Lecture on "History and Grand Strategy" Held Successfully

On March 9th, 2026, the "History and Grand Strategy" lecture, co-hosted by the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China and the Chenghai Institute of Global Development and Security, was held at Lide Building.

The lecture featured Professor Odd Arne Westad, jointly appointed at Yale University's Jackson School of Global Affairs and Department of History, who shared his decades of academic insights into the integration of historical research, strategic education, and application. The lecture was moderated by Li Chen, Deputy Dean of the School of International Studies at Renmin University.

Professor Westad traced his academic journey in strategic studies, including founding the Cold War Studies Centre and the Centre for Strategic Studies at the London School of Economics, participating in strategic teaching and research at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, and leading the Grand Strategy program at Yale. He shared his insights on building bridges between historical research and grand strategy through approaches such as conducting long-term historical research using multinational archives, promoting case study teaching based on historical examples to draw lessons, and engaging strategic practitioners in teaching and academic discussions.

Drawing on his latest work, Professor Westad offered an in-depth analysis of both the risks and the value of using historical analogies to understand contemporary great-power relations. During the Q&A session, faculty and students engaged in a lively discussion with Professor Westad on topics including empirical methods in historical research, the long-term prospects of US-China relations, the impact of nationalism and technological change on international politics, and the Ukraine crisis.

This lecture was a key event in the ongoing efforts of the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China and the Chenghai Institute of Global Development and Security to promote high-level international academic exchange. The speaker's profound academic expertise and insightful perspectives offered faculty and students in attendance a multifaceted lens through which to examine the interaction between history and strategy, and were met with an enthusiastic response.