Rising leaders in the Society are gearing up for our first-ever summer leadership conference. They’ll come to Washington for two days to hear from top national-security thinkers, learn about career opportunities in foreign policy, network, and be trained in effective chapter leadership. To help them prepare for the conference, we’ve prepared a list of readings drawn from scholarly work and the popular press that will help set the tone for thoughtful conversations about more measured approaches to achieving security for the United States.
- “Alliance Formation and the Balance of World Power.” Stephen M. Walt, International Security, 1985.
- “Restraining Order: For Strategic Modesty.” Harvey Sapolsky et al., World Affairs, 2009.
- “Speech on Independence Day.” John Quincy Adams, July 4, 1821. Read especially from “And now, friends and countrymen…”
- “Farewell Address.” George Washington, 1796. Read especially from “Observe good faith and justice…”
- “Will China’s Rise Lead to War? Why Realism Does Not Mean Pessimism.” Charles Glaser, Foreign Affairs, 2011.
- “What Iran Really Wants.” Paul Pillar, The National Interest, 2017.
- “Russia’s Clash with the West Is About Geography, Not Ideology.” Benn Steil, Foreign Policy, 2018.
- “Kim Jong-un Is Not a Freakish Buffoon.” David C. Kang, The New York Times, 2017.
- “Even Donald Trump Can’t Defeat the Blob.” Patrick Porter, The National Interest, 2017. (For those interested in digging further into this argument, Porter expounded on it more fully in 2018 in International Security: “Why America’s Grand Strategy Has Not Changed: Power, Habit, and the U.S. Foreign Policy Establishment.”
- “Principles of Persuasion.” Influence at Work.
If you enjoyed perusing these readings, please help us bring the Society’s programs to more of America’s next generation of leaders by becoming a donor.