Lucas Hellemeier

Lucas Hellemeier is a Lecturer in Political Science at the John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies at the Free University of Berlin. He teaches the Bachelor course "Armaments and International Relations" across multiple semesters including Winter Semesters 2022/23, 2024/25, and 2025/26.

His academic focus centers on the intersection of international relations and defense industrial policy, with particular expertise in:

• Defense industrial globalization
• U.S. hegemony and foreign policy
• European defense cooperation
• Arms trade and production networks
• Transatlantic security relations

Hellemeier's research examines how defense-industrial globalization affects U.S. hegemony, using network analysis tools to scrutinize the political consequences of the post-Cold War defense-industrial order. His work bridges security studies and international political economy, drawing on recent theoretical developments in hegemony studies and structural power analysis.

His publications demonstrate a consistent focus on European defense industrial policy, transatlantic burden-sharing, and strategic autonomy. Recent work addresses the implications of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on European defense, the political economy of European defense, and the potential impacts of U.S. political changes on European defense industrial efforts.

Hellemeier is currently completing his dissertation titled "Defense Industrial Globalization and U.S. Hegemony" under the supervision of Prof. Lora Viola at the Free University of Berlin.

As a lecturer, he guides students through the complex dynamics of armaments in international relations, covering theoretical frameworks, crisis stability concepts, and the political economy of arms production.