Bio

Dr Maximilian Terhalle is currently a visiting scholar at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, an appointment that follows his attendance of Hoover's International Seminar in 2023. In his home country, he serves as an instructor at the Hamburg-based Defence Academy (Germany).

Thinking "fast and slow" about the art of making strategic choices, about strategies and strategic culture lies at the heart of his research, shaped as it is by real-world practice. A former strategic adviser himself (UK MoD), Maximilian aims at weaving together notions of common sense, insights from neuroscience, political psychology, historical knowledge, as well as notions of leadership into his understanding of strategic mindsets, grand strategy and national security.
At Stanford/Hoover, Maximilian looks forward to pushing the boundaries of his own understanding of the latest round in the "struggle for power" which the West is undergoing in world politics.

Previously, he taught and/or conducted research at Columbia's SIPA , Yale, LSE, Oxford, and King's College London, among others. His most recent book is "The Responsibility to Defend: Re-thinking Germany's Strategic Culture" (IISS 2021, w. Bastian Giegerich).

He obtained his Master's degrees from London and Bonn Universities (1998, 2005), his PhD from Bonn University (GER, 2006) and his Habilitation (higher doctorate) from Potsdam University (GER, 2016). Also, Maximilian is a reserve officer, currently holding the rank of a lieutenant colonel (reconn.). He is married with four amazing children.

Contact

  • Work
    terhalle@stanford.edu
    University - Visitor Department: Visiting Fellowship Position: Visiting Scholar
    University - Affiliate Department: Finance

Additional Info

  • Profile:
    Dr Maximilian Terhalle's analyzes strategic thinking and strategy-making, focussing on the future of the Western order.