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Randall Schweller
American academic / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Randall L. Schweller (born 1958)[1] is Professor of Political Science at the Ohio State University, where he has taught since 1994.
Randall Schweller | |
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Alma mater | SUNY Stony Brook (B.A.) Columbia University (M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.) |
School | Neoclassical realism |
Institutions | Ohio State University |
Main interests | International relations theory |
Notable ideas | Balances of Interests theory Revisionist and Status-Quo States |
He earned his PhD from Columbia University in 1993 and was as an Olin Fellow at Harvard University in 1993-94. His primary teaching and research interests include international security and international relations theory, and he is perhaps best known for his Balance of Interests theory, a revision to Kenneth Waltz's Balance of Power theory and Stephen Walt's Balance of Threat theory. His work on this subject includes: Randall Schweller, "Tripolarity and the Second World War", International Studies Quarterly 37:1 (March 1993) and Randall Schweller, Deadly Imbalances: Tripolarity and Hitler's Strategy of World Conquest (Columbia University Press, 1998).[2]
Often associated with Structural Realists like Kenneth Waltz and Stephen Walt, he may more accurately be portrayed as a Neoclassical Realist[3] (a term coined by Gideon Rose) because of his willingness to consider non-structural explanations of state behavior (other neoclassical realists include Fareed Zakaria, Thomas J. Christensen, and William Wohlforth). For instance: Randall Schweller and David Priess, "A Tale of Two Realisms: Expanding the Institutions Debate," Mershon International Studies Review 41:2 (April 1997)
He is also credited with reemphasizing the distinction between status-quo and revisionist states and incorporating that difference into realist theories of state behavior. Randall Schweller, "Bandwagoning for Profit: Bringing the Revisionist State Back in", International Security 19:1 (Summer 1994) and Randall Schweller, "Neorealism's Status-Quo Bias: What Security Dilemma?" Security Studies 5:3 (Spring 1996).
Schweller is an avid guitarist and fronted a cover band of the Grateful Dead named "Timberwolf."[4]