Provision of global public goods generally requires the leadership of the largest states to solve the free rider problem. Failure to transition from one leading state to others creates what has been called the “Kindleberger Trap”, named after the MIT economist who attributed the breakdown of the 1930s to American free riding. Now some analysts see America in decline and China failing to lead. Other analysts see a rise of non-state actors creating general entropy in the international system. The threats to the liberal order from international power transition, however, may be exaggerated.

The Lecture and Colloquium will be on Friday 9 June, beginning at 11 am, in the Alison Richard Building, Sidgwick Site, West Road, Cambridge.

Dr Sophie Smith (University of Oxford) is the Quentin Skinner Fellow 2016-17. She will be giving the annual Quentin Skinner lecture and participating in the symposium.

Participants in the afternoon Colloquium include Emma Claussen, Noah Dauber, Melissa Lane and Richard Tuck.

For full details and registration: http://www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/27189

The Institute for Economics and Peace will be releasing the 11th edition of its Global Peace Index. Is the world becoming more or less peaceful? The 2017 report provides the rankings of 163 countries according to levels of societal safety and security, militarisation, and ongoing conflict.
Steve Killelea, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Institute for Economics and Peace, will present the findings of the 2017 Index. The Bishop of Derby, Lord Browne and Professor Richard Caplan will also speak.

Rothermere Institute American Politics Graduate Seminar

Local ownership principle is based on the political rationality of interveners and operationalised as a responsibilisation of locals for externally designed objectives. This gives rise to various forms of local resistance that ultimately undermine international efforts to achieve the local buy-in. I illustrate my arguments with examples from the EU Regional Maritime Capacity Building Mission in the Horn of Africa (EUCAP Nestor) and the EU Police Mission in the Palestinian Territories (EUPOL Copps).
Light sandwich lunch provided.

What is the role of memories for the expansion of international society? By drawing on the English School approach to International Relations this edited volume argues that the memories of empire and suzerainty are key to understanding sociological aspects of the expansion of anarchical society. The expert contributors adopt a socio-historic conceptualization of entry into international society, aiming to move beyond the legalist analysis, and also explore the impact of identity-constructions and collective memories on the expansion of international society.