Event Details

End: January 26, 2023
Contact: nichols.872@osu.edu
More Info: https://mershoncenter.osu.edu/events/nichols

In Search of Monsters to Destory? A Brief History of the Idea of National Security

Prof. Christopher McKnight Nichols,The Ohio State University, Mershon Center for International Security Studies

January 26, 2023 4:00PM - 6:00PM

The Ohio State University Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes Chair in National Security Studies and Professor of History Christopher McKnight Nichols will provide a brief, dynamic exploration of the idea of U.S. national security. Using John Quincy Adams' July 4, 1821 declaration that the U.S. goes "not abroad in search of monsters to destroy" as a point of departure, Nichols will explore key moments in the historical development of U.S. foreign relations as an intellectual and political project. The talk will pay particular attention to the role of ideology and emotion and of phrases such as “entangling alliances,” “guardian of liberty,” "arsenal of democracy," "indispensable nation," and even "America First." This is a history that shapes our present era and can reveal new ways in which older ideas, developments, and pivotal moments have profoundly shaped our world today.

Free, public, remote event, w/registration:

https://mershoncenter.osu.edu/events/nichols