Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

See the Conversations with History Blog See a webcasts of this interview: Joffe, 1/20/00 and Joffe, 3/23/00

This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the public Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.

Welcome to a Conversation with History. I'm Harry Kreisler of the Institute of International Studies. Our guest today is Josef Joffe, a German journalist and prominent international relations scholar. Most recently he was foreign and editorial page editor for Suddeutsche Zeitung, one of Europe's most respected newspapers, and he has just been named the publisher designate of the German periodical, Die Zeit, in Hamburg. Mr. Joffe holds a Ph.D. in government from Harvard and he's taught at Harvard, Princeton, and most recently at Stanford. He has written numerous scholarly articles and chapters in books and is a regular contributor to journals like The National Interest and Foreign Affairs, among others. He is author of The Limited Partnership: Europe, the United States, and the Burdens of Alliance

1. Background ... influence of parents ... books read ... exchange student ... glory days of liberal arts education ... international relations ... studying under Ken Waltz ... intellectual rigor
2. Journalism and Writing ... journalism vs. the academy ... becoming a writer ... routine ... skilled interviewing ... editing words
3. The Post - Cold War World ... bifurcation of international system
4. The Power of the United States ... soft power vs. hard power ... cultural influence without force of arms ... anti-Americanism
5. Democracies and Foreign Policy ... losing interest ... German success under multilateralism ... unique U.S. position ... no strategic plan
6. National Interest ... structure is destiny ... continuing existence of NATO ... lessons of Kosovo ... humanitarian intervention ... decline of national interests ... uniqueness of European integration
7. Lessons Learned ... crossing cultures ... liberal arts education

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