Inadvertent Expansion in World Politics
Speaker: Nicholas D. Anderson, Research Fellow, International Security Program
Most existing theories of expansion and territorial conquest tend to focus on key actors at the center of great states and empires, and on their will and ability to engage in expansion. However, a number of important instances of territorial expansion in the history of great power politics do not align well with these theories, showing territorial expansion to be far more peripherally-driven and far less intentional than they would expect. Drawing on research on the British and Japanese Empires, as well as on America's westward expansion, this presentation will outline a theory of inadvertent expansion that helps account for these puzzling and counter-intuitive cases.
Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.
