My name is John P. Harden. I am a Rosenwald Postdoctoral Fellow in US Foreign Policy and International Security at Dartmouth College's Dickey Center. I joined the Dickey Center following a year as an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Ripon College. I earned my PhD at The Ohio State University in 2022. 

I specialize in International Relations and Political Psychology. My specific areas of interest within International Relations include: international security, foreign policy (especially US foreign policy), leader psychology (especially narcissism), international conflict and cooperation, nuclear weapons, and public opinion. My research has been published in International Studies Quarterly and Journal of Conflict Resolution. You can find detailed information about my research and teaching on this website. You can also find a copy of my CV. 

I am currently working on a book project, based on my dissertation, investigating what leaders want and how their motives impact their foreign policy decision-making and behavior. I use grandiose narcissism to examine variation in the goals and foreign policies of US presidents. While less narcissistic leaders pursue state interests at the cost of personal interests, narcissistic leaders pursue their own gains at the expense of state interests. Narcissistic leaders pursue their self-interest by making foreign policy decisions that promote and protect their inflated self-image. This pursuit of self-image maintenance leads to aggressive foreign policy behavior, frequent use of fuzzy signaling, and rising Great Power tensions.

Before earning my PhD, I earned a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science at City University of New York: Hunter College. I am originally from Staten Island, NY. If you are interested in learning more or have any questions, please contact me at harden.496@osu.edu