Tom Farer is a University Professor at the University of Denver, a role he assumed after serving for fourteen years (1996–2010) as Dean of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies. He previously served as President of the University of New Mexico, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA). He has been a fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Carnegie Endowment, and the Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington, D.C. Farer has worked in the Department of State as a special assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Inter-American Affairs and in the Department of Defense as a special assistant to the General Counsel. He has also consulted for Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other human rights organisations. At the United Nations, he served as legal adviser to the UN operation in Somalia (1993), where, decades earlier, he had worked as a law and karate instructor for the National Police force.
Tom Farer recalls his time in Mogadishu as a legal assistant and his friendship with Mohamed Abshir, who served as the commander of the Somali police before being ousted in the 1969 coup. In early September 1963, I found myself stepping off a plane onto the ho
Tom Farer recalls his time in Mogadishu as a legal assistant and his friendship with Mohamed Abshir, who served as the commander of the Somali police before being ousted in the 1969 coup. In early September 1963, I found myself stepping off a plane onto the ho