Organizer: Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, Cornell University
Type/Location: In person / Ithaca, NY

Description:

The lecture will focus on the interplay between geopolitics and individual historical actors, explaining how geopolitical ruptures in hegemonic control during the Cold War created a momentary void that allowed a latter-day “man on the spot” the autonomy to put their fingerprints on the crime scenes this global conflict. Instead of the gentlemen adventurers like James Brooke and TE Lawrence of the British imperial age for whom the term was coined, our Cold War analogues are usually covert operatives. Like Africa, Southeast Asia during postwar decolonization abounds in these characters, so I could present the general thesis and some Southeast Asia case studies, satisfying the regional focus of your co-sponsor for this event.

About the Speaker:

Alfred "Al" William McCoy is an American historian and educator. He is the Fred Harvey Harrington Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He specializes in the history of the Philippines, foreign policy of the United States, European colonization of Southeast Asia, illegal drug trade, and Central Intelligence Agency covert operations. He is the author of In the Shadows of the American Century: The Rise and Decline of U.S. Global Power. His newest book is To Govern the Globe: World Orders and Catastrophic Change (Dispatch Books).

Registration:

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