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Realism and Restraint America's New Foreign Policy

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Lecture
Stephen M. Walt, professor at Harvard University, joined the Council to discuss whether it’s time for the United States to develop a more restrained foreign policy outlook.
Speakers
Stephen M. Walt
Event Date

About this event

The United States has been the dominant global power for over a quarter of a century, yet it has struggled to realize its lofty vision for a more peaceful and prosperous world. Relations with China and Russia have soured, the European Union is wobbling, and violent extremism continues to spread, all in the face of US efforts to maintain international stability. The reason, Stephen Walt argues, lies in America’s sense of omnipotence, which has encouraged successive administrations to pursue ambitious, risky, and often unnecessary foreign policy adventures. Is it time for the United States to develop a more restrained foreign policy outlook? Or would this only invite greater instability? 

About the Speakers
Stephen M. Walt
Stephen M. Walt, Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International Affairs, Harvard University