Blavatnik School of Government Visiting Professor Joseph Nye will give a public lecture on Thursday 9 May at 6.45pm in the School's Lecture Theatre.

Professor Nye's lecture, entitled 'American Presidents and Foreign Policy', will examine the relationship between America's leaders and its rise to superpower status in the 20th century.

Focusing on both what he calls 'transformational' and 'transactional' American presidents, Professor Nye will discuss whether America would have risen to dominance in the 20th century regardless of who its presidents were, and to what extent those leaders actually mattered to the country's growing power - and if they did matter, what kind of leader had the biggest effect. This fits into the context of a larger debate over whether trends in global politics are simply the result of large, impersonal structural forces, or if in fact human agency plays a central role.

His lecture will address these questions, as well as draw lessons for the 21st century from America's experience of the intersection between leadership and foreign policy.

Professor Nye is a Visting Professor at the Blavatnik School of Government, and Harvard University Distinguised Service Professor. A former dean of the Harvard Kennedy School, he is an expert on issues such as foreign policy, cyber warfare, American decline, political leadership and international politics, and frequently publishes articles in major newspapers and provides comment to media organisations around the world. His most recent book is 'The Future of Power', published in 2011.

After earning his bachelors at Princeton and studying at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, Professor Nye earned a Ph.D in political science at Harvard University. He previously served as Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security Affairs, as Chair of the National Intelligence Council and as Deputy Under-Secretary of State for Security Assistance, Science and Technology.

Professor Nye's lecture will take place in the Lecture Theatre at the Blavatnik School of Government, no. 10 Merton Street. Places are strictly limited and must be booked in advance. Please RSVP to events@bsg.ox.ac.uk by no later than Thursday 2 May to attend. All emails will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.