The SMU Tower Center would like to invite you to the National Security Lecture: Constructed Success: How Leaders Manage Perceptions of Intervention Outcomes.

Public attitudes towards military action carry high stakes for democratic governance. Leaders, however, also have significant power over public perceptions and can use their information advantages to avoid accountability. How susceptible to manipulation are public perceptions of intervention success? Examining presidential statements and public opinion, I show that leaders’ power over public perceptions peaks when interventions pursue broad, open-ended goals.

Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Time: 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. ​

4:30 – 5:00 p.m. Registration

5:00 – 6:30 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: Sarah Maxey is an Associate Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science at Loyola University Chicago. Her research and teaching focus on foreign policy, public opinion, and the domestic politics of international security. She has recently published in outlets such as the Journal of Politics, International Studies Quarterly, the Journal of Conflict Resolution, and Political Behavior. Her forthcoming book Doves into Hawks: Talking about Saving Strangers to Build Public Support for War (Oxford University Press, March 2026) investigates how humanitarian rhetoric mobilizes public support for security crises, with unexpected consequences for democracy.

Discussant: Stefano Recchia, Distinguished Chair in international politics, director of studies, and director of the national security program at the Tower Center

Stefano Recchia is Distinguished Chair in international politics, director of studies, and director of the national security program at the Tower Center. Recchia’s new book, Strategies for Approval: Building Support for Military Intervention at the UN Security Council (Yale University Press, 2025), investigates how the United States and other major powers can reap the legitimacy benefits of UN approval for the use of force, even when veto-wielding permanent members like China and Russia are fiercely opposed at the outset. Professor Recchia has also published several other books and many articles in leading scholarly journals. His research has been funded by numerous bodies, including the Brookings Institution, Dickey Center at Dartmouth College, and Fulbright Commission.

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.

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