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War and the State in Historical Latin America: A Discussion of "Bringing War Back In"
Speaker: Luis L. Schenoni, University College London
Time: 4pm - 5.30pm
Date: 17 February 2026
Location: Room 138, Alison Richard Building, Cambridge, CB3 9DP
Bringing War Back In: Victory, Defeat, and the State in Nineteenth-Century Latin America (Cambridge University Press, 2025) develops a new theory of state formation that places war outcomes—victory and defeat—at the center of long-run political development. Moving beyond deterministic bellicist accounts, the book emphasizes the contingency of warfare, showing that international wars in nineteenth-century Latin America consistently triggered state-building efforts, but that their legitimacy, continuity, and effectiveness depended on how those wars ended. Victory strengthened political authority and institutional consolidation, while defeat weakened elite coalitions and undermined state capacity. Combining comparative historical analysis with cutting-edge social science methods, the book demonstrates that contemporary variation in state capacity across Latin America continues to reflect these nineteenth-century wartime trajectories. By breathing new life into bellicist approaches and offering a generalizable framework for understanding state formation, Bringing War Back In speaks to scholars of International Relations, Comparative Politics, and historical political economy. The book has received broad recognition, winning the Hedley Bull Award (ECPR), the Luciano Tomassini Award (LASA), and the FPA Book Prize (ISA); earning an Honorable Mention for the Charles H. Levine Prize (IPSA); and being shortlisted for the Luebbert Award (APSA).
Dictating the Agenda: How the Authoritarian Resurgence is Transforming Global Governance
Speaker: Alexander Cooley, Barnard College, Columbia University
Time: 4pm - 5.30pm
Date: 5 March 2026
Location: Room 138, Alison Richard Building, Cambridge, CB3 9DP
Following the end of the Cold War, the world experienced a remarkable wave of democratization. Over the next two decades, numerous authoritarian regimes transitioned to democracies, and it seemed that authoritarianism as a political model was fading. But as recent events have shown, things have clearly changed. Based on their new book Dictating the Agenda, Alexander Cooley and Alexander Dukalskis reveal how today's authoritarian states are actively countering liberal ideas and advocacy surrounding human rights and democracy across various global governance domains. The authors will present original data gathered in areas that include global media, sport, consumer advocacy campaigns, and transnational higher education. They will also discuss the changing role of the United States in shaping these trends.
For more information on this series, please contact Professor Jason Sharman.