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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "PL 330"
COURSE NAME: "American Foreign Policy"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2019
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Seth Jaffe
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 1:30-2:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: PL 209
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
A study of major foreign policy issues which have confronted the United States since World War II and the process of foreign policy formulation and implementation.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

An introduction to the study of American foreign policy. After a historical overview emphasizing enduring themes of U.S. FP, the course explores the U.S. policy-making process and examines the impact of intragovernmental rivalries, the Congress, interest groups, public opinion, and the media on the substance of America’s foreign policy. We will then explore the challenges to creating a comprehensive foreign policy for the 21st century, with a special emphasis on the shift from the Obama to Trump administrations. More topical subjects will include the U.S. Russian relationship, humanitarian emergencies, the dangers of nuclear proliferation, and the rise of China, among others.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

My pedagogical objective is that students understand the trends of American FP after WW-II, that they demonstrate an understanding of key actors and institutional factors that shape the development of U.S. FP, and, finally, that they prove capable of engaging with more topical foreign policy challenges using the tools furnished by the class. 

TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
American Foreign Policy Since World War II (20th edition)Steven W. Hook and John SpanierCQ978-1483368535 Almost Corner bookstore.   
The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy: Insights and EvidenceJames M. McCormick (ed)Rowman and Littlefield978-1442275362 Almost Corner, and there should be some floating around from last year's class. There is a new edition, as of Oct 2017. Ideal is the 2017 edition, but many of the assigned readings are also in the 2012 edition.   
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
6 pg. Briefing Memo  20%
Midterm 30%
Research Memo (10 pages) OR Final Exam 35%
Participation 15%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until ____________
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

COURSE SCHEDULE

NOTE: I reserve the right to modify the reading assignments, and on occasion, I will add a reading (and more rarely, subtract one).

In addition to the assigned readings, note that you are also required to keep abreast of current international events through regular reading of national and international newspapers and journals, with a special focus on the evolving policy positions of the Trump administration.

Class 1

Course intro + syllabus review

I. Evolution of the American "National Style”

           

            1. Hook & Spanier, preface and chapter one, pp. xiii-21.

            2. Trump’s 2017 National Security Strategy (peruse):

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/NSS-Final-12-18-2017-0905.pdf

3. “Trump, the Insurgent, Breaks with 70 years of U.S. Foreign Policy,” New York Times, Dec 28th, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/28/us/politics/trump-world-diplomacy.html?mtrref=www.washingtonpost.com

            4. Trump’s Foreign Policy: Year One Timeline (Council on Foreign Relations)

            https://www.cfr.org/timeline/trumps-foreign-policy-year-one

 

Class 2

            1. Hook & Spanier, American Foreign Policy Since WW II, pp. 22-71.

2. X (George Kennan). 1947. “The Sources of Soviet Conduct. Foreign Affairs, 25.4, pp. 853-868. (Frohring)

            3. Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain Speech,” March 5th, 1947:

            http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/churchill-iron.asp

4. Harry Truman’s March 12, 1947 speech to a joint session of Congress (The Truman Doctrine):

            http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/trudoc.asp 

 

Class 3

 

1. Hook & Spanier, American Foreign Policy Since WW II, pp. 72-125.

2. The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 1-32, 157-177, 319-332.

Class 4

 

            1. Hook & Spanier, American Foreign Policy Since WW II, pp. 126-172.

            2. Francis Fukuyama, “The End of History?” The National Interest, 1989:

https://ps321.community.uaf.edu/files/2012/10/Fukuyama-End-of-history-article.pdf

 

3.  John Gray, “The Triumphalist” (Review of Fukuyama’s The Origins of Political Order). The New Republic (Nov 9, 2011):

            https://newrepublic.com/article/97257/fukuyama-modernization-theory-evolution

 

II. The Policy-Making Process

 

Class 5

The State Department

1. Colin Powell, “The Craft of Diplomacy,” The Wilson Quarterly (Summer, 2004), pp. 60-67. (Frohring)

2. Hilary R. Clinton, “Leading Through Civilian Power,” in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 239-251.

3. Deepak Malhotra, “Without Conditions:  The Case for Negotiating with the Enemy,” Foreign Affairs, Vol. 88, No. 5 (September/October 2009), pp. 84-90. . (Frohring)

            4. “John Kerry’s Mission to Save Diplomacy.” CNN. Dec 28th, 2016:

            http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/28/politics/john-kerry-legacy/

5. “Rex Tillerson and the Unraveling of the State Department,” New York Times Magazine, October 17th, 2017: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/17/magazine/rex-tillerson-and-the-unraveling-of-the-state-department.html

 

Class 6

The Rise of the NSC

1. I. M. Destler, “How National Security Advisers See Their Role,” in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 209-222.

2. Daniel Drezner, “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of H.R. McMaster’s national security advice,” The Washington Post, January 11th, 2018.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/01/11/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-of-h-r-mcmasters-national-security-advice/?utm_term=.7f7259c4e397

3. James C. Thomson, Jr., “How Could Vietnam Happen?  An Autopsy,” in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 333-344.

4. Steve Smith, “Policy Preferences and Bureaucratic Position:  The Case of the American Hostage Rescue Mission,” in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 345-360.

5. James N. Goldgeier, “NATO Expansion:  The Anatomy of a Decision, in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 383-398.

Class 7

The Defense Department

1. Ashton Carter, “Running the Pentagon Right,” Foreign Affairs (Jan/Feb 2014), pp. 101-112. (Frohring)

2. Dexter Filkins, “James Mattis, a Warrior in Washington,” The New Yorker, May 29, 2017: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/05/29/james-mattis-a-warrior-in-washington

3. Gordon Adams and Matthew Leatherman, “A Leaner and Meaner Defense,” in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 253-265.

4. Michael O’Hanlon and David Petraeus, “America’s Awesome Military, and How to Make it Even Better, Foreign Affairs (Sept/Oct 2016), pp. 10-17. (Frohring)

5. William Lynn III, “The End of the Military-Industrial Complex,” Foreign Affairs (Nov/Dec 2014), pp. 104-110. (Frohring)

 

Class 8

The Intelligence Community

       

1. Robert Jervis, “Why Intelligence and Policymakers Clash,” in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, 267-284.

2. Helen Fessenden, “The Limits of Intelligence Reform, Foreign Affairs, Vol. 84, No. 6 (Dec/Jan 2005), pp. 106-120. (Frohring)

3. Daniel Byman and Benjamin Wittes, “Reforming the NSA,” Foreign Affairs (May 2014), pp. 127-138. (Frohring)

4. Jane Harman, “Disrupting the Intelligence Community,” Foreign Affairs (March 2015), pp. 99-107. (Frohring)

5. Bob Dreyfus, “What’s Behind Trump’s Vitriol for the Intelligence Community?” Rolling Stone, November 14th, 2017: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/whats-behind-trumps-vitriol-for-the-intelligence-community-w511658

6. “Security Breach and Spilled Secrets have Shaken the N.S.A. to the Core,” 12, 2017: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/12/us/nsa-shadow-brokers.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

Classes 9 and 10

The President, Congress and the Separation of Powers

1. Michael Nelson, “Person and Office:  Presidents, the Presidency, and Foreign Policy,” in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 179-188.

2. Louis Fisher “Presidents Who Initiate Wars, in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 189-208.

3. James M. Lindsay, “The Shifting Pendulum of Power:  Executive-Legislative Relations on American Foreign Policy,” in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 223-238.

4. Norman J. Ornstein and Thomas E. Mann, “When Congress Checks Out," Foreign Affairs, Vol. 85, No. 6 (November/December 2006), pp. 67-82. (Frohring)

5. William G. Howell and Jon C. Pevehouse, “When Congress Stops Wars:  Partisan Politics and Presidential Power,” Foreign Affairs, Vol. 86, No. 5 (September/October 2007), pp. 95-107. (Frohring)

6. Steven Casey, “When Congress Gets Mad: Foreign Battles in the 1950s and Today,” Foreign Affairs (Jan/Feb 2016), pp. 76-84. (Frohring)

7. Stephen R. Weissman, “Congress and War: How the House and Senate Can Reclaim Their Role,” Foreign Affairs (Jan/Feb 2017), pp. 132-145. (Frohring)

8. I.M. Destler, “American Trade Policy-Making: A Unique Process,” in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 301-318.

 

Class 11

 

Public Opinion, Elections and Partisanship in U.S. Foreign Policy

1. Miroslav Nincic, “External Affairs and the Electoral Connection,” in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 139-155.

2. Adam J. Berinsky, “Events, Elites, and American Public Support for Military Conflict,” in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 123-138

3. The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, America in the Age of Uncertainty: American Public Opinion and U.S. Foreign Policy (Chicago: Chicago Council on Global Affairs, 2016)

            Main page:

            https://www.thechicagocouncil.org/publication/america-age-uncertainty

            Report PDF:

https://www.thechicagocouncil.org/sites/default/files/ccgasurvey2016_america_age_uncertainty.pdf

 

Briefing memo due

 

Class 12

Interest Groups and the Media

1. James M. McCormick, “Ethnic Interest Groups in American Foreign Policy,” in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 67-87.

2. Walter Russell Mead, “The Tea Party, Populism, and the Domestic Culture of U.S. Foreign Policy,” in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 55-66.

3. Walter Russell Mead, “God’s Country?” Foreign Affairs, Vol. 85, No. 5 (September/October 2006), pp. 24-43. (Frohring)

4. John Newhouse, “Diplomacy, Inc.: The Influence of Lobbies on U.S. Foreign Policy,” Foreign Affairs, Vol. 88, No. 3 (May/June 2009), pp. 73-92. (Frohring.)

5. John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, “The Israel Lobby,” in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 89-103.

6. Walter Russell Mead, “Jerusalem Syndrome: Decoding The Israel Lobby,” Foreign Affairs, Vol. 86, No. 6 (November/December 2007), pp. 160-168. (Frohring)

 

Class 13 Review

 

Class 14 Midterm in class

 

Class 15

 

Obama’s Foreign Policy and Trump’s

 

1. Jeffrey Goldberg, “The Obama Doctrine,” The Atlantic, April 2016

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/04/the-obama-doctrine/471525/

2. Evan Osnos, David Remnick, and Joshua Yaffa, “Trump, Putin, and the New Cold War,” The New Yorker, March 6th, 2017.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/06/trump-putin-and-the-new-cold-war

3. Ryan Lizza, “Obama, the Consequentialist,” in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 429-447.

4a. Joseph S. Nye Jr., “The Future of American Power: Dominance and Decline in Perspective,” in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 33-45.

4b. Gideon Rachman, “Think Again: American Decline,” in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 47-54.

The Tools of Policy

 

Class 16

 

Sticks: Military Force and Economic Sanctions

1. Peter D. Feaver and Christopher Gelpi, “American Veterans in Government and the Use of Force,” in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 105-121.

2. Abraham D. Sofaer, “The Best Defense?  Preventive Force and International Security,” Foreign Affairs, Vol. 89, No. 2 (January/February 2010), pp. 109-118. Frohring

3. John Mueller and Karl Mueller, “Sanctions of Mass Destruction,” Foreign Affairs  (May/June 1999), Vol. 78, No. 3, pp. 43-53 Frohring.

4. George A. Lopez and David Cortright, “Containing Iraq:  Sanctions Worked,” Foreign Affairs, Vol. 83, No. 4 (July/August 2004), pp. 90-103. Frohring.

 

5. Emma Ashford, “Not-So-Smart Sanctions: The Failure of Western Restrictions Against Russia,” Foreign Affairs (January/February, 2016), pp. 114-123.

 

6. Mac Thornberry and Andrew F. Krepinevich, Jr. “Preserving Primacy: A Defense Strategy for the New Administration,” Foreign Affairs (September/October 2016), pp. 26-35.

 

Class 17

 

Carrots

1. Joseph S. Nye, Jr., “Soft Power and American Foreign Policy,” Political Science Quarterly (Summer 2004, 119.2), pp. 255-270. Frohring.

https://jculibrary.on.worldcat.org/search?queryString=Soft%20Power%20and%20American%20Foreign%20Policy&databaseList=2264,2263,2262,1271,2261,2260,3548,1953,2007,2513,2237,2259,1982,2267,3036,1708,638,3879&page=1&queryType=search

 

2. Walter Russell Mead, “America’s STICKY Power,” Foreign Policy (March/April 2004), No. 141, pp. 46-53. Forhring.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2009/10/29/americas-sticky-power/

 

3. Tarnoff and Lawson, “Foreign Aid: An Introduction to U.S. Programs and Policy” (June 17, 2016) Congressional Research Service, pp. 1-34  (especially pp. 1-19).

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R40213.pdf

4. Jagdish Bhagwati, “Banned Aid:  Why International Assistance Does Not Alleviate Poverty,” Foreign Affairs, Vol. 89, No. 2 (January/February 2010), pp. 120-125. Frohring.

5. David Miliband and Ravi Gurumurthy, “Improving Humanitarian Aid: How to Make Relief More Efficient and Effective,” Foreign Affairs (July/Aug 2015), pp. 118-129. Frohring.

III: American Foreign Policy Challenges

Class 18

 

Trade Policy (MAGA)

1. I.M. Destler, “American Trade Policy-Making: A Unique Process,” in The Domestic Sources of American Foreign Policy, pp. 301-318.

 

2. The President’s Trade Policy Agenda (Annual Report):

 

2A. Summary of Annual Report

https://ustr.gov/about-us/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases/2018/february/trump-administration-sends-annual

 

2B. Annual Report (flip through exec summary + peruse)

https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/files/Press/Reports/2018/AR/2018%20Annual%20Report%20I.pdf

 

2C. Also peruse website of U.S. Trade Representative (Robert Lighthizer)

https://ustr.gov/

Recent news items:

A. Trump’s Steel Tariffs

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-wto/trumps-tariffs-head-for-a-legal-minefield-idUSKCN1GS1KL

B. Trump Blocks Broadcom-Qualcomm deal:

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/13/17116288/qualcomm-broadcom-trump-cfius-treasury-deal

C. Gary Cohn, head of Trump’s Economic Council, quits:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/mar/06/gary-cohn-quits-trump-economic-adviser

 

D. Larry Kudlow, appointed new head of Trump’s Economic Council:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/mar/14/larry-kudlow-gary-cohn-trump-administration

 

E. China Tariffs?

http://thehill.com/policy/international/378916-trump-expected-to-announce-china-tariffs-next-week-report

 

F. Trans Pacific Partnership Update

http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2018/03/04/the-new-trans-pacific-partnership-hunkers-down-against-trump/

 

 

Class 19

 

China

 

1. Evan Osnos, “Born Red: How Xi Jinping, an unremarkable provincial administrator, became China’s most authoritarian leader since Mao,” The New Yorker (April 6th, 2015):

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/04/06/born-red

                        1A. Xi Jinping (removal of term limits):

                        https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/25/world/asia/china-xi-jinping.html

2. A Thucydides Trap?

2A. S.N. Jaffe, “The Risks and Rewards of Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War,” War on the Rocks, July 6th, 2017:

https://warontherocks.com/2017/07/the-risks-and-rewards-of-thucydides-history-of-the-peloponnesian-war/

 

2B. “How America and China Could Stumble Into War,” The National Interest, April 12th, 2017.

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/how-america-china-could-stumble-war-20150

 

3. Ash Carter, “The Rebalance and Asia-Pacific Security: Building a Principled Security Network,” Foreign Affairs (November/December 2016), pp. 65-75. Frohring.

4. One Belt, One Road (OBOR) primer: https://qz.com/983460/obor-an-extremely-simple-guide-to-understanding-chinas-one-belt-one-road-forum-for-its-new-silk-road/

5. PERUSE only: “A One-China Policy Primer,” Brookings Institute, East Asian Policy Paper no. 10 (March 2017): https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/one-china-policy-primer-web-final.pdf

Class 20

 

North Korea

 

1. Jon Wolfstahl, “A Crucial First Step for Negotiating with North Korea,” War on the Rocks (March 16th, 2018):

https://warontherocks.com/2018/03/when-negotiating-with-north-korea-the-first-step-may-be-the-hardest/

 

2. Texas National Security Review, “Policy Roundtable: Are There any Good Choices When it Comes to North Korea?” (Feb 7th, 2018):

https://tnsr.org/roundtable/policy-roundtable-good-choices-comes-north-korea/

 

3. Evan Osnos, “The Risk of Nuclear War with North Korea,” The New Yorker (September 18th, 2017):

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/09/18/the-risk-of-nuclear-war-with-north-korea

 

4. Jeffrey Lewis, “North Korea Is Practicing for Nuclear War: North Korea isn’t Testing its Missiles. It’s Preparing for a Nuclear First Strike,” Foreign Policy (March 9th, 2017):

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/09/north-korea-is-practicing-for-nuclear-war/?utm_content=buffere224a&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

 

5. Hannah Beech, “China’s North Korea Problem,” The New Yorker (February 23rd, 2017):

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/chinas-north-korea-problem

6. Peruse as many of the below NYTimes article links about North Korea as you can (and/or other news sources, since NK is now very much in the news):

https://www.nytimes.com/topic/subject/north-koreas-nuclear-program

Class 21

 

Saudi Arabia and Iran

 

1. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, “Crown Prince of Disorder,” Foreign Policy Magazine (March 21st, 2018): https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/03/21/crown-prince-of-disorder/

 

1B. Ben Hubbard, David P. Kirkpatrick, Kate Kelly, and Mark Mazzeti, “Saudis Said to Use Coercion and Abuse to Seize Billions,” New York Times (March 11th, 2018): https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/11/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-corruption-mohammed-bin-salman.html

 

2. Saudia Arabia Minister of Foreign Affairs, “The Foreign Policy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”: http://www.mofa.gov.sa/sites/mofaen/KingdomForeignPolicy/Pages/ForeignPolicy24605.aspx

 

3. Ali Fathollah Nejad, “The Iranian-Saudi Hegemonic Rivalry,” Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (Oct 25, 2017):

https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/iranian-saudi-hegemonic-rivalry

 

4. Abdulmajeed Alsaud, “The Iran – Saudi Conflict: The Saudi Perspective” Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (Feb 18th, 2016): https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/iran-saudi-conflict-saudi-perspective

 

5. Suzanne Maloney, “The Roots and Evolution of Iran’s Regional Strategy,” Issue Brief, Atlantic Council (September, 2017):

http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/images/The_Roots_and_Evolution_of_Irans_Regional_Strategy_web_0928.pdf

 

6. BBC News, “Yemen Crisis: Who is Fighting Whom?” (January 30th, 2018):

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29319423

 

7. OPTIONAL (read summary and table and contents + peruse): Kenneth Katzman, “Iran’s Foreign and Defense Policies,” Congressional Research Service (March 20, 2018): https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/R44017.pdf

Spring break

Class 22

 

Iraq and ISIS

 

1. Hook & Spanier, American Foreign Policy Since WW II, pp. 261-274, 315-321.

 

2. Renad Mansour, “Iraq After the Fall of ISIS: the Struggle for the State,” Chatham House (July 2017):

https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/files/chathamhouse/publications/research/2017-07-04-iraq-after-isis-mansour-final2.pdf

 

2A (optional). Shelby Culbertson and Linda Robinson, “Making Victory Count After Defeating ISIS: Stabilisation Challenges in Mosul and Beyond,” Rand Corporation (2017): https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2076.html

 

3. Rukmini Callimachi, “The ISIS Files, “The New York Times  (April 5th, 2018):

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/04/04/world/middleeast/isis-documents-mosul-iraq.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=span-ab-top-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

 

4.  Jared Cohen, “Digital Counterinsurgency: How to Marginalize the Islamic State On-line (Foreign Affairs November/December 2015), pp. 52-58. Frohring.

 

5. Ranj Alaaldin, “How Iran used the Hezbollah Model to Dominate Iraq and Syria,” (March 30th, 2018):

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/30/opinion/iran-hezbollah-iraq-syria.html 

 

Class 23

 

Syria, Turkey, and the Kurds

 

1. Hook & Spanier, American Foreign Policy Since WW II, pp. 311-313.

 

2. Ben Hubbard and Jugal K. Patel, Why is the Syrian War Still Raging?” The New York Times (Feb 8th, 2018):

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/08/world/middleeast/war-in-syria-maps.html

 

3. Rex Tillerson, “Remarks on the Way Forward in Syria, U.S. State Department:

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:OYN1E-i2vrgJ:https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2018/01/277493.htm+&cd=1&hl=it&ct=clnk&gl=it

 

4. Dmitri Trenin, “Putin’s Plan for Syria: How Russia Wants to End the War,” Foreign Affairs (December 13, 2017):

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/syria/2017-12-13/putins-plan-syria

 

5. Aaron Stein, “Strategic Incoherence in Syria: Why Iran, Russian, and Turkey Can’t All Get What They Want,” Foreign Affairs (March 2nd, 2018):

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/turkey/2018-03-02/strategic-incoherence-syria

 

6. Brendan O’Leary, “The Kurds, the Four Wolves, and the Great Powers,” Journal of Politics 80:1 (Dec 2017), pp. 353-366.

 

7A (optional). “Civil War in Syria,” Council on Foreign Relations Global Conflict Tracker: https://www.cfr.org/interactives/global-conflict-tracker#!/conflict/civil-war-in-syria

 

7B (optional). Syria links (Rand Corp): https://www.rand.org/topics/syria.html

Class 24

 

Russia – A Hybrid Threat, Geopolitical Rival, and Spoiler

 

1. James N. Miller, Richard Fontaine, Alexander Velez-Green, “Averting the U.S. Russia Warpath,” Russia Matters, originally in The National Interest (February 22, 2018): https://www.russiamatters.org/analysis/averting-us-russia-warpath

 

2. (Previously assigned) Evan Osnos, David Remnick, and Joshua Yaffa, “Trump, Putin, and the New Cold War,” The New Yorker, March 6th, 2017:

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/06/trump-putin-and-the-new-cold-war

3. Fyodor Lukyanov, “Putin’s Foreign Policy: The Quest to Restore Russia’s Rightful Place,” Foreign Affairs (May/June 2016), pp. 30-37. (attached)

 

4. Benn Steil, “Russia’s Clash With The West Is About Geography, Not Ideology,” Foreign Policy Magazine (February 12, 2018):

http://foreignpolicy.com/2018/02/12/russias-clash-with-the-west-is-about-geography-not-ideology/

 

5. Kevin Doyle, “Team Trump on Russia: John Bolton’s Views,” Russian Matters (April 9th, 2018): https://www.russiamatters.org/analysis/team-trump-russia-john-boltons-views

6. PERUSE Russian Foreign Policy, website Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the European Union: https://russiaeu.ru/en/russian-foreign-policy

 

6A. OPTIONAL (bridge into April 19th) “Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections” (January 6th, 2017): https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/ICA_2017_01.pdf

 

Class 25

 

Cyber threats

 

1. Evan Osnos, “How Not to Freak Out About Cyber War, The New Yorker (March 15th, 2017): https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/how-not-to-freak-out-about-cyber

 

2. Eric Rosenbach, “Defending Digital Democracy: The Four Corners of Election Security,” Testimony transcript, Senate Intelligence Community (March 21st, 2018):

https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/defending-digital-democracy-four-corners-election-security

 

3. David Fidler, “Cyber Security and the New Era of Space Activities,” Council on  Foreign Relations (April 3rd, 2018):

https://www.cfr.org/report/cybersecurity-and-new-era-space-activities

 

4. Previously assigned. “Security Breach and Spilled Secrets have Shaken the N.S.A. to the Core,” 12, 2017): https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/12/us/nsa-shadow-brokers.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

 

5. PERUSE. Cyber Operations Tracker, Council on Foreign Relations:

https://www.cfr.org/interactive/cyber-operations

 

Class 26

 

Afghanistan and Pakistan

 

1. Hook & Spanier, American Foreign Policy Since WW II, pp. 233-260, 274-276, 294-297, 321-323.

2. Robbie Gramer, “Scathing Government Watchdog Report Details Bleak Outlook on Afghanistan,” Foreign Policy (February 1, 2017):

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/02/01/scathing-report-details-bleak-outlook-on-afghanistan-sigar-government-watchdog-foreign-aid/

2A Read only two page executive summary of the long report itself, but flip through the table of contents (found here): https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/quarterlyreports/2017-01-30qr.pdf

3. Vanda Felbab Brown, “President Trump’s Afghanistan Policy: Hopes and Pitfalls,” Brookings Institute (September 2017): https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/afghanistan_hopes_pitfalls.pdf

4. C. Christine Fair and Sumit Ganguly, “Pakistan and the Myth of Too Dangerous to Fail,” Foreign Affairs (January 8th, 2018): https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/pakistan/2018-01-08/pakistan-and-myth-too-dangerous-fail

5. “U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” panel discussion transcript (or video), Council on Foreign Relations (March 12th, 2018):

https://www.cfr.org/event/us-strategy-afghanistan-and-pakistan

Class 27

 

U.S FP toward Africa and Latin America

1. Nicolas van De Walle, “Obama and Africa: Lots of Hope, Not Much Change,” Foreign Affairs (September/October 2015), pp. 54-61. (Attached)

2. Grant T. Harris, “Trump’s Militaristic Africa Policy will Backfire,” Foreign Policy Magazine (March 30th, 2018): http://foreignpolicy.com/2018/03/30/trumps-militaristic-africa-policy-will-backfire/

3. Eleanor Albert, “China in Africa,” Council on Foreign Relations backgrounder (July 12, 2017): https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/china-africa

4. Gregory Weeks, “The Future of U.S. Policy Toward Latin America,” Georgetown Journal of International Affairs (August 10, 2017):

https://www.georgetownjournalofinternationalaffairs.org/online-edition/2017/8/16/the-future-of-us-policy-toward-latin-america

5. Moises Rendon, “Why Venezuela Should be a U.S. Foreign Policy Priority,” Center for Strategic and International Studies (August 17th, 2017):

https://www.csis.org/analysis/why-venezuela-should-be-us-foreign-policy-priority