Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

See the Conversations with History Blog See a webcast of this interview: Steel

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 Institute of International Studies. Our guest today is Ronald Steel, who is Professor of International Relations at USC. His publications include Walter Lippmann and the American Century, Pax Americana, Imperialists and Other Heroes, and Temptations of a Superpower. His articles have appeared in the Atlantic Monthly and the New York Review of Books, among other publications.

1. Background ... interest in foreign policy ... teachers ... becoming a writer
2. Walter Lippmann ... origins of biography ... Lippmann's influence ... President Woodrow Wilson ... influence of journalists then and now
3. President Woodrow Wilson and the World ... idealism ... missionary role ... religion ... self determination ... collective security ... embracing Wilsonian ideals
4. The End of the Cold War and Beyond ... NATO ... Iraq ... goals of U.S. foreign policy ... comparing Bush and Clinton ... comparing Bush and Wilson ... preemption ... elections ... civil liberties and in times of national crisis ... democracy not a universal value ... unwillingness to examine the causes of 9/11
5. Conclusion ... advice to students

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