Research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world

Past Event
In-Person
Seminar

Norms and Institutions: What They Do, Why They Matter, and How States Sometimes Get Them Wrong

Harvard Faculty, Fellows, Staff, and Students

States tend to benefit if they know how to use institutions well, and they tend to suffer if they discount their importance or misunderstand the role that institutions play.

For more information, contact susan_lynch@hks.harvard.edu

Date: Time: - Location: One Brattle Square, 350

Speaker
Stephen M. Walt

The flag of the International Atomic Energy Agency flies in front of its headquarters
The flag of the International Atomic Energy Agency flies in front of its headquarters during an IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, Austria, on Feb. 6, 2023. 

Speaker: Stephen Walt, Faculty Chair, International Security Program

Although the international system lacks a central authority to make and enforce agreements, states cannot function in an interdependent world without certain rules to govern their interactions.  Accordingly, all states pay close attention to existing institutions and try to use them to their advantage.  States tend to benefit if they know how to use institutions well, and they tend to suffer if they discount their importance or misunderstand the role that institutions play.

Admittance is on a first come–first served basis.  Tea and Coffee Provided.

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