Dr. José de Arimatéia da Cruz is a Professor of International Relations and Comparative Politics at Georgia Southern University, a Research Associate of the Brazil Research Unit at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA) in Washington, D.C., a visiting scholar at the Prague University of Economics and Business, Department of International and Diplomatic Studies and a visiting Professor at the University of South Bohemia, the Czech Republic, and former Research Professor at the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, Carlisle, PA. Dr. da Cruz is currently visiting professor at the Center for Strategic Leadership Homeland Defense and Security Studies.
Dr. da Cruz is the former President of the Savannah Council on World Affairs and is on the Board of Directors of the World Affairs Council of America. Dr. da Cruz is also a CISCO Certified CyberOps Officer, Certified INFOSEC Cybersecurity Administrator, Certified HIPAA Compliance Officer, a certified US Department of Homeland Security Military Resources in Emergency Management, Computer Security Incident Handler, and a Certified Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Cyber Intelligence.
Episode Transcript: Hispanic Heritage Month – Jose da Cruz
Stephanie Crider (Host)
(Prerecorded Hispanic Heritage Month intro) The US Army War College celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th to October 15th. This year, to observe the occasion, the US Army War College Press recorded a series of interviews showcasing war college leadership, faculty, staff, and students. Listen in to hear their insights, anecdotes, and more.
The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the podcast guests and are not necessarily those of the Department of the Army, the US Army War College, or any other agency of the US government.
This episode’s guest is Jose da Cruz, professor of international relations and comparative politics at Georgia Southern University and visiting professor at the Center for Strategic Leadership at the US Army War College. Dr. da Cruz holds a (bachelor of the arts or) BA in philosophy from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio; an (master of the arts or) MA in professional communications and leadership from Armstrong State University (now known as Georgia Southern University – Armstrong Campus) in Savannah, Georgia; an MA in political science/political philosophy from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio; an (master of science or) MS in criminal justice with an emphasis on cyber affairs and security from Armstrong State University; an (master of public health or) MPH in public health from Georgia Southern University; and a PhD in political science from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
Thank you for being a part of the war college press Hispanic Heritage Month podcast series.
(José de Arimatéia da Cruz)
Well, thank you so much for having me. It’s a pleasure to be here, and, uh, excited about making a contribution to an important month in our history.
Host
We’re glad to have you. So if we could just start with how does your heritage impact your work?
(da Cruz)
Well, I think I have a impact in every aspect of it because I have the possibility of looking from different angles. You know, I can put my Latin hat on, right? And I can see what’s gonna be the political, social, economic, national security implication from a Latin perspective. And then I can put my American hat and think about “OK. How does our action impact Latin American” or how it’s gonna be perceived by Latin American. So I’m always thinking about what I do or I don’t do in terms of that cultural sensitivity and recognizing that perhaps we may say something or do something that may be perceived or misinterpreted as offensive. So I’m always thinking about that. So it has a tremendous impact in everything that I do.
Host
Tell me about your biggest professional success to date.
(da Cruz)
Well, I’ve been a full professor for about 10 years now. I’ve been in teaching for over 30. So I think, for me, just being able to connect with students, being able to connect with others outside the academia. Like, you know, as I said, in 2013, I had the pleasure to be a visiting professor (Strategic Studies Institute or) SSI. Now I’m back again, but, this time, with the Center for Strategic Leadership. So for me, those are sort of the highlights of my academic profession and life because it allows me to be in the academia and deal with students who are not . . . you know, we’re not talking about strategic thinkers in terms of, “Ah, they’re gonna be decisionmakers in government.” Those are people that are sophomore. But, then, have the opportunity to come here and then deal with people who are in the trenches who are making those decisions. And I hope I make a little . . . even if a small contribution to how they can do things better; think differently; and kind of think about that, you know, kind of black swan—the unexpected event that could happen that’s unexpected. So when I look at my career, I think those are some of the highlights that I’m extremely proud of.
Host
Got it. Would you be able, or would you be willing, to share a pivotal moment in your life and how it changed your path?
(da Cruz)
Oh, absolutely. And this is something that I try to tell my students all the time. I won the lottery back in 1978. And that is, I met an American citizen who was in Brazil at the time. He was an executive for General Electric: Mr. Edwin Shrimpton, who has since passed. But when Mr. Shrimpton met me, he made a proposition that, at the age of 12 years old, you don’t think about the ramifications of it, and that was that he would support me and pay for my education. And remember, I grew up in one of the shantytowns, the favelas, in Rio (de Janeiro), so I don’t come from a privileged family.
So the opportunity for me to go to school was something that . . . I had to embrace it. So when that opportunity was given to me, uh, Mr. Shrimpton said that he would pay for my education, and then he would give me 25 dollars a month—which, back in 1978, at the exchange rate in Latin America—was a fortune, right?
Host
Yeah.
(da Cruz)
And I took that upon myself, not realizing how that pivotal decision that I made would change my life completely because I was able to pursue my education in one of the best schools in Brazil, which my parents would never been able to afford, and then I was blessed to come to the United States. I’m a US citizen by naturalization, which I’m extremely proud. So I went to . . . all my academic career, I went to school in the United States. That decision back in 1978, it completely changed my life. And to this day, and until the day I die, I cannot say how proud I am to be an American citizen and the opportunity this country has provided to me. I think this is something that, for me, it’s like that my moment in my life that completely changed.
Host
Wow. And you said you were just 12?
(da Cruz)
Actually, I was turning 12 years old. I was 11 actually. I was turning 12 in November 27th. Yeah.
Host
Wow. Did you understand what a generous offer that was?
(da Cruz)
No, I didn’t. No. Well . . .
Host
That’s a lot for an 11-year-old.
(da Cruz)
No, I did not.
Host
Uh huh.
(da Cruz)
I mean, I’m 12 years old, right? You don’t . . . you don’t think about that stuff. But my parents, despite of the fact that they don’t have an education, I think they understood what an opportunity this was—that here’s a chance for you to be something or become something. And I always like to emphasize to my students that an opportunity was given, and I had to embrace it. The outcome of it depended on me. I had all the resources, right? I went to the best schools. I was given the luxury to have money to buy my books and everything else in Brazil. So this is something that I emphasize to them—that I had no idea what I was doing, but I understood that education was the key to success for me. As a Brazilian coming from a very poor family. And therefore, I had to embrace it, not understanding whatsoever the implications of it or what would lead to.
Host
Right.
(da Cruz)
Yeah.
Host
Right. So tell me something that you’re working on right now that you’re really excited about.
(da Cruz)
Well, you know, I’m working on several projects right now. One of them I just finished. It’s under consideration for publication deal with, uh, cyber and security within contested deployment, looking at, you know, if war takes places someplace else and we’re to send our troops abroad, is the enemy gonna wait for us to get there, or are they gonna start . . .
Host
Start without us.
(da Cruz)
The counterattack right here in the homeland.
Host
Right.
(da Cruz)
So I just finished a paper on that, which, uh . . . which, like I said, it’s under review. I’m also working a new project right now looking at public health strategy because I think we’re still thinking about the pandemic less and less. And I think we have forgot the implications of it in terms, not only a public health crisis, an economic crisis, but, also, a national security crisis. So that’s what I’m working on right now, and I’m very . . . very excited about it.
Host
Sounds very interesting.
(da Cruz)
Yeah.
Host
So last question: Where can our listeners go to learn more about you or, maybe, potentially, read some of your work?
(da Cruz)
Well, they can go to georgiasouthern.edu. That’s my home institution. I’m here as an (Intergovernmental Personnel Act or) IPA.
Review the selected works of Da Cruz here.
Host
OK.
(da Cruz)
Uh, they can also just Google my name, José da Cruz. And I have my publications all available for public consumption to read: uh, the Small War Journals (Small Wars Journal), uh, the . . . uh, JAMS, which is Journal of Advanced Military Studies. I have to think about JAMS. J-A-M-S. So there are a lot of places. Google, I think, will be the best way to do it.
Host
Perfect. Thank you so much for doing this. What a treat to hear your story, and I really think this is gonna resonate with so many people.
(da Cruz)
Oh, my pleasure to be here, and I hope it does. And always a pleasure to talk about my . . . my story so that, perhaps, if you see this young lady or young man who thinks about “Well, I can’t do it.” Yes, you can. It takes dedication, hard work, but just do it.
Host
What a wonderful message. Thank you so much.
(da Cruz)
Thanks so much for having me.
Host
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The US Army War College celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th to October 15th. This year, to observe the occasion, the US Army War College Press recorded a series of interviews showcasing War College leadership, faculty, staff, and students. Listen in to hear their insights, anecdotes, and more. The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the podcast guests and are not necessarily those of the Department of the Army, US Army War College, or any other agency of the US Government.