Great powers in world politics are notoriously prone to rivalry and competition. But is that fate preordained? Is there a way out of the "golden cage" of great power politics - and if so, how? In this class, we trace how historians and international relations scholars, from Thucydides to the present, sought to explain great power behavior and advise their leaders. We will address recurring themes such as material versus ideational factors shaping great power conduct, structural constraints versus leaders' autonomy of action, and the likelihood of - along with pathways to prevent - great power war. The class consists of two parts. The first focuses on theoretical foundations, covering paradigms in security studies, power transition theory, geopolitics, and social and cultural approaches to great power behavior. The second, history and statecraft, examines key historical episodes of great power conflict and accommodation, considers the strategic options available to decision-makers, and evaluates their eventual choices. The historical cases include British foreign policy before both world wars, U.S. grand strategic planning during the Second World War, U.S. strategy in the Middle East in the 1950s and 1960s, and Soviet policies in the 1980s.
5 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit
Great powers in world politics are notoriously prone to rivalry and competition. But is that fate preordained? Is there a way out of the "golden cage" of great power politics - and if so, how? In this class, we trace how historians and international relations scholars, from Thucydides to the present, sought to explain great power behavior and advise their leaders. We will address recurring themes such as material versus ideational factors shaping great power conduct, structural constraints versus leaders' autonomy of action, and the likelihood of - along with pathways to prevent - great power war. The class consists of two parts. The first focuses on theoretical foundations, covering paradigms in security studies, power transition theory, geopolitics, and social and cultural approaches to great power behavior. The second, history and statecraft, examines key historical episodes of great power conflict and accommodation, considers the strategic options available to decision-makers, and evaluates their eventual choices. The historical cases include British foreign policy before both world wars, U.S. grand strategic planning during the Second World War, U.S. strategy in the Middle East in the 1950s and 1960s, and Soviet policies in the 1980s.
Offered in Autumn 2026 at Stanford University.