Kenneth Neal Waltz | |
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Born | Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. | June 8, 1924
Died | May 12, 2013 New York City, New York, U.S. | (aged 88)
Alma mater | |
Era | Contemporary philosophy |
Region | Western Philosophy |
School | Neorealism |
Institutions | University of California, Berkeley Columbia University |
Thesis |
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Academic advisors | William T. R. Fox |
Main interests | International security, nuclear security, anarchy |
Notable ideas | Structural realism, defensive realism |
Military career | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch | United States Army |
Years of service | 1944 – 1946 |
Rank | First lieutenant |
Battles/wars | World War II Occupation of Japan |
Kenneth Neal Waltz (/wɔːlts/; June 8, 1924 – May 12, 2013[1]) was an American political scientist who was a member of the faculty at both the University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University and one of the most prominent scholars in the field of international relations.[2] He was a veteran of both World War II and the Korean War.[3]
Waltz was one of the original founders of neorealism, or structural realism, in international relations theory and later became associated with the school of defensive neorealism. Waltz's theories have been extensively debated within the field of international relations.[4] His 1979 book Theory of International Politics is the most assigned book in International Relations graduate training at U.S. universities.[5]