Wednesday 30 March 2011 The University of Southern Denmark Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M Auditorium U45
International Politics for students by students
“In international politics, God helps those who help themselves.” – John J. Mearsheimer
Since the end of the Cold War several politicians and academics have proclaimed, that we are entering a new era in the conduct of international relations which emphasizes cooperation instead of violent conflict – indeed, we are witnessing the formation of an „international community‟. In this new era the old doctrines of resolving interstate conflict through the application of raw power are being replaced by peaceful conflict resolution through international cooperation and international institutions, such as the European Union, NATO and the United Nations. The old practices of realpolitik, so it is proclaimed, have been made irrelevant in this new globalised and legalistic world order. One staunch opponent of this vision is Professor John J. Mearsheimer from the University of Chicago. In his view, inter-state conflict is bound to remain an aspect of international relations. Therefore, the practices of realism will inevitably maintain a central position in the way states conduct international relations. At this year‟s annual IntRpol-conference, he will make his claim for the continued relevance of the doctrines of realism in the 21st century. At the conference Mearsheimer will be engaging in debates with renowned Professor Ole Wæver from the University of Copenhagen, Professor Sten Rynning from the University of Southern Denmark, Associate Professor Casper Sylvest, also from the University of Southern Denmark, and Senior Political Advisor Michael Rühle from NATO.
Conference Programme
09.30-09.45:
Welcome by Rasmus Jacobsen, Chairman of IntRpol
09.45-10.30:
Keynote by Professor John J. Mearsheimer University of Chicago
10.30-11.00:
Q&A
11.00-11.30:
Break with refreshments
11.30-13.00:
Panel discussion with Q&A: NATO’s Strategic Challenges in a Globalized World Professor John J. Mearsheimer University of Chicago Professor Sten Rynning University of Southern Denmark Head, Energy Security Section Michael Rühle Emerging Security Challenges Division, NATO Moderator: Clement B. Kjersgaard
13.00-14.00:
Lunch – sponsored by DJØF
14.00-15.30:
Symposium: The Future of Realism – theory and policy Professor John J. Mearsheimer University of Chicago Professor Ole Wæver University of Copenhagen Associate professor Casper Sylvest University of Southern Denmark Q&A Concluding remarks
15.30-15.45: 15.45-16.00:
IntRpol A short introduction
IntRpol (International Politics) is an association founded and formed by a group of students from the Department of Political Science and Public Management at the University of Southern Denmark, who share a common interest for international politics and international relations. The primary goal and objective of IntRpol, is to create and stimulate an awareness for, and of, international politics and relations, and to create an open forum for students to discuss these issues freely. IntRpol is aiming to achieve this primarily through a series of small public debates (approximately three on a yearly basis) on various current issues in international politics and one large annual conference with several prominent guest- and keynote speakers. It is important to note that IntRpol strives to be as non-partizan an organization as possible, and thus, as objective as possible, and that, as previously mentioned, it is made up exclusively by students and organized by a central steering committee. Furthermore, it is also important to emphasize that all the debates and events hosted and provided by IntRpol, are absolutely free to participate in, and that IntRpol hopes that these might be of aid to the students in their future studies. If you should have any questions about the above, about IntRpol or if you simply wish to know more, feel free to contact us at IntRpol@hotmail.dk
Speakers’ Bios Professor John J. Mearsheimer John J. Mearsheimer is R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science and the Co-director of the Program on International Security Policy at the University of Chicago. Best known for his book on offensive realism, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Norton 2001), more recently Mearsheimer has attracted attention for co-authoring and publishing the article The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy (with Stephen M. Walt), which was subsequently published as a book, becoming a New York Times Best Seller, and most recently he has published Why Leaders Lie: The Truth about Lying in International Politics (Oxford University Press 2011). His special research interests include U.S. policy towards the Middle East, the future of U.S.-China relations, and the decision-making process that led to the debacle in Iraq. He is currently member of the editorial board at several political science journals and has been a consultant at RAND Corporation and Co-chair (with John L. Gaddis) of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences' “Committee on History, the Social Sciences and International Security Affairs”. His articles have appeared in journals such as Foreign Affairs, European Political Science, International Relations, Security Studies, Foreign Policy, and Journal of Modern History, and he is a regular contributor to The New Republic and The Atlantic Monthly.
Professor Ole Wæver Ole Wæver is Professor of International Relations at the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen and director of CAST, Centre for Advanced Security Theory. His research interests include international relations and security theory, sociology of science, religion in international relations, and the role of national identity in foreign policy. Ole Wæver is the author of Regions and Powers: The Structure of International Security (Cambridge University Press 2003, with Barry Buzan); Security: A New Framework for Analysis (Lynne Rienner 1988, Chinese 2002, Czech 2006, 2nd edition 2009, with Barry Buzan and Jaap de Wilde) and Global Scholarship in International Relations: Worlding Beyond the West (Routledge 2009, with co-editor Arlene B. Tickner). His articles have appeared in journals such as Security Dialogue, Review of International Studies, International Relations, International Political Sociology, Scandinavian Journal of Social Theory, and Cooperation and Conflict.
Senior Political Advisor Michael Rühle Michael Rühle holds an M.A. degree in Political Science from the University of Bonn and is currently Head, Energy Security Section, in the Emerging Security Challenges Division in NATO‟s International Staff. Previously he was Head, Speechwriting, and Senior Political Advisor in the NATO Secretary General‟s Policy Planning Unit. Michael Rühle is a frequent briefer in NATO‟s extensive visitors programme and at the NATO Schools in Germany and Italy. He has also taught European security at the American
University in Brussels and is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) and the German Atlantic Treaty Association. Michael Rühle has published book chapters and articles on international security issues in, among others, American Foreign Policy Interests, Comparative Strategy, European Security, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Russia in Global Affairs, International Affairs (Chatham House), The International Herald Tribune, NATO Review, Parameters, Strategic Review, and The World Today. He has also co-authored a book on missile defense and his essay “Good and Bad Nuclear Weapons” was published in March 2009 in both German and English.
Professor Sten Rynning Sten Rynning is Professor of International Relations at the Department of Political Science at the University of Southern Denmark. He has been a Fulbright Scholar and NATO-EAPC Research Fellow and is currently a member of NATO‟s Human and Societal Dynamics research council as well as the advisory board of the Danish Center for Military Studies. His main research areas are security and strategic studies and NATO, the European Union, and transatlantic security relations. Sten Rynning is the author of NATO Renewed: The Power and Purpose of Transatlantic Cooperation (Palgrave 2005) and Changing Military Doctrine: Presidents and Military Power in Fifth Republic France, 1958-2000 (Praeger 2001) and editor of several books, including From the Hindu Kush to Lisbon: NATO, Afghanistan, and the Future of the Atlantic Alliance (UNISCI 2010, with co-editor Antonio Marquina). His articles have appeared in journals such as Security Studies, Security Dialogue, Journal of Strategic Studies, Journal of Common Market Studies, Politique étrangère, European Security, Defense and Security Analysis, Journal of International Politics, and European Foreign Affairs Review.
Associate professor Casper Sylvest Casper Sylvest is Associate professor of International Relations at the Department of Political Science at the University of Southern Denmark. His main research interest include International Relations theory, particularly liberalism and classical realism, the cultural history of nuclear weapons, and historical contextualism and anti-essentialist philosophy. Casper Sylvest is the author of the book British Liberal Internationalism, 1880-1930: Making Progress? (Manchester University Press 2009) and has contributed to several others including The Primacy of Foreign Policy in British History, 1660-2000 (Palgrave 2010, editors William Mulligan and Brendan Simms) and British International Thought form Hobbes to Namier (Palgrave 2009, editors Ian Hall and Lisa Hill). His articles have appeared in journals such as International Theory, International Relations, Review of International Studies, Modern Intellectual History, and International Studies Quarterly. Clement B. Kjersgaard Clement B. Kjersgaard has been a student at the United World College of Hong Kong and has studied philosophy, politics and economics at the University of Oxford. He has been the host of several television programmes about Danish, American, and International politics where he has interviewed many prominent politicians as well as academics including Professor Francis Fukuyama and Professor Joseph Stiglitz. Clement Kjersgaard is currently the host of the political television debate programme Debatten (DR2), editor of the Danish-language International political magazine RĂŚson, and a frequently used moderator and lecturer on Danish, American, and International politics.
IntRpol would like to thank the following sponsors, without whom this conference would not have been possible:
International Politics for students by students
Thank you for your participation! Pictures from the conference and an exclusive interview with professor John J. Mearsheimer will be uploaded at IntRpol.dk when the conference is over.