Road to 250: Thomas Jefferson's foreign policy

In this episode of the Road to 250 series, our host Kelly McFarland sits down with Professor Frank Cogliano of the University of Edinburgh to explore Thomas Jefferson's foreign policy and its lasting impact on America's role in the world.

Topics covered:

• The Federalist vs. Democratic-Republican divide over foreign policy
• Jefferson's "Empire of Liberty" — how he reconciled expansion with Republican ideals
• The Barbary Wars and Jefferson's willingness to use military force
• The Haitian Revolution and Jefferson's contradictions on liberty and slavery
• The Louisiana Purchase and the constitutional debate it sparked
• The Embargo Act of 1807 and economic statecraft as an alternative to war
• Jefferson's foreign policy legacy: idealism, pragmatism, and the origins of American multilateralism

About the guest: Frank Cogliano is a professor at the University of Edinburgh specializing in early American history and the age of Thomas Jefferson. He is the author of Emperor of Liberty: Thomas Jefferson's Foreign Policy (Yale University Press, 2014).

Produced by Freddie Mallinson and Mislav Majcan. Recorded on 11 March, 2026.

Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world. Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For more, visit our website, and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram @gudiplomacy

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🎙️ Check out our previous episode: U.S. foreign policy during the Revolution and early Republic with Katherine Statler

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