Conversations with History: Kenneth Waltz

On this edition of Conversations with History, UC Berkeley's Harry Kreisler talks with renowned political scientist Kenneth N. Waltz, about theory, international politics, and the U.S. role in world affairs. [6/2003] [Show ID: 7386]
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[@shydncrumph8119]

behold the musical intro!

[@joeykristinw45211]

You are missed! One of the great minds of the field.

[@fjordhellas4077]

Great minds! Thank you for showing that the US have Treasures like You two! Greetings from Norway!

[@clydedigital]

Thanks for posting this. I studied Waltz about 30 years ago. He’s a class act.

[@honestbajan6877]

I studied him 5years ago. Lol

[@bkup1332]

1990s, great author and thinker.

[@cultivatingwellness4028]

Such a thorough, interesting and relaxed interview.Waltz was endearing and kept conversation flowing intellectually and light.

[@michaelg7520]

And we are back to a multi-power world. Time flies. Things change.

[@freeverse7]

Thank you, very interesting.

[@trinisuprazee]

R.I.P Kenneth Waltz. True giant of International Relations

[@tsheringpalden4314]

I have just started my Masters in Asia Pacific Studies in Thailand and this conversation has helped me to understand the history of International Politics in the simplest way and also the purpose of IR theory which is one of my main subjects. Thank you.

[@RileyRampant]

recommend: check out also the UCB interview with JJ Mearsheimer as well - good luck in your studies!

[@tsheringpalden4314]

Thank you

[@Free7ZipDownload]

Great presentation.

[@jfrancefl325]

12:00 Ultimately the test of a theory is the usefulness by those in that field

[@cindirose3390]

Politicians define "working" in such absurd and self-serving ways

[@hollyjoiner436]

I'm not the only one who thought the intro music was lovely

[@akashtiwari5729]

Cut to 2021 and we can say that Prof. Waltz was spot on in his reading of the World (in 2003)... be it on Iraq, China, or the World Order in general.

[@MarzioMariaCimini]

Great! Kenneth RULEZ!

[@carolinaus123]

R.I.P. Kenneth Waltz :(

[@atumyiffen]

Where do i find music like in the intro?

[@Juaniguitarra86]

the master in action

[@jalllaaavg]

Body language never lies.

[@diegocastro8061]

Cool

[@DraconiusLux]

And the UN is as only as strong as its members initiatives.

[@Crankdatification]

Reminds me of My Cousin Vinny

[@airhealth]

@tzarjez this my friend is what he calls reductionism. :) Sure institutions won't exist without the constituent parts. But once formed, over time the institutions take on a life of its own and develop its own at least partially independent interests and identity. Big bureaucracies have a way of doing that.

[@rpaddon]

His idea of anarchy is a lack of government. There is no supra-national government that is able to effect the behavior of a state. The UN has no teeth and has been shown to be ineffective. The State is still supreme, though the nature of the game has changed. The military is no longer the primary way that states attain power, economic coercion has become increasingly important in a world where large scale conflict is avoided as much as possible.

[@robertprawendowski2850]

⭐⭐

[@Sphoric]

= hard power. Soft power is cultural, diplomatic, ideological.

[@MattyGJoker]

Find it's better to term economic as sticky, whereas cultural as sweet.

[@eugeniaazaar7768]

I enjoyed finding this resource ! Humbly, I think that Waltz couldn't answer properly about transnational threats cause he was still thinking about states like unitary , racional and main actors, therefore he couldn't imagine new actors or units acting above or separated of the state form, because these new conditions would affect the the same concept of structure

[@RileyRampant]

he implies, i think, that these IR theories have recourse to some sort compensation for the noise, if you will, of transnational threats, though i guess we would have to investigate if there are defensible techniques for doing so, within the domain of social science.

[@JustMelv]

This might sound somewhat dissappointing, but: a political theorist, tries to develop models which enables us to explain all sorts of political phenomena. Whether that is about local politics or international politics like Kenneth Waltz did.

[@alonelychild]

The sound is aweful

[@Gametheory101]

He doesn't seem uncomfortable here...

[@jfrancefl325]

13:45

[@AustinRohr]

I want the interviewer to say Muffins and Poundcake, just one time, please?

[@MassimoRamaioli]

@Setzer : I think he was completely right about Saddam. He couldn't attack the US or Europe or anyone else with nuclear weapons because he did not have those - never did. The regjme had lost much of its military capabilities after the sanctions, which crippled the Iraqi economy and made for Saddam impossible any adventure abroad. All the coercive resources of the regime went for maintaining internal stability.

[@hassanrajput9576]

28:57

[@evagalai9956]

Shame the interviewer was too afraid to continue discussing bush's mad dog policy a month after this interview us army was already looting in Baghdad

[@miguelbsilva2]

Waltz could be more specific to the question about the new transnational terrorism and redefine his concepts on active unites. It's time to update your theory Waltz!

[@Elrond69McBong]

R.I.P. in Piece

[@DraconiusLux]

@rpaddon Economy=military=power. Simple.

[@bhav213]

somebody please make a remix of his 'wha-wha-wha' over a techno beat!!

[@forskid]

rip

[@TheCanye88]

sounds like someone went to IR 101 today

[@stephenyang2844]

Mr. Waltz predicted China's rise under CCP as well as Iraqi conflict back in 2008.

[@Willis2992]

@rpaddon To ignore non state actors in the international system is entirely dubious however. After all hasn't Western Foreign policy of hte past ten years been almost entirely influenced by 9/11? That to me is the critical flaw of his theory.

[@jfrancefl325]

theory is an instrument used to predict 14:00

[@garysymons3930]

At 56:0 the conundrum posed is if North Korea got h0ld of nukes , but it now has nukes , as of 2021, + a delivery system , but a further complication is that that N.Korea is really a surrogate for China much as Cuba was with the USSR , and in fact it was China that built the nukes, NK being too poor to do so . In fact NK is a vassal state. So theoretically if NK exploded a nuke in the sea China could say blame him not us ., nobody would believe NK , therefore another Korean war is unlikely to end well for the west. China would then simply absorb both NK and the south and have a massive refugee problem + world economic sanctions against it . That would be a deterrant ?????????

[@franckbekkeli]

25:00 ==>

[@Tudhaliya]

The interviewer continues to ask foreign policy questions instead of international relations questions.

[@pacificislandsguy]

this is an absolutely amazing series ... a real treasure trove of some of the greatest minds in recent history. I wish the interviewer would not ask such long pontificating questions - he looks like such an intellectual midget against these greats... he should not try to debate them just ask short intro questions....

[@thermojo5223]

I assume Tony Blair never had the pleasure of meeting this guy.

[@applebone7]

who' s here Poli Sci 7

[@typon1]

Broke: Fridman Woke: Mearsheimer Bespoke: Waltz

[@drewpasttenseofdraw]

where are the black guyus

[@aftabullah2001]

Go Nawaz Go

[@spacerumsfeld]

Uh...uh....uh....uh....uh...

[@donokeefe3960]

31:00 Rome dominated "the relevant part of the globe" and is therefore the same as the US dominating all of the globe. The part of the globe dominated by the Mongols, Chinese, Mayans, Ottomans, etc. were "not relevant." What nonsense. How much more Eurocentric could he possibly be?

[@sir_weltschmerz]

The Roman Empire was not around when the Mongols, Mayans, or Ottomans were around; the Han Dynasty of China was barely founded (some 2 centuries) before Rome fell. I think you need to learn these people's history before you try to make blatantly false accusations.

[@TheSoleGOAT]

Lol the part of the world the Ottomans dominated MUCH LATER was part of the Roman empire

[@stewie1442]

I'm sorry to say this but the way the interviewer stumbles his words distracts my attention from the interviewee. I would say he's not suitable for this job.

[@roadracer1584]

That is an AWFUL beginning soundtrack!

[@hassanrajput9576]

25:33