Boyer Lectures

For the world's developed economies, the end of the second world war was the trigger for almost 30 years of sustained growth.

The end of the second world war ushered in an era of incomparable economic growth. In the era of post-war reconstruction the world's developed countries would enjoy a 'golden age' of low inflation and full employment. Guided by the theories of John Maynard Keynes, governments became increasingly confident in how to apply macroeconomic policy.

Owen Harries summarises the four traditions of American foreign policy as identified by Walter Russell Mead, and conducts a similar overview of Australia's foreign policy traditions. Against this background, he looks at the policy of the Howard government over the last year and a half – the policy of unhesitating, unqualified and conspicuous support for the United States in its wars against terrorism and against Iraq.

Throughout history, hegemons have been challenged. What challengers is the United States likely to face in coming decades? Owen Harries assesses the prospects of the two most likely sources of challenge to American dominance, China and a united Europe. He looks at military, economic and political capabilities, and at the effects that demographic changes will have on them as well as on America itself. But will America's biggest potential threat be America itself?

Until recently cultures and the differences between them have played but a small role in the study of international politics. This is because virtually all serious relations between states took place within western civilisation. Owen Harries looks at how this has changed as a result of two interrelated processes: first, because of the spectacular - and in many cases unanticipated - economic progress of some non-western states; and second, because of the rapid progress of globalisation and modernisation.

As Owen Harries discussed in his previous lecture, America has proclaimed a policy of assertively promoting democracy around the world. Almost 30 years ago some commentators predicted that democracy was in decline, but such predictions have not come to pass - and indeed the reverse could be said to be true.

In his second lecture Owen Harries details how the United States has evolved since the fall of the Soviet Union. In the first decade it failed to define and activate a grand purpose of mission in line with its status as the sole superpower. September 11 2001 changed that, giving the country the clear purpose that had been lacking, with influence shifting to those who believed that the country's destiny was to reshape the world. 9/11 was not a disaster merely to be avenged, but an opportunity to reawaken and, some say, direct America back to its true historical mission.

With the break up of the Soviet Union 12 years ago, a new era of international politics began, fundamentally altering the structure of the global political system. For the first time the world faced a unipolar system in which only one superpower dominated - the United States became the first 'global hegemon'. The implications of this are still working themselves out - indeed it took over a decade for many, including America, to realise that the United States had hegemonic power.

Lecture 4 of A Truly Civil Society, the 1996 Boyer Lecture series presented by Eva Cox.

Lecture 5 of A Truly Civil Society, the 1996 Boyer Lecture series presented by Eva Cox.