Wayne H. Bowen

Wayne H. Bowen is a Professor of History and Associate Vice Provost at the University of Central Florida. As a historian of modern Spain, Bowen is the author of eleven books and more than twenty articles and book chapters on European and Middle Eastern history. His most recent books are "Working for Nazi Germany: Salvador Merino and Spanish Labor in the Third Reich," Routledge (2026) and "The History of Saudi Arabia," 3rd Edition, Bloomsbury (2025). His books on Spanish history include "Spain and the Protestant Reformation: The Spanish Inquisition and the War for Europe,“ Routledge (2023), as well as "Truman, Franco’s Spain, and the Cold War,” (2017), “Spain during World War II” (2006), “Spaniards and Nazi Germany: Collaboration in the New Order” (2000) and “Spain and the American Civil War” (2011), all from the University of Missouri Press. Bowen is also the author of books on the history of the Middle East, including "Undoing Saddam: From Occupation to Reconstruction in Northern Iraq," Potomac/University of Nebraska (2008), and two previous editions of "The History of Saudi Arabia," by Bloomsbury/Greenwood/ABC-Clio (2008 and 2014). He is currently researching relations between the Spanish and Ottoman Empires from the 15th to the 20th centuries. Bowen received his BA in History from the University of Southern California, his MA and PhD in History from Northwestern University, and his Masters in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College. He retired as Colonel from the Army Reserve in 2020 after thirty years of service, including tours in Bosnia (1998) and Iraq (2004), two battalion commands, company command, and time as a Civil Affairs Team Chief. His awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star (Service), the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Combat Action Badge.