My name is John P. Harden. I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Ripon College. 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. This webpage provides detailed information about my research and teaching. You can also find a copy of my CV. 

I am currently transforming my dissertation into a book project. This project investigates what leaders want and how that impacts 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 patterns in foreign policy. One notable example is that narcissistic leaders will unilaterally initiate more Great Power conflicts. You can learn more about the specifics of how narcissistic self-image maintenance impacts foreign policy behavior by going to my book project page. 

I earned my PhD at The Ohio State University in May 2022. 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