General Information
Biography
Brett J. Kyle is an Associate Professor of Political Science and a faculty member in the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) and Goldstein Center for Human Rights (GCHR) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He also currently serves as the Director of International Studies and Chair of the Graduate Program in Political Science. His teaching and research focuses on Latin American politics, democracy, legacies of authoritarianism, human rights, and civil-military relations.
Teaching Interests
Dr. Kyle teaches courses in Comparative Politics (PSCI 2500 Intro to Comparative Politics, PSCI 8500 Graduate Comparative Seminar), Latin America (LLS 1000 Intro to Latin America, PSCI/LLS 3680 & INST 4140 Government & Politics of Latin America, PSCI/LLS 4280 & INST 4140 International Relations of Latin America), human rights (PSCI 3240 & INST 4140 Politics and Practice of Human Rights), regime types (PSCI 4350 Democracy, PSCI 4360 Authoritarian Regimes), and military politics (PSCI 4370 Generals & Politicians: Civil-Military Relations).
Research Interests
Dr. Kyle's research focuses on democracy, authoritarianism, and civil-military relations. His most recent book, State Violence in Latin America: Inequality, the Rule of Law, and Public Order Violence (2026), with Tricia D. Olsen and Andrew G. Reiter, analyzes the resurgence of state violence in Latin America today. He is also the author of Military Courts, Civil-Military Relations, and the Legal Battle for Democracy: The Politics of Military Justice (2021, also with Reiter), which examines military justice systems in democracies around the world, and Recycling Dictators in Latin American Elections: Legacies of Military Rule (2016), which investigates members of former military regimes who ran for elected office after transitions to democracy in Latin America.
Service Summary
Dr. Kyle is a member of the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) and Goldstein Center for Human Rights (GCHR) faculty.