David M. Kennedy
Donald J. McLachlan Professor of History, Stanford University

An Invitation to Struggle: The Constitution, the Military, and Political Accountability
Tuesday, February 3, 2009 – 4:10 p.m.
Lipman Room, Barrows Hall, 8th Floor

Read the Berkeleyan article: The march to war, from Bonaparte to Bush

As a historian with an academic background in American Studies, David Kennedy is known for sharp analysis of American history through the multiple lenses of culture, economics, and politics.  In his 20th century United States history courses Kennedy explores the many aspects of American political and social thought, American foreign policy, American literature, and the comparative development of democracy in Europe and America.  Recently, his research interests have touched on the relevant issue of the power dynamics among the nation’s governing branches and the social and political consequences therein. 

Jefferson lecture description:

The American Founders granted Congress the power to declare war, but made the President the commander-in-chief -- among the most vexed set of the fabled "checks and balances" for which the U.S. Constitution is justly famous. This lecture will re-visit the tortured history of efforts to bring deliberative democratic practices to bear on the decision to shoulder arms. It will focus especially on the current configuration of the U.S. military force structure, and its implications for political accountability, social equity, and comity.

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