Teddy Roosevelt — an “American Realist”

In the popular imagination, Theodore Roosevelt is remembered as an aggressive, bombastic “Rough Rider” — a caricature that he relished that colors the history of his presidency. However, despite this hard-charging image, Dr. Colin Dueck argues that Roosevelt’s foreign policy was defined more by a careful and restrained exercise of American power than by his idealistic and combative personality. Through measured diplomacy and the judicious application of America’s growing naval power, Roosevelt secured American interests in the Caribbean, Europe, and East Asia and pursued his ultimate goal of a leading role for the United States in world affairs. Join us as we welcome Dr. Colin Dueck of George Mason University to discuss how Roosevelt's administration embodied what he calls “American realism” in foreign policy and what his tenure can teach us about America’s position in the world since.

This event was made possible by general support for CSIS.