The SMU Tower Center invites you to the National Security Lecture: Liberal Success and Illiberal Failures in Power Politics:  Prospects for a Liberal Comeback?

Liberal great powers have been on the winning side of six out of the last six contests for hegemony in the international system. Their superiority is grounded in four “invisible hand” mechanisms: free markets, free politics, free speech, and the liberal form of the balance of power. Illiberal powers like Russia lack these mechanisms, leading them down self-destructive paths. However, the liberal order is currently in crisis. Professor Snyder argues that liberalism’s comeback depends on achieving a better balance between the dynamism of “creative destruction” and regulated decentralized interactions.

Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026

5:30 – 6:00 p.m. Registration and Reception

6:00 – 7:30 p.m. Event

Location: Walsh Room, SMU Underwood Law Library,  6550 Hillcrest Ave., Dallas, TX 75205

The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required and the seats are first come, first served. Please click below for registration.

Speaker: Dr. Jack Lewis Snyder is the Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science and the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies at Columbia.

Moderator: Dr. Stefano Recchia is the John G. Tower Distinguished Chair in International Politics and Director of the National Security Program at the Tower Center.

Any person who requires a reasonable accommodation on the basis of a disability in order to participate in this program should contact the SMU Tower Center at tower@smu.edu in advance at least 4 days prior to the event to arrange for the accommodation.

SMU Tower Center | http://www.smu.edu/TowerCenter

Southern Methodist University (SMU)

3300 University Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75275-0117

214-768-3954  tower@smu.edu