Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

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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 Robert O. Keohane, who is the James B. Duke Professor of Political Science at Duke University, and one of the most distinguished theorists of international relations. He has also taught at Swarthmore College, Stanford, Brandeis, and Harvard. His publications include After Hegemony, International Institutions and State Power, Power and Governance in a Partially Globalized World, Ideas in Foreign Policy, co-edited with Judith Goldstein, and Power and Interdependence, coauthored with Joseph S. Nye, Jr.

1. Background ... influence of parents ... education ... Shimer College ... Harvard ... focus on international relations
2. Being an International Relations Theorist ... making explicit what is implicit ... an unpredictable subject area ... tackling the puzzle of Realism vs. cooperation ... theorist's temperament ... determination ... learning from other disciplines ... application to the real world
3. Understanding International Institutions ... the importance of confusion ... courage ... cooperation versus harmony ... mutual adjustment to conflict ... trade policy ... reciprocity ... institutionalized cooperation ... International Organization ... relation to events ... influence of parents ... conflict versus cooperation ... dialogue between schools ... missing element of information in Realist theory
4. Case Study: Trade Policy ... reducing uncertainty ... World Trade Organization ... democratic accountability
5. Globalization and 9/11 ... defining globalization ... formal vs. informal violence ... disappointing turn away from international institutions ... phases of the Bush response ... asymmetry of information ... importance of soft power
6. Advice to Students ... tools to interpret the human condition ... analytical skills

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