Ideas Matter: History & the Shaping of U.S. Foreign Policy

Since its inception, the United States has been a self-consciously ideological project. The nation was conceived as a revolutionary republic in a world of monarchies, and its leadership has continuously struggled to uphold its ideals while maintaining safety in a complex and capricious world.

This panel brings together three top Oregon scholars to tackle influential ideologies in war and peace, isolationism and internationalism, immigration and border control, nationalism, free trade, and protectionism. These presentations culminate in a multiday conference at Oregon State University on Ideologies and U.S. Foreign Policy, bringing the scholars’ cutting-edge insights to the public and exploring some of the most important ideas that have shaped the past, present, and future of U.S. foreign relations.

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