Dr. Wesley Widmaier

Biography

Wesley Widmaier is a Professor in the Department of International Relations at the Australian National University. His research focuses on the interplay of wars, crises, and change, examining how stability can lead to instability. He explores the historical development of economic ideas and institutions, analyzing the implications of over-learned lessons from past crises that may contribute to future upheavals. Widmaier has published extensively in leading journals, including the Review of International Political Economy and International Studies Quarterly. He authored a significant book titled 'Economic Ideas and Political Time: The Rise and Fall of Economic Orders from the Progressive Era to the Global Financial Crisis' (Cambridge University Press, 2016). Currently, his research aims to illuminate the relationship between ideas, crises, and changes at a global level, particularly relating to the nineteenth-century gold standard and the Bretton Woods framework. On the side of International Security, he also studies how wars impart 'lessons' that can obscure sources of renewed instability. His ongoing research intends to identify sources of stability and instability in Australian foreign policy and the implications of misplaced certainty in international relations.

Research Interests

Experience