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Description:

Speaker: RODGER A. PAYNE, Professor of Political Science, University of Louisville
Topic: "The Comedy of Global Politics"
ABSTRACT: Numerous scholars of International Relations tell their students, colleagues, and policy audiences violence-laden and tragic stories about competition and conflict in global politics. Nation-states, like the heroes of classic drama, are bound by their position or character to make critical choices that often produce undesirable and deadly outcomes. An alternative comedic narrative explains world politics in a very different manner, either emphasizing the rise of sympathetic ordinary people or criticizing the ridiculous and self-serving acts of powerful elites. This paper explains the importance of emphasizing the hypocritical, farcical, and satirical elements of global politics in the 21st century.
Discussant: Brian Rathbun, Associate Professor of International Relations, USC