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UCD Clinton Institute for American Studies

Symposium: Realism & Exceptionalism in US Foreign Policy: From Kissinger to Obama

Friday 27 November
UCD Clinton Institute for American Studies
University College Dublin

Symposium Report

On 27 November 2009, the "Realism & Exceptionalism in US Foreign Policy" symposium took place at the UCD Clinton Institute for American Studies.  Leading experts Professor Anders Stephanson (Columbia University) and Dr. Mario Del Pero (University of Bologna) debated the historical roots and contemporary influences of two powerful constructs in American foreign relations.  Discussions considered how these concepts inform how the United States interacts with the world.  Highlighting the role of Henry Kissinger during the 1970s when the US faced foreign policy crises abroad and domestic discontent, “realism” seemingly offered a way to surpass excessive “exceptionalist” notions.  Noting similar challenges facing President Obama, discussion warned against simplistic historical analogies and urged for a closer critique of what “realism” and “exceptionalism” reveal about how America understands its place in the world.  In his plenary lecture, Professor Stephanson outlined innovative new approaches with which to address the issue.

The highly successful symposium was followed by a wine reception to celebrate the release of Mario Del Pero’s Eccentric Realist: Henry Kissinger and the Making of American Foreign Policy by Cornell University Press.

Symposium

During the 2008 American election season, the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates both aspired to be understood as foreign policy "realists" in the mould of Henry Kissinger.  Although distrusted by the neoconservative right for his scepticism about American exceptionalism and the liberal left for his amoral realpolitik approach, Kissinger stood once more as the sage of foreign relations who rose above partisan politics.  Barack Obama and John McCain both claimed that their foreign policy agenda returned to a more ‘realistic’ outlook after the assertive nationalist and exceptionalist-fuelled policies of the George W. Bush administration.  As we approach the first anniversary of the Obama Presidency, to what extent has ‘realism’ helped to resolve problems and heal divisions from the Bush era?

The symposium explores the historical roots of realism and exceptionalism in the conduct of US foreign policy, with particular attention to figures and events from the 1970s to today.  It considers the parallel challenges facing Kissinger and Obama in reconstructing a consensus for foreign policy following the division of highly costly and unpopular wars in Vietnam and Iraq.  To what extent has realism dictated policies for US foreign policy in an unstable international climate and rejected narratives of American exceptionalism?  Is realist discourse simply a response to the cold, hard assessment of the facts of international relations?  Is there any consideration of domestic politics and the need for consensus at home?

The experience of the 1970s, during which Kissinger’s realist project eventually came undone by the power of American exceptionalism, raises interesting questions regarding realism’s prospects in the early years of the twenty-first century.

Speakers Include

Anders Stephanson (Columbia University)

Andrew and Virginia Rudd Family Foundation Professor of History, specializes in 20th Century American foreign relations as well as history and theory. He received a B.A. from Gothenburg (1975), an M.Phil from Oxford (1977), and a Ph.D. from Columbia (1986). His published books include Kennan and the Art of Foreign Policy (1989) and Manifest Destiny (1995).

Mario Del Pero (University of Bologna)

Associate Professor of US History at the Facoltà di Scienze Politiche “Roberto Ruffilli” of Forlì, University of Bologna, Italy. In 2007-08 he was Kluge Fellow at the John W. Kluge Center of the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. He has also been a research fellow at the International Center for Advanced Studies (ICAS), New York University (2001-02) and the Department of History, European University Institute in Florence (2004-05). He has written extensively on the history of the Cold War and on transatlantic relations. He is the author of five books and several articles in leading international journals such as The Journal of American History and Diplomatic History. His most recent publications include Henry Kissinger e l’ascesa dei neoconservatori (Rome, 2006) and Impero e Libertà. Gli Stati Uniti e il Mondo (Empire and Liberty. The United States and the World) (Rome, 2008).

David Ryan (University College Cork)

Senior Lecturer, Department of History at University College Cork. He has published extensively on contemporary history and US foreign policy concentrating on the interventions in the post-Vietnam era, including Central America, Angola, Vietnam, and the Middle East amongst other places. His publications include: US-Sandinista Diplomatic Relations (1995); The United States and Decolonization (2000); US Foreign Policy in World History (2000); Iraq in Vietnam: Tactics, lessons, legacies, ghosts (Co-Ed. John Dumbrell, 2006); Frustrated Empire: US Foreign Policy from 9/11 to Iraq (2007); America and Iraq: Policy-making, Intervention and Regional Politics (Co-Ed. Patrick Kiely, 2009). His current research interests involve an investigation into the impact of the ‘Vietnam syndrome’ on US intervention in regional conflicts since 1975. 

The Symposium will be followed by a wine reception for the European launch of Eccentric Realist: Henry Kissinger and the Shaping of American Foreign Policy by Mario Del Pero and published by Cornell University Press.

Programme

Location: William Jefferson Clinton Auditorium, University College Dublin

Click here for directions to UCD and here for a map of campus.

15.15 – 15.30: Opening Remarks

15.30 – 16.30: Roundtable (Mario Del Pero & David Ryan)

16.30 – 17.00: Tea & Coffee

17.00 – 18.15: Plenary lecture (Anders Stephanson)

18.15 – 19.30: Wine reception for launch of Eccentric Realist
(Clinton Institute, Belfield House)

If you would like to attend, please contact Catherine Carey