Paul Kennedy, the J. Richardson Dilworth professor of history and director of International Security Studies at Yale University, addressed a large audience Thursday on the current state of American power. The event was part of the 2008-2009 Provost's Lecture Series, "Policy Visions for a New Presidency."
Kennedy, who is considered one of the leading scholars on the rise and fall of great societies throughout history, told attendees that studying the three main indicators of any given nation's strength-military, economic and "soft" power-may suggest that America is in a decline.
One of Kennedy's central points was that America's ability to exert influence over other nations has weakened in recent years. This influence, he argued, was one of America's most important assets.
"It was also culture, the power of ideas, the capacity to co-opt other nations through international institutions, the influence of new technology... all of that gave the United States a sort of attractiveness and capacity to get things done," Kennedy said.
Kennedy noted that the election of President Barack Obama may help America regain its ability to lead in the world again, given the global reaction to his victory in November.
"It would be interesting to see new numbers [on U.S. international popularity] compiled since the election," he said.
As American popularity has declined, Kennedy said American military power might also decrease in the future. The large amount of money currently spent by the United States on defense and military operations in relation to the rest of the world, its own population and the size of its gross domestic product cannot be sustained, Kennedy said.
Kennedy added that in light of the large amounts of money the government is willing to spend during the recession, military leaders would not accept cuts in defense appropriations, which help to provide jobs to military professionals as well as defense contractors.
"Some of us find it hard to believe that if you pour large sums of money, nearly double the Pentagon budget, into the financial system, that President Obama will be making serious cuts to defense contracts," he said.
Some students in attendance said that they found Kennedy's lecture informative on how seemingly unrelated issues-such as the financial crisis and military strength-could lead to a decline for the United States.
"It was a interesting to see such a collective assessment of what is going on in terms of American power," said junior Meg Foran. "I would say that there are definite concerns between economic power and military and defense capacity."
Kennedy's lecture marked the end of the 2008-2009 Provost Lecture Series. Provost Peter Lange told The Chronicle after the speech that he considered this year's series a success.
"It highlighted some of the issues that have not seen much attention in the media," Lange said, adding that he wished attendance for the lectures had been better.
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