan,” a program for a minimum guaranteed income for all Americans that nearly passed Congress during the Nixon Administration. It is under contract with LSU Press.

His work has appeared in Time, The New Republic, Dissent, Jacobin, Diplomatic History, Diplomatica, International Journal, and for the History News Network. He hosts conversations with authors on the New Books Network, serves on the Board of Editors for Federal History, and is a Section Editor for the newly released Routledge Online Encyclopedia of the Cold War. Sean holds a Ph.D. in history from Emory University and lives in Middle Tennessee. Learn more about his recent work, and get in touch, below.