Wednesday 30 March 2011

The University of Southern Denmark

Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M

Auditorium U45

International Politics for students by students

“In international politics, God helps those who help themselves.” – John J. Mearsheimer

Since the end of the Cold War several politicians and academics have pro-

claimed, that we are entering a new era in the conduct of international re-lations which emphasizes cooperation instead of violent conflict – indeed, we are witnessing the formation of an „international community‟. In this new era the old doctrines of resolving interstate conflict through the appli-cation of raw power are being replaced by peaceful conflict resolution through international cooperation and international institutions, such as

the European Union, NATO and the United Nations. The old practices of realpolitik, so it is proclaimed, have been made irrelevant in this new glob-

alised and legalistic world order.

One staunch opponent of this vision is Professor John J. Mearsheimer from the University of Chicago. In his view, inter-state conflict is bound to remain an aspect of international relations. Therefore, the practices of re-alism will inevitably maintain a central position in the way states conduct

international relations. At this year‟s annual IntRpol-conference, he will make his claim for the continued relevance of the doctrines of realism in the 21st century.

At the conference Mearsheimer will be engaging in debates with renowned Professor Ole Wæver from the University of Copenhagen, Professor Sten Rynning from the University of Southern Denmark, Associate Professor Casper Sylvest, also from the University of Southern Denmark, and Senior Political Advisor Michael Rühle from NATO.

Conference Programme

09.30-09.45: Welcome by Rasmus Jacobsen, Chairman of IntRpol

09.45-10.30: Keynote by Professor John J. Mearsheimer

University of Chicago

10.30-11.00: Q&A

11.00-11.30: Break with refreshments

11.30-13.00: Panel discussion with Q&A: NATO’s Strategic

Challenges in a Globalized World

Professor John J. Mearsheimer

University of Chicago

Professor Sten Rynning

University of Southern Denmark

Head, Energy Security Section Michael Rühle

Emerging Security Challenges Division, NATO

Moderator: Clement B. Kjersgaard

13.00-14.00: Lunch – sponsored by DJØF

14.00-15.30: Symposium: The Future of Realism – theory and policy

Professor John J. Mearsheimer

University of Chicago

Professor Ole Wæver

University of Copenhagen

Associate professor Casper Sylvest

University of Southern Denmark

15.30-15.45: Q&A

15.45-16.00: Concluding remarks

IntRpol A short introduction

IntRpol (International Politics) is an association founded and formed by a group of students from the Department of Political Science and Public Ma-nagement at the University of Southern Denmark, who share a common interest for international politics and international relations.

The primary goal and objective of IntRpol, is to create and stimulate an awareness for, and of, international politics and relations, and to create an open forum for students to discuss these issues freely.

IntRpol is aiming to achieve this primarily through a series of small public

debates (approximately three on a yearly basis) on various current issues in international politics and one large annual conference with several pro-

minent guest- and keynote speakers.

It is important to note that IntRpol strives to be as non-partizan an orga-nization as possible, and thus, as objective as possible, and that, as pre-viously mentioned, it is made up exclusively by students and organized by a central steering committee.

Furthermore, it is also important to emphasize that all the debates and

events hosted and provided by IntRpol, are absolutely free to participate in, and that IntRpol hopes that these might be of aid to the students in their future studies. If you should have any questions about the above, about IntRpol or if you simply wish to know more, feel free to contact us at IntRpol@hotmail.dk

Speakers’ Bios

Professor John J. Mearsheimer

John J. Mearsheimer is R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Profes-

sor of Political Science and the Co-director of the Program on International

Security Policy at the University of Chicago. Best known for his book

on offensive realism, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Norton 2001),

more recently Mearsheimer has attracted attention for co-authoring and

publishing the article The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy (with

Stephen M. Walt), which was subsequently published as a book, becoming

a New York Times Best Seller, and most recently he has published Why

Leaders Lie: The Truth about Lying in International Politics (Oxford Univer-

sity Press 2011).

His special research interests include U.S. policy towards the Middle East,

the future of U.S.-China relations, and the decision-making process that

led to the debacle in Iraq. He is currently member of the editorial board at

several political science journals and has been a consultant at RAND Cor-

poration and Co-chair (with John L. Gaddis) of the American Academy of

Arts and Sciences' “Committee on History, the Social Sciences and Inter-

national Security Affairs”. His articles have appeared in journals such as

Foreign Affairs, European Political Science, International Relations, Security

Studies, Foreign Policy, and Journal of Modern History, and he is a regular

contributor to The New Republic and The Atlantic Monthly.

Professor Ole Wæver

Ole Wæver is Professor of International Relations at the Department of Po-

litical Science at the University of Copenhagen and director of CAST, Cen-

tre for Advanced Security Theory. His research interests include interna-

tional relations and security theory, sociology of science, religion in inter-

national relations, and the role of national identity in foreign policy.

Ole Wæver is the author of Regions and Powers: The Structure of Interna-

tional Security (Cambridge University Press 2003, with Barry Buzan); Secu-

rity: A New Framework for Analysis (Lynne Rienner 1988, Chinese 2002,

Czech 2006, 2nd edition 2009, with Barry Buzan and Jaap de Wilde) and

Global Scholarship in International Relations: Worlding Beyond the West

(Routledge 2009, with co-editor Arlene B. Tickner). His articles have ap-

peared in journals such as Security Dialogue, Review of International Stud-

ies, International Relations, International Political Sociology, Scandinavian

Journal of Social Theory, and Cooperation and Conflict.

Senior Political Advisor Michael Rühle

Michael Rühle holds an M.A. degree in Political Science from the Univer-

sity of Bonn and is currently Head, Energy Security Section, in the Emerg-

ing Security Challenges Division in NATO‟s International Staff. Previously

he was Head, Speechwriting, and Senior Political Advisor in the NATO Sec-

retary General‟s Policy Planning Unit. Michael Rühle is a frequent briefer

in NATO‟s extensive visitors programme and at the NATO Schools in Ger-

many and Italy. He has also taught European security at the American

University in Brussels and is a member of the International Institute

for Strategic Studies (IISS) and the German Atlantic Treaty Associa-

tion.

Michael Rühle has published book chapters and articles on international

security issues in, among others, American Foreign Policy Interests, Com-

parative Strategy, European Security, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Rus-

sia in Global Affairs, International Affairs (Chatham House), The Interna-

tional Herald Tribune, NATO Review, Parameters, Strategic Review, and The

World Today. He has also co-authored a book on missile defense and his

essay “Good and Bad Nuclear Weapons” was published in March 2009 in

both German and English.

Professor Sten Rynning

Sten Rynning is Professor of International Relations at the Department of

Political Science at the University of Southern Denmark. He has been a

Fulbright Scholar and NATO-EAPC Research Fellow and is currently a

member of NATO‟s Human and Societal Dynamics research council as well

as the advisory board of the Danish Center for Military Studies. His main

research areas are security and strategic studies and NATO, the European

Union, and transatlantic security relations.

Sten Rynning is the author of NATO Renewed: The Power and Purpose of

Transatlantic Cooperation (Palgrave 2005) and Changing Military Doctrine:

Presidents and Military Power in Fifth Republic France, 1958-2000 (Praeger

2001) and editor of several books, including From the Hindu Kush to Lis-

bon: NATO, Afghanistan, and the Future of the Atlantic Alliance (UNISCI

2010, with co-editor Antonio Marquina). His articles have appeared in

journals such as Security Studies, Security Dialogue, Journal of Strategic

Studies, Journal of Common Market Studies, Politique étrangère, European

Security, Defense and Security Analysis, Journal of International Politics,

and European Foreign Affairs Review.

Associate professor Casper Sylvest

Casper Sylvest is Associate professor of International Relations at the De-

partment of Political Science at the University of Southern Denmark. His

main research interest include International Relations theory, particularly

liberalism and classical realism, the cultural history of nuclear weapons,

and historical contextualism and anti-essentialist philosophy.

Casper Sylvest is the author of the book British Liberal Internationalism,

1880-1930: Making Progress? (Manchester University Press 2009) and has

contributed to several others including The Primacy of Foreign Policy in

British History, 1660-2000 (Palgrave 2010, editors William Mulligan and

Brendan Simms) and British International Thought form Hobbes to Namier

(Palgrave 2009, editors Ian Hall and Lisa Hill). His articles have appeared

in journals such as International Theory, International Relations, Review of

International Studies, Modern Intellectual History, and International Studies

Quarterly.

Clement B. Kjersgaard

Clement B. Kjersgaard has been a student at the United World College of

Hong Kong and has studied philosophy, politics and economics at the Uni-

versity of Oxford. He has been the host of several television programmes

about Danish, American, and International politics where he has inter-

viewed many prominent politicians as well as academics including Profes-

sor Francis Fukuyama and Professor Joseph Stiglitz. Clement Kjersgaard

is currently the host of the political television debate programme Debatten

(DR2), editor of the Danish-language International political magazine

Ræson, and a frequently used moderator and lecturer on Danish, Ameri-

can, and International politics.

IntRpol would like to thank the following sponsors, without whom this conference would not have been possible:

Thank you for your participation!

Pictures from the conference and an exclusive interview with professor John J. Mearsheimer will be uploaded at IntRpol.dk

when the conference is over.

International Politics for students by students