Professor Robert Keohane on The Future of Multilateralism and American Global Leadership

About the Speech: The juxtaposition of China's rising power and American economic difficulties have led many foreign policy commentators to conclude that the United States is in irreversible decline. This argument is also extended to the multilateral institutions that the U.S. has fostered to maintain order in the international system. Others have countered this narrative of decline by pointing to the importance of American economic, technological, demographic and military might and the continued need for American leadership in the world. Professor Robert Keohane will give a major keynote address on the future of multilateralism and American global leadership, based on his view that there is a crucial distinction between what is known and what is unknowable in world politics. About the Speaker: Professor Robert Keohane has been one of the world's leading experts in international affairs since the publication of his influential book After Hegemony (1984), for which he won the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. He is co-author of Power and Interdependence (third edition 2001) and of Designing Social Inquiry (1994). Professor Keohane has taught at Swarthmore, Brandeis, Stanford, Harvard and Duke. He is currently Professor of International Affairs at Princeton University.