Since the end of WWII, the United States has been the most powerful country in the world. However, the latest U.S. National Security Strategy declared that the return of great power competition with Russia and China is the greatest threat to U.S. national and economic security. Further, many IR analysts argue that America’s great power rivals will succeed in displacing the United States as the leading global power.
Unfortunately, international relations (IR) scholars have for the most part, not investigated past great power rivalries, who wins them, and the underlying reasons why. In his talk, Dr. Kroenig will discuss the advantages of democracies over autocracies in international geopolitics, including economic, diplomatic, and military advantages. He will also discuss, that despite its many problems, America’s fundamentals are in much better shape than Russia or China’s, and will likely continue to be that way for the foreseeable future. Finally, Dr. Kroenig will discuss options for the United States and her allies in dealing with Russia and China, and what the United States could and should be doing moving forward.