George Washington Forum to host Webinar on Conservative Internationalism, featuring Henry R. Nau

Ohio University’s George Washington Forum will feature a webinar on Conservative Internationalism on Wednesday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. The webinar will feature Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Emeritus Henry R. Nau at the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University.

Nau will talk about what America’s ideal foreign policy should be, arguing that America should pursue a policy of conservative internationalism rather than nationalism, realism, neoconservatism or liberal internationalism. Conservative internationalism is a way of thinking about America’s role in the world, and according to Nau, conservative internationalism embraces the goals of liberal internationalism (reforming the international system, not settling for the status quo), the means of realism (use force during negotiations, not as a last resort) and the purpose of nationalism (a world of sovereign, but free nations, not global international institutions).

“Arguably the American president’s greatest responsibility is foreign policy,” Robert Ingram, OHIO professor of history and director of the George Washington Forum, said. “And the challenges which have confronted the nation since the end of the Cold War have been profound. In the webinar, Henry Nau will help us to think about what role America should play in the world, particularly in East Asia, where China is a growing power, and in the Middle East, site of longstanding conflicts.”

Nau directed the U.S.-Japan-South Korea Legislative Exchange Program from 1989 to 2016. He previously served as a special assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs (1975–1977) and as senior staff member and White House sherpa on President Ronald Reagan’s National Security Council responsible for G-7 Summits and international economic affairs (1981–1983). He has written five books, including Conservative Internationalism: Armed Diplomacy Under Jefferson, Polk, Truman and Reagan (2013) and At Home Abroad: Identity and Power in American Foreign Policy (2002).

The webinar is co-sponsored by the George Washington Forum and the Alexander Hamilton Society Ohio University chapter.

This is the 12th, and final, webinar of the 2020-2021 academic year. The George Washington Forum will continue its programming in late August, at the beginning of the 2021-2022 academic year.

“We aim for our events to be back in person during the Fall, but we will also be live-streaming all the events going forward,” Ingram added. “So, whether you’re in Athens or elsewhere, you’ll be able to see what we’re up to at the Menard Family George Washington Forum.”

The Menard Family George Washington Forum on American Ideas, Politics, and Institutions teaches America’s foundational principles in their Western intellectual, political, and institutional contexts. It is grounded on the idea that students facing an increasingly globalized world need to understand what characterizes and distinguishes the nation in which they live and the civilization from which it emerged. The Forum helps students become enlightened citizens in a liberal democracy whose roots run deep in Western civilization, but whose ideals and interests transcend the West.