William I. Robinson is a professor of sociology, global and international studies, and Latin American and Iberian studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He is the author of Global Capitalism and the Crisis of Humanity (2014), Latin America and Global Capitalism (2008), and Promoting Polyarchy: Globalization, US Intervention and Hegemony (1996), among other award-winning books. He worked for a decade prior to entering academia as an investigative journalist in Central America and has lectured widely at universities around the world on the topics of the global economy, international politics, and contemporary world affairs. He is active in several social justice movements, including immigrant rights in the United States and justice for Palestine. He holds a PhD in sociology from the University of New Mexico.