John J. Mearsheimer and Sebastian Rosato - "How States Think" - Derek Neal

John J. Mearsheimer and Sebastian Rosato discuss How States Think: The Rationality of Foreign Policy. They will be joined in conversation by Derek Neal. A Q&A and signing will follow the discussion.

At the Co-op

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About the authors:

John J. Mearsheimer is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor the Political Science Department here at the University of Chicago, where he has taught since 1982. 

Sebastian Rosato is Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame, where he is also a fellow of the International Security Center, the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, and the Nanovic Institute for European Studies.

About the interlocutor: Derek Neal, William C. Norby Professor in the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics at the University of Chicago. Much of Professor Nealʼs recent research explores how different aspects of criminal justice policy impact black-white inequality in the US. Much of his prior work addresses the design of incentive and accountability systems for educators. In 2018, he published Information, Incentives, and Education Policy (Harvard University Press). This book employs standard tools from information economics to examine a range of education reform agendas, from assessment-based accountability and centralized school assignments to charter schools and voucher systems. Professor Neal demonstrates how these programs have been successful, how they have failed, and why. Earlier in his career, his research focused on the causes and consequences of measured skill gaps between blacks and whites in the United States. He is a past President of the Midwest Economics Association, a Fellow of the Society of Labor Economists, and a former Editor of the Journal of Human Resources, the Journal of Labor Economics and the Journal of Political Economy.

About the book: To understand world politics, you need to understand how states think. Are states rational? Much of international relations theory assumes that they are. But many scholars believe that political leaders rarely act rationally. The issue is crucial for both the study and practice of international politics, for only if states are rational can scholars and policymakers understand and predict their behavior.

John J. Mearsheimer and Sebastian Rosato argue that rational decisions in international politics rest on credible theories about how the world works and emerge from deliberative decision‑making processes. Using these criteria, they conclude that most states are rational most of the time, even if they are not always successful. Mearsheimer and Rosato make the case for their position, examining whether past and present world leaders, including George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin, have acted rationally in the context of momentous historical events, including both world wars, the Cold War, and the post–Cold War era. 

By examining this fundamental concept in a novel and comprehensive manner, Mearsheimer and Rosato show how leaders think, and how to make policy for dealing with other states.