Biography
Richard Ned Lebow was born in France in 1941 and grew up in New York City and a Long Island suburb. He lives in London, Cortona Tuscany and Etna, New Hamphire. He is married, the father of three children, and the grandfather of two. He is Professor of International Political Theory in the War Studies Department of King’s College London, Bye-Fellow of Pembroke College, University of Cambridge, and James O. Freedman Presidential Professor, Emeritus at Dartmouth College. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and recipient of honorary degrees in France, Greece, and the U.S. In an academic career now in its seventh decade he has authored or coauthored 40 books and over 400 scholarly articles and book chapters. Ned has made scholarly contributions to international relations, comparative politics, political theory, political psychology, history, classics, and philosophy of science. Ned writes short stories and translates opera libretti into English from German, French, and Italian. He is an avid hiker, runner, and tennis player.
Recent Books
Richard Ned Lebow is an American political scientist best known for his work in international relations, political psychology, classics and philosophy of science.
Weimar's Long Shadow, edited with Ludvig Norman (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2024).
The Robustness and Fragility of Political Orders, coedited with Ludvig Norman (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022).
Justice and International Order: East and West (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022)., coauthored with Feng Zhang
(Link)
The Quest for Knowledge in International Relations: How Do We Know? (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, in press)
(Link)
Between Peace and War: 40th Anniversary Revised Edition (New York: Palgrave-Macmillan, 2020) (Link)
Ethics and International Relations: A Tragic Perspective (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020)
(Link)
Taming Sino-American Rivalry, coauthored with Feng Zhang (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020) (Link)
Reason and Cause: Social Science in a Social World (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020)
(Link)
A Democratic Foreign Policy: Regaining American Influence Abroad (New York: Palgrave-Macmillan, 2019) (Link)
The Rise and Fall of Political Orders (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018) (Link)
Self Interest in Politics and Business from Tocqueville to Trump (London: Palgrave-Macmillan, 2017) (Link)
Avoiding War, Making Peace (London: Palgrave-Macmillan, 2017) (Link)
National Identities and International Relations (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016) (Link)
Constructing Cause in International Relations (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014) (Link)
The Politics and Ethics of Identity: In Search of Ourselves (Cambridge: University Press, 2012) (Link)
Why Nations Fight: Past and Future Motives for War (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010) (Link)
Archduke Franz Ferdinand Lives! A World Without World War I (New York: Palgrave-Macmillan, 2014) (Link)
Good-Bye Hegemony! Power and Influence in the Global System, coauthored with Simon Reich (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014) (Link)
Forbidden Fruit: Counterfactuals and International Relations (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010) (Link)
A Cultural Theory of International Relations (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008) (Link)
Coercion, Cooperation and Ethics (New York: Routledge, 2006) (Link)
The Tragic Vision of Politics: Ethics, Interests and Orders (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003) (Link)
Videos
King's College London - International Relations Theory Lecture Series. I provide an overview of international relations theory in the twentieth century. I ask why scholars sought to develop IR theories, the extent to which these theories are rooted in particular political and intellectual assumptions, and why particular theories or paradigms have risen and fallen in their relative appeal. I discuss two ways of evaluating theories and their claims: conceptually and empirically.
Richard Ned Lebow: King's College London - International Relations Theory Lecture Series (link)
- International Relations, Diplomacy and Trust (link)
- Lecture 1: Introduction to IR Theory (link)
- Lecture 2: What is Knowledge? (link)
- Lecture 3: Positivist Understandings for Knowledge (link)
- Lecture 4: Interpretivist Understandings of Knowledge (link)
- Lecture 5: The Positivist Search for Knowledge (link)
- Lecture 6: The Positivist Search for Knowledge: Correlational Research (link)
- Lecture 7: The Positivist Search for Knowledge: Experiments (link)
- Lecture 8: The Positivist Search for Knowledge: Rationalism (link)
- Lecture 9: Interpretivist Search for Knowledge: Casual Narratives (link)
- Lecture 10: Interpretivist Search for Knowledge: Practice Theory (link)
- Lecture 11: Positivist Knowledge Claims (link)
- Lecture 12: Interpretivist Knowledge Claims (link)
- Lecture 13: Counterfactuals (link)
- Lecture 14: Reason (link)
- Lecture 15: Cause: Aristotle to Russell (link)
- Lecture 16: The Causal Paradox (link)
- Lecture 17: Thick Understandings of Cause (link)
- Lecture 18: Constructivism (link)
- Lecture 19: Constructivism - A Friendly Critique (link)
- Lecture 20: Realism (link)
- Lecture 21: Classical Realism (link)
- Lecture 24: Empire in Historical Perspective (link)
- Lecture 25: Colonialism: Scramble for Africa (link)
- Lecture 26: Colonialism: Racism (link)
- Lecture 27a: Cultural Theory Part 1A (link)
- Lecture 27b: Cultural Theory Part 1B (link)
- Lecture 28a: Cultural Theory Part 2A (link)
- Lecture 28b: Cultural Theory Part 2B (link)
- Lecture 29: Identity Part 1 (link)
- Lecture 30: Liberalism (link)
- Lecture 31: Deterrence (link)
- Lecture 32: Nuclear Weapons (link)
- Lecture 33: Power Transition Theory (link)
- International Relations, Diplomacy and Trust (link)
- There is a risk the crisis will spiral out of control (link)
- Theory: International relations, conflict management, causes of war, psychology of decisionmaking and learning, ancient and modern political theory, politics and ethics of identity, philosophy of science.
- Policy: Conflict prevention and management, regional conflict, bargaining and negotiation, politics of memory.
- Methods: Case studies, experiments, counterfactuals, scenario generation.
- 44 (0)7557 223 814
- 01 603 643-1249 (Summer)
- nedlebow@gmail.com
- richard.lebow@kcl.ac.uk
In this video Ned talks about NATO, Russia and Ukraine.
Interviews
Richard Ned Lebow is an American political scientist best known for his work in international relations, political psychology, classics and philosophy of science.
In this video Ned talks about NATO, Russia and Ukraine.
Interview by Pavlos Papadopoulos where Ned talks about NATO, Russia and Ukraine.
Fiction
Richard Ned Lebow is an American political scientist best known for his work in international relations, political psychology, classics and philosophy of science.
Obsession
(Link)
Cambridge (vk): Pegasus, 2021
Rough Waters and Other Stories
Cambridge: Ethics International Press, 2022
Physician, Heal Thyself!
View Short Story
Nixon in Hell
View Short Story
Surviving Tet
View Short Story
Photos
CV Updated 2023 October
Primary Professional Interests:
Summary
Richard Ned Lebow
Department of War Studies, King's College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS
Education
Ph.D. Political Science
1968
City University of New York
MA. International Relations
1964
Yale University
B.A. Political Science
1963
University of Chicago
Professional Appointments
Professor of International Political Theory, Emeritus
2012 - Present
Department of War Studies, King’s College London (half-time, 2017)
Honorary Fellow
2012 - Present
Pembroke College, University of Cambridge
Contact
Richard Ned Lebow is Professor of International Political Theory at King's College London; Bye-Fellow of Pembroke College, University of Cambridge; and James O. Freedman Presidential Professor Emeritus, Dartmouth College.