Follies, Failures and [#$@%]-Ups: Why is U.S. Foreign Policy So Dysfunctional?

Clark University

Stephen M. Walt

Harrington Public Affairs Lecture Series

Department of Political Science

Description

The lecture will examine how, when the Cold War ended, the United States was in a remarkable position of primacy and on good terms with most of the world’s major powers — yet its foreign policy record since then is mostly one of disappointments and sometimes costly failures. These difficulties are partly due to America’s structural position in the international system, but they also reflect a number of deeper problems in America’s entire foreign policy establishment.