My name is John P. Harden. I am an incoming Rosenwald Postdoctoral Fellow in US Foreign Policy and International Security at Dartmouth College's Dickey Center. I am currently an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Ripon College. I earned my PhD at The Ohio State University in May 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), Great Power politics, international conflict and cooperation, leader psychology (especially narcissism), 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 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 leads to many unique regularities in foreign policy. Examples include unilaterally initiating disputes against Great Powers and behaving opposite your political circle's reputation for hawkishness or dovishness. 

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