Retired MSUM professor Anoush Khoshkish passes away

Anoush Khoshkish, a retired MSUM professor, passed away on the morning of May 28, 2017, at home in New York City. He leaves behind his wife, constant companion and best friend of 36 years, Irene R. Miller. 

Anoush grew up in Paris, studied in Geneva, worked in Geneva and later Paris and settled in the United States in 1966. 

Anoush lived life wisely, richly, intensely and passionately. Above all, he was a man dedicated to learning, teaching and writing. He often said that his only regret in life was that he had not read enough. He leaves a vast library, collected from all corners of the earth. In his career he was a scholar, a diplomat, a professor, negotiator, consultant and entrepreneur. But he was also an accomplished painter, farmer, sailor and pilot. He was an avid sportsman – a competitive skier in his early days, a life-long swimmer and a sensitive horseman. He loved to dance, adored music, and was a great teller of jokes. He had a keen eye for interior design and architecture and he had impeccable taste. A true Renaissance man. A man of dignity, erudition, cultivation and sophistication.

He changed people’s lives with his forthright analysis and advice. He could be fierce and direct when he saw a path of folly. He was unswervingly disciplined, meticulous and rational.  At the same time, he was entirely selfless, and not the least bit self-promotional. Opportunity found him because of his intellect and wisdom.

Most recently Anoush was chairman of Akim Inc., an investment management corporation, and President of the Miller Khoshkish Foundation. Some of his other positions included, in reverse chronology: Fellow of the Centre for International Studies, London School of Economics; Visiting Academic at the International Relations Department, London School of Economics; Lecturer and Member of the Board of Directors, World Affairs Center, University of Minnesota; Chief Negotiator for the faculty of the Minnesota State University System; Professor of International Law and Political Economy and Chair of the Department of Political Science at Minnesota State University, Moorhead; Head of Research Program on International Relations and Exchanges at Unesco, Paris, France; Deputy Coordinator of Unesco’s East-West Major Project, Paris; Education Director of the World Federation of United Nations Associations, Geneva, Switzerland; and Secretary General of the International Students’ Movement for the United Nations, Geneva. 

Over the years, Anoush served as advisor to public institutions and private corporations on international legal and economic matters.  

He received his Ph.D. in 1954 in International Law from the Graduate Institute of International Studies, University of Geneva, Switzerland. He has written and edited a number of books, articles and monographs, some of which are accessible on the following sites:

Over the last twenty years, Anoush has been working on a book, entitled Caco Ergo Sum (I shit therefore I am) that reflects his entire philosophy of existence. It focuses on universal consciousness where quanta serves as a link between universal nothingness and human reality. The first two chapters can be found at http://www.complexapproach.com/caco/cacoindex.html.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland.

By check to: Friends of the Graduate Institute Foundation
c/o Allen C. Lynch
Co-Treasurer
Friends of the Graduate Institute, Geneva, Inc.
120 Vincennes Rd.
Charlottesville, VA 22911