International relations is an anarchic realm of politics in which no state is formally entitled to lead and no state is required to follow. Nevertheless, some states do aspire to leadership and sometimes they manage to gain the consent of many other states. This course will examine both theoretically and historically the question of leadership in several areas of world politics, including alliance management, collective security, common-resource problems concerning the environment, and the creation and maintenance of international institutions. Is the United States a benevolent leader acting in the broad interests of the international system, or a rogue superpower acting on behalf of its own narrow interests? Should leaders in the international system act unilaterally or multilaterally? Is collective leadership possible in world politics? Should we prefer a system with one leader or one with widely diffused power? Virtually every important question in world politics revolves around the question of leadership. Evaluation will be based on two 7-page papers, a midterm and a final exam. No prerequisites, but Political Science 202 strongly encouraged. Enrollment limit: 25 (expected: 25).