English version below. 

Kom med til en spændende debat om international politik, når Professor John J. Mearsheimer gæster Københavns Universitet. Professor Ole Wæver er moderator. 

Professor John J. Mearsheimer er R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor at University of Chicago. Han er sandsynligvis den mest indflydelsesrige nulevende teoretiker indenfor ”interna­tio­nal politik”, og han er hovedarving til den ”realistiske” (eller “realpolitiske”) tradition. I hans præsentation vil Mearsheimer diskutere forholdet mellem teori og praksis inden for international politik. Hvorfor følger beslutningstagerne de teorier, de gør? Og hvad kan forskere og praktikere gøre for at skabe et forhold, hvor bedre teorier underbygger bedre politik? 

Forskningen i International Politik har siden anden verdenskrig været voldsomt domineret af teorier ”made in USA”. Policymakere i Washington lytter især til tænketankenes eksperter, men deres analyser er ofte ekkoer af de førende mere videnskabelige sikkerhedspolitiske tidsskrifter. Så hvad er forholdet mellem teori og policy i USA? De magtpolitiske ”realister” er blevet udråbt til at være ”dominerende” – og samtidig har de været de stærkeste kritikere af USAs vigtigste krige, tydeligst Irak-krigen. Realistisk teori er om muligt endnu mere dominerende hos de nye, opstigende magter – ikke mindst hos USAs primære rival Kina. Er det en amerikansk trojansk hest i Kina; eller endnu et eksempel på at Kina plukker de bedste ideer i Vesten og sætter dem i produktion mere effektivt end Vesten selv magter?

Arrangementet foregår på engelsk, og alle er velkomne. Tilmelding er ikke nødvendig, men vi anbefaler, at du ankommer i god tid. 

Arrangementet er organiseret i samarbejde med Centre for Resolution of International Conflicts (CRIC), Institut for Statskundskab, Københavns Universitet. 

English version: 

Join us for an interesting talk about the influence of American International Relations Theory at home and abroad when Professor John J. Mearsheimer visits the University of Copenhagen. The debate is moderated by Professor Ole Wæver. 

Professor John J. Mearsheimer is R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago. The talk will explain why international relations theory is essential for understanding the world around us and why policymakers, whether they admit it or not, use theories to formulate and execute policies. The talk will also examine which international relations theories hold the most sway in policymaking circles in the United States and elsewhere, and why they do so. Finally, the talk will assess the relationship between academia, think tanks, and the policy world.

Research in International Relations has been dominated by theories ”made in USA”. Policymakers in Washington listen mostly to experts in think tanks. However, their analyses often echo the dominant theories in academic security studies. What is then the relationship between theory and policy in the US? The so-called ‘realists’ (with Mearsheimer as superstar) are seen by critical scholars as the ‘dominant mainstream’. Simultaneously, however, these realists have been the most influential and consistent critics of most of the major US wars in recent decades, including the Iraq war. Realist theory is even more dominant in the new, rising powers – not least US’s primary rival China. Is this is an American Trojan horse inside China or one more example of China harvesting the best ideas of the West and putting these into production more efficiently that the West? 

The event is in English, and everyone is welcome. There is no need to register, but we recommend that you arrive well in advance. 

The talk is organized in collaboration with the Centre for Resolution of International Conflicts (CRIC), Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen.