The trajectory of US-China relations, particularly the prospect of war erupting between the two countries, is one of the most pressing topics being addressed in the field of International Relations. But to what extent is a war likely, much less inevitable? Are the major policy disputes, most notably over Taiwan´s future, sufficient to provoke a war? And even if they might otherwise be deemed insufficient, have the stakes for the protagonists become inflated in recent years due to the heated political discourse on both sides, thereby artificially increasing the risk of conflict?  In this talk Professor Hall will address these questions in the context of the complex dynamics underpinning contemporary US-China relations, and will offer his prognosis on the relationship´s future.

Professor Todd Hall teaches International Relations at the Department of Political Science and International Relations, Oxford University, and is also the Director of the University of Oxford China Centre. He earned his PhD from the University of Chicago in 2008 and has held postdoctoral fellowships at Princeton and Harvard, as well as visiting scholar appointments at the Free University of Berlin, Tsinghua University in Beijing, and the University of Tokyo. Prior to joining Oxford, he held the position of Assistant Professor in Political Science at the University of Toronto. His recent publications include articles in International Organization, International Security, International Studies Quarterly, Political Psychology, Political Science Quarterly, and Security Studies. Professor Hall has also published a book with Cornell University Press, titled Emotional Diplomacy: Official Emotion on the International Stage, which was recently named co recipient of the International Studies Association's 2016 Diplomatic Studies Section Book Award. 

This seminar series is organised within the program on American politics and international security by Institut d’Estudis Nord-americans (IEN) and IBEI; and IBEI Research Seminar Series.

🔎 Check the first semester's agenda here.