Stephen M. Walt
Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs; Faculty Chair, International Security Program
Member of the Board, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Contact:
Telephone: (617) 495-5712
Fax: (617)-495-8963
Email: stephen_walt@harvard.edu
September 11, 2003
"Bush Needs a Mideast Exit Plan"
Op-Ed, Financial Times
By Stephen M. Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs; Faculty Chair, International Security Program
"Democracy may be a powerful trend in many parts of the world, but nationalism and the desire for self-determination are even stronger. The urge to throw off foreign domination eventually destroyed the Soviet, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, British and French empires, and it continues to inspire resistance movements around the world. Occupations and post-war reconstructions are always difficult and rarely successful, and the US should be under no illusions about the size of the hole into which it has dug itself."
February 2, 2003
"Keeping Saddam in a Box"
Op-Ed, New York Times
By John J. Mearsheimer, Editorial Board Member, Quarterly Journal: International Security and Stephen M. Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs; Faculty Chair, International Security Program
"...Iraq has never gone to war in the face of a clear deterrent threat."
November 12, 2002
"Can Saddam Be Contained? History Says Yes"
Paper
By John J. Mearsheimer, Editorial Board Member, Quarterly Journal: International Security and Stephen M. Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs; Faculty Chair, International Security Program
"A successful war might trigger a wave of democratic reforms in the Arab world, but a bitter anti-American backlash is more likely."
2002
"Keeping the World "Off-Balance": Self-Restraint and U.S. Foreign Policy"
Book Chapter
By Stephen M. Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs; Faculty Chair, International Security Program
"...the United States still has an interest in retaining the good wishes of most other countries, if only because its ability to accomplish positive ends will decline if other states are resentful or fearful...."
Spring 2002
"American Primacy: Its Prospects and Pitfalls"
Journal Article, Naval War College Review, issue 2, volume LV
By Stephen M. Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs; Faculty Chair, International Security Program
"The end of the Cold War left the United States in a position of power unseen since the Roman Empire. The U.S. economy produces about 25 percent of the world's goods and services; it is more than twice as big as that of Japan, the world's number-two economic power. The United States spends more on defense than the next nine countries combined, and because seven of those nine countries are its close allies, the effective advantage is even larger. The United States is the world leader in higher education and information technology, and its cultural shadow—inmusic, cinema, television, and other arts—is enormous. America's position in the world is not perfect, perhaps, but Americans could hardly ask for much more...."
Winter 2001/02
"Beyond bin Laden: Reshaping U.S. Foreign Policy"
Journal Article, International Security, issue 3, volume 26
By Stephen M. Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs; Faculty Chair, International Security Program
"The terrorist attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center and damaged the Pentagon triggered the most rapid and dramatic change in the history of U.S. foreign policy."
Fall 1999
"A Model Disagreement"
Journal Article, International Security, issue 2, volume 24
By Stephen M. Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs; Faculty Chair, International Security Program
The author reaffirms his position that recent work in rational choice theory has not provided powerful new insights to explain real-world phenomena. He also maintains that formal theory's contributions to the field of security studies should still be considered valuable.
Spring 1999
"Rigor or Rigor Mortis? Rational Choice and Security Studies"
Journal Article, International Security, issue 4, volume 23
By Stephen M. Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs; Faculty Chair, International Security Program
In recent years rational choice theory has experienced a surge in popularity among political scientists. Its usefulness, however, remains highly controversial. The author argues that the outcome of this debate will have deep and long-lasting consequences for scholarly discourse.
