Great Expectations: Rising Power and the Elusive Pursuit of Absolute Security

Bio:
Caleb Pomeroy researches the psychology of power in international relations, notably the effects of relative state power on human thought and behavior. His book project shows that the feeling of power inflates threat perception. His work is published or forthcoming at the American Political Science Review, International Organization, International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Peace Research, and Security Studies, among other outlets. In addition to historical research, Professor Pomeroy uses a range of experimental and computational statistical methods. His work received ISA's best security article award and APSA's honorable mention for the best dissertation in international security.

Prior to joining the University of Toronto, he was a Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at Stanford University and the Diana Davis Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow in US Foreign Policy and International Security at Dartmouth College. He received his PhD in international relations from Ohio State in 2022

Summary:
States pursue hegemony to achieve security. Does it work? Integrating psychological research on power with classical realist thought on security expectations, Professor Pomeroy will demonstrate in this seminar that rising power increases leaders' expectations of security. These heightened expectations of security make previously tolerable threats feel more existential. Despite material gains in security, the sense of power paradoxically makes leaders feel less secure. Historical evidence from the United States' nineteenth century rise to regional hegemony supports this expectation. Power is useful for many objectives. The sense of security is not one of them.