Despite growing up in Portland, Oregon and never leaving the United States until after high school, Joey Leavitt has long held an interest in things international. He undertook a year-long field study in Syria as an undergraduate, studying Arabic and conducting research in the fields of geography and anthropology. After completing his BA in Middle East Studies/Arabic from Brigham Young University, Joey accepted a position as an analyst with the US government, spending two years in the Washington, DC area and another two years at the American embassy in Amman, Jordan as a multimedia specialist focusing on Arab satellite channels. Joey's interest in international law will take him this fall to Central European University in Budapest, Hungary, where he will spend a semester in the Legal Studies department focusing on comparative and human rights/humanitarian law. He has been married for nine years to a charming and intelligent freelance editor and has three impossibly wonderful children. He enjoys photography, running, music, and writing.