Foreign thinker
Stephen Walt
Stephen WaltInternational relations and realist theoryAmericanb. 1955
Life and Thought
Stephen Walt is an American scholar and theorist of international relations and a professor at Harvard University. He is especially known for developing the “balance of threat” theory and for his research on alliances, international security, and U.S. foreign policy. He co-authored the book The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy with John Mearsheimer.
Stephen Martin Walt was born in 1955 in the United States. He studied political science and received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. After teaching at several universities, he joined Harvard University and conducted research and teaching at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Walt is one of the leading figures of the realist school in international relations. His major theoretical contribution is the development of the “balance of threat” theory, which argues that states respond not only to power but also to perceived threats. This view was presented extensively in his 1987 book The Origins of Alliances.
He also co-authored The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy with John Mearsheimer, examining the role of interest groups in shaping U.S. foreign policy. His research covers great-power politics, military alliances, international security, and U.S. foreign policy.