Stephen Walt

Professor of international affairs at Harvard University

Stephen Walt is Professor of international affairs at Harvard University. He was educated at Stanford University and the University of California before moving to Princeton to teach and continue his research. He has also taught at the University of Chicago and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. It was during his time studying for a PhD in political science from the University of California that Walt developed the 'Balance of Threat' theory, which defines threats in terms of power (aggregate and offensive), proximity, and intentions.

In 2006 Walt published a paper called 'The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy' (with academic John Mearsheimer), which subsequently became a New York Times Best Seller when released as a book. The Israel Lobby is a criticism of President Obama’s Cairo speech (June 2009) and its repercussions, as well as the President's justifications for war in Afghanistan.