End of the America era? Looking back, looking forward

At a time of intensifying geopolitical rivalry, economic nationalism, and ideological extremism, this roundtable brings together a group of leading political scientists and historians to take stock of the choices and pathways that have brought America and the world to this unsettled moment.

Meet our speakers and chair

Michael Cox is an Emeritus Professor of International Relations at LSE and was a Founding Director of LSE IDEAS. He has also served as Chair of the United States Discussion Group at Chatham House, as Senior Fellow at the Nobel Institute in Oslo, and as Chair of the European Consortium for Political Research.

G. John Ikenberry is the Albert G. Milbank Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University in the Department of Politics and the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. He is also Co-Director of Princeton’s Center for International Security Studies. Ikenberry is also a Global Eminence Scholar at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, Korea. Ikenberry is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Stephanie J Rickard is Professor of Political Science in the Department of Government at LSE. For over fifteen years, she has researched issues related to the international political economy, including trade agreements and international financial rescues. In her award-winning book, Spending to Win, Rickard investigates how economic geography influences countries' economic policies and international economic relations.

Ayşe Zarakol is Professor of International Relations at the University of Cambridge, and Politics Fellow at Emmanuel College. Her research is at the intersection of historical sociology and IR and includes East-West relations in the international system, history and future of world order(s), conceptualisations of modernity and sovereignty, and rising and declining powers.

Peter Trubowitz (@ptrubowitz) is Professor of International Relations, and Director of the Phelan US Centre at LSE and Associate Fellow at Chatham House, Royal Institute of International Affairs.

More about this event

LSE's Phelan United States Centre (@LSE_US) is a hub for global expertise, analysis and commentary on America.

This event is part of the America's Changing Role in the World lecture series organised by the Phelan United States Centre, which is taking place over the 2025-26 academic year.

Join us on campus or register to watch the event online at LSE Live. LSE Live is the home for our live streams, allowing you to tune in and join the global debate at LSE, wherever you are in the world. If you can't attend live, a video will be made available shortly afterwards on LSE's YouTube channel.

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