JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "PL 331"
COURSE NAME: "European Security Issues after the Cold War"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2024

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Jean-Yves Henri Haine
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: PL 209
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course will examine how the almost simultaneous collapse of the Soviet Union, the Warsaw Pact and Yugoslavia in 1991 gave rise to a new set of challenges to European security. It will also examine the NATO-EU-Russia relationship and the foreign policies of major European powers, US priorities in the area, nation building, minorities and territorial issues and problems in Central and Eastern Europe, new spheres of influence and related conflicts.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

The course will combine historical understanding and political science explanations to review the most significant contemporary security issues faced by Europeans today. The aim is to better understand Europe's security environment, the difficulties faced by European countries and the opportunities they may seize. We will review the major issues faced by Europe since the end of the Cold War, from the challenges of the Bosnian civil war to the current Russian aggression in Ukraine. We will address the instruments that Europeans have built in common, from a common currency to a common foreign policy and study the power instruments, -soft and hard-, that Europeans deploy. We will also look at the security challenges, -from terrorism to collective defense-, and the new regional environment in the South and in the East. Lastly we analyze the role of Europeans in the emerging multipolar world, what it means for the transatlantic relationship, for the Europe's relations with Russia and China.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Students will learn :

- How to understand the role of Europe's in today world

- How to analyze the role of the European Union and the policies of the major Europeans States in security

- How to apprehend the tools use by Europe to gain influence, including the use of force

- How to make sense of Europeans' actions in its regional and international environment

We will try to achieve these objectives by:

- Review some critical episodes that have shaped Europe's current architecture

- Introduce political science concepts to understand Europeans' foreign policies

- Analyze the strategic challenges faced by Europeans, from terrorism to Russian aggression

- Examine significant global trend that affect Europe's position and action in the world.

TEXTBOOK:

NONE

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight

Op-Eds	Students will have to write two short op-Ed papers. You will write these essays as if you were a columnist of a daily newspaper. So, your space will be limited, 700 words max. The topics will be given during the term and will reflect current events. The aim is to give your educated opinion on an issue and you should be ready to defend your opinion in a debate. Further details will be provide about this exercise.	40 %
Participation	Participation is essential. Classes will start with questions about the readings and exchanges will follow. The aim of the lecture is to define concepts that may be useful in understanding current events, policy choices, and strategic issues. You should read one daily newspaper with a good coverage of international affairs.	10%

Research paper	The research paper is a short study on a topic of your own choosing but it will have to be agreed with me. The range of permissible topics is very wide: as long as the topic is relevant to Europeans’ foreign policies, the choice is yours. The paper should combine a review of the current academic literature about the issue and your own empirical research. The paper should be around double-spaced 20 pages. Of course, quantity is nothing to quality. Once a topic sounds interesting to you, we will together define the framework of your study and I will provide some readings that may guide your research. There are some websites from Think Tanks that may help you in your research. Among the most important ones, there are the EU Institute for Security Studies (Paris), Carnegie Europe (Brussels), Centre for European Reforms, (London), Clingendael (Den Haag), European Council on Foreign Relations, (London, Berlin, Paris), SWP Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (Berlin), Institut français des Relations Internationales (Paris), Centre for European Policy Studies (Brussels), European Policy Centre (Brussels), Institut Egmont (Brussels), DGAP, (Berlin)… If you have difficulty finding sources, just let me know and I will help you.	50%

-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

Classes

1 Introduction

• The State of the Union: from crises to crises, will the EU survive?

2 The European landscape, Part 1

• The Cold War and the failure of the European Defence community (1954)

Readings:

- John Lewis Gaddis, “Was the Truman Doctrine a Real Turning Point?”, Foreign Affairs, Vol. 52, No. 2 (Jan., 1974), pp. 386-402.

- Michael Creswell and Marc Trachtenberg, “France and the German Question, 1945-1955”, Journal of Cold War Studies, Vol 5, No. 3, Summer 2003, pp. 5-28.

3 The European landscape, Part 2:

• The End of the Cold War and NATO survival : the most unexpected outcome.

Readings:

- Vladislav Zubok, “With his back against the Wall: Gorbachev, Soviet Demise, and German Reunification”, Cold War History, Vol. 14, No. 4, (2014), pp. 619-645.

- Kori Schake, “NATO after the Cold War, 1991-1995: Institutional Competition and the Collapse of the French Alternative”, Contemporary European History, Vol. 7, No. 3, Nov. 1998, p. 379-407.

- Ronald Steel, “NATO’s Last Mission”, Foreign Policy, No. 76, Autumn 1989, pp. 83-95.

4 The European landscape Part 3

• From Maastricht to Lisbon: debating the value of Institutions.

Readings:

- Mette Eilstrup-Sangiovanni and Daniel Verdier, “European Integration as a Solution to War”, European Journal of International Relations, Vol. 11, No. 1, (2005), pp. 99-135.

- Monika Sus, “Institutional innovation of EU’s foreign and security policy : big leap for EU’s strategic actorness or much Ado about nothing?”, International Politics, Vol. 56, No. 3, (June 2019), pp. 411-425.

- Stefan Lehne, Is There Hope For EU Foreign Policy?, Carnegie Europe, December 2017. Available at https://carnegieeurope.eu/2017/12/05/is-there-hope-for-eu-foreign-policy-pub-74909

5 The original sin: Failure in Bosnia

• How divisions in Europe led to Srebrenica, the worst massacre in Europe since WWII

Readings:

- Philip H. Gordon, “Europe’s Uncommon Foreign Policy”, International Security, Vol. 22, No. 3, Winter 1997-98, pp. 74-100.

- Jan Willem Honig, “Avoiding War, Inviting Defeat: The Srebrenica Crisis, July 1995”, Journal Of Contingencies and Crisis Management, Vol. 9, No. 4, Dec. 2001, pp. 200-210.

6 Kosovo and Transatlantic imbalance

• From the War in Kosovo to the St Malo declaration, the ESDP founding act.

Readings:

- Alistair J. Shepherd, “A milestone in the history of the EU: Kosovo and the EU’s international role”, International Affairs, Vol. 85, No. 3, (May, 2009), pp. 513-530.

- Michael Mandelbaum, “A Perfect Failure: Nato’s War against Yugoslavia”, Foreign Affairs, Vol. 78, No. 5, (Sept.- Oct. 1999), pp. 2-8.

- Dirk Peters, “From Amsterdam to Cologne (1997–99)”, in Dirk Peters, Constrained Balancing: The EU’s Security Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, 2010, pp. 173-197.

7 European diplomacy 1: foreign policy

• Does Europe need a foreign Minister?

Readings:

- Lisbeth Aggestam and Markus Johansson, “The Leadership Paradox in EU Foreign Policy”, Journal of Common Market Studies, Vol. 55. No. 6., (Nov. 2017), pp. 1203-1220.

- Leonard Schuette, Should the EU make foreign policy decisions by majority voting?, Centre for European Reform, May 2019. Available at: https://www.cer.eu/publications/archive/policy-brief/2019/should-eu-make-foreign-policy-decisions-majority-voting

- Giuseppe Fama and Lisa Musiol, The War in Ukraine Raises New Questions for EU Foreign Policy, International Crisis Group, 05 April 2022.

8 European Diplomacy 2: economic integration

• The economic integration was supposed to lead to political union, yet the complexities of the Euro within and outside Europe have weakened Europe’s unity.

Readings:

- Erik Jones, “The Economic Mythology of European Integration”, Journal of Common market Studies, Vol. 48. No. 1. (January 2010), pp. 89-109.

- Robin Niblett, “Liberalism in Retreat: The Demise of a Dream”, Foreign Affairs, Vol. 96, No. 1, (Jan./Feb. 2017), pp. 17-24.

9 European Diplomacy 3: human rights

• Human rights, democracy and development are traditional concerns of Europe’s diplomacy. Are they in crisis?

Readings:

- Susi Dennison and Anthony Dworkin, “Towards An EU Human Rights Strategy For a Post-Western World”, European Council on Foreign Relations, Sept. 2011, available at https://ecfr.eu/publication/towards_an_eu_human_rights_strategy_for_a_post_western_world/

- Joakim Kreutz, “Human Rights, Geostrategy, and EU Foreign Policy, 1989-2008”, International Organization, Vol. 69, No. 1, (Dec 2015), pp 195-217.

10 Grand Strategy 1: After Iraq

• The first European strategic document was issued after the divisions about the war in Iraq in 2003. Then a new document was published in 2016. We will review them.

Readings:

- Andrew Cottey, “Astrategic Europe”, Journal of Common Market Studies, Vol. 58, No. 2, (March 2020), pp. 276-291.

- Mark Leonard and Carl Bildt, “From Plaything To Player: How Europe Can Stand Up For Itself In The Next Five Years”, European Council on Foreign Relations, July 2019. Available at: https://ecfr.eu/publication/how_europe_can_stand_up_for_itself_in_the_next_five_years_eu_foreign_policy/

11 Grand Strategy 2: After Ukraine

• The Covid 19, the War in Ukraine and its consequences have affected Europe’s strategic position. A new the Strategic Compass has been defined, yet strategic autonomy is contested.

Readings:

- Nathalie Tocci, European Strategic Autonomy: What It Is, Why We Need It, How to Achieve It, Istituto Affari Internazionali, 2021, available at https://www.iai.it/en/pubblicazioni/european-strategic-autonomy-what-it-why-we-need-it-how-achieve-it

- The Strategic Compass for Security and Defence European, available at https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/03/21/a-strategic-compass-for-a-stronger-eu-security-and-defence-in-the-next-decade/

12 Hard Power 1: Tools

• Europe, How many divisions? Brigades? Battalions? Military capabilities have long suffered from severe shortages, under-investments and free-riding. Will the Ukraine war affect the picture?

Readings:

- Sven Biscop, “Battalions to Brigades: The Future of European Defence”, Survival, Vol. 62, No. 5, (Oct.-Nov. 2020), pp. 105-118.

- Radek Sikorski, “Europe’s Real Test Is Yet to Come”, Foreign Affairs, Vol. 102, No. 4, (July-August 2023), pp. 66-77.

13 Hard Power 2: Missions

• Is the EU managing peace or waging wars? As its missions do suggest, Europe seems to be very reluctant to use force.

Readings:

- Jean-Yves Haine, “The European Crisis of Liberal Internationalism”, International Journal, Vol. 64, No. 2, (June 2009), pp. 453-479.

- Trineke Palm and Ben Crum, “Military operations and the EU’s identity as an international security actor”, European Security, Vol. 28, No. 4, (2019), pp. 513-534.

14 Soft Power 1: Normative Europe?

• Europe relied on normative power to get influence. Does it really exist? How does it work?

Readings:

- Jan Orbie, “Civilian Power Europe: Review of the Original and Current Debates”, Cooperation and Conflict, Vol. 41, No. 1, (March 2006), pp. 123-128.

- Ian Manners, “Normative Power Europe: A Contradiction in Terms?”, Journal of Common Market Studies, Vol. 40, No. 2, (June 2002), pp. 235-58.

- Tuomas Forsberg, “Normative Power Europe, Once Again: A Conceptual Analysis of an Ideal Type”, Journal of Common Market Studies, Vol. 49. No. 6, (Nov. 2011), pp. 1183-1204.

15 Soft Power 2: Global climate change, European norms?

• Setting norms is challenging. The EU claims a decisive influence in the environmental issue. Has Europe been successful? Has the war in Ukraine ruined its ambition?

Readings:

- Adrian Hyde-Price, “Normative power Europe: A realist critique”, Journal of European Public Policy, Vol. 13, No. 2, (2006), pp. 217-234.

- Mark Leonard, Jean Pisani-Ferry, Jeremy Shapiro, Simone Tagliapietra and Guntram Wolff, The Geopolitics of the European Green Deal, Bruegel-ECFR Policy, No. 04, February 2021. Available at https://www.bruegel.org/policy-brief/geopolitics-european-green-deal

- Susi Dennison, Green Peace: How Europe’s Climate Policy Can Survive the War in Ukraine, June 2022, available at https://ecfr.eu/publication/green-peace-how-europes-climate-policy-can-survive-the-war-in-ukraine/

16 Terrorism in Europe 1: Framing the issue and defining the threat

• Terrorists attacks have been conducted all over Europe, in some cases with a very high number of casualties. This class will try to identify the nature of the threat.

Readings:

- Michael Howard, “What’s in a Name? How to Fight Terrorism”, Foreign Affairs, Vol. 81, No. 1, (Jan.-Feb., 2002), pp. 8-13.

- Olivier Roy, “Euro-Islam: The Jihad Within?”, The National Interest, No. 71, (Spring 2003), pp. 63-73.

- Peter R. Neumann, “The trouble with radicalization”, International Affairs, Vol. 89, No. 4, (Sept. 2013), pp. 873-893.

- Peter Nesser, “Military Interventions, Jihadi Networks, and Terrorist Entrepreneurs: How the Islamic State Terror Wave Rose So High in Europe”, CTC Sentinel, Vol. 12, No. 3, (March 2019), pp. 15-21.

17 Terrorism in Europe 2: Counter-Terrorism policies

• Policies to counter-terrorism are a difficult compromise between liberties and security. The design of these policies depends on historical experiences and national culture.

Readings:

- David Omand, “Countering International Terrorism: The Use of Strategy”, Survival, Vol. 47, No. 4, (Winter 2005-2006), pp. 107-116.

- Daniel Byman, “How to Hunt a Lone Wolf: Countering Terrorists Who Act on Their Own”, Foreign Affairs, Vol. 96, No. 2, (March/April 2017), pp. 96-105.

18 Europe and the Balkans

• In many ways, Europe security and defense policy was born in Sarajevo. Since Dayton, the situation has improved but remained fragile. The EU is still far away from its objectives.

Readings:

- Majda Ruge, “Hostage State: How To Free Bosnia From Dayton’s Paralysing Grip”, European Council on Foreign Relations, Nov. 2020, available at https://ecfr.eu/publication/how-europe-and-the-us-can-take-bosnia-beyond-dayton-25-years-later/

managing-risks-instability-western-balkans

19 Europe and its South 1

• Europe has long sought to build a stable, prosperous and democratic neighborhood in its South. On most accounts, it has failed.

Readings:

- Hollis Rosemary, “No friend of democratization: Europe’s role in the genesis of the ‘Arab Spring’”, International Affairs, Vol. 88, No. 1, (Jan. 2012), pp. 81-94.

- Luigi Scazzieri, Rethinking the EU’s approach towards its southern neighbours, Centre for European Reforms, July 2020 available at https://www.cer.eu/publications/archive/policy-brief/2020/rethinking-eus-approach-towards-its-southern-neighbours

20 Europe and its South 2

• The crisis of refugees of 2015 still haunts Europe. What is the problem and what could be the solution.

Readings:

- House of Lords, European Union Committee, Operation Sophia: a failed mission, 12 July 2017, available at https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201719/ldselect/ldeucom/5/502.htm

- Eiko Thielemann, “Why Refugee Burden-Sharing Initiatives Fail: Public Goods, Free-riding and Symbolic Solidarity in the EU”, Journal of Common Market Studies, Vol. 56, No. 1, (January 2018), pp. 63-82.

21 Europe and its East 1

• Since the war in Georgia, Europe has tried to build an Eastern partnership with some countries in the East. Since then, crises have morphed into wars.

Readings:

- Mearsheimer John J., “Why the Ukraine Crisis is the West’s Fault”, Foreign Affairs, Vol. 93, No. 5, (Sept-Oct. 2014), pp. 1-12.

- Sakwa Richard, “The death of Europe? Continental fates after Ukraine”, International Affairs, Vol. 91 No. 3, (May 2015), pp. 553-579.

- Jolyon Howorth, “‘Stability on the Borders’: The Ukraine Crisis and the EU’s Constrained Policy Towards the Eastern Neighbourhood’, Journal of Common Market Studies, Vol. 55., No. 1., (Jan. 2017), pp. 121-136.

22 Europe and its East 2

• Beyond neighborhood, the Union has to respond to Russian aggression. Past choices have severely reduced potential answers.

Readings:

- Tuomas Forsberg, “From Ostpolitik to ‘Frostpolitik’? Merkel, Putin and German foreign policy towards Russia”, International Affairs, Vol. 92, No. 1, (Jan. 2016), pp. 21-42.

- Michael McFaul, “Russia as It Is: A Grand Strategy for Confronting Putin”, Foreign Affairs, Vol. 97, No. 4, (July-Aug. 2018), pp. 82-91.

- Ian Bond and Luigi Scazzieri, “The EU, NATO and European security in a time of war”, Centre for European Reforms, August 2022. Available at: https://www.cer.eu/publications/archive/policy-brief/2022/eu-nato-and-european-security-time-war

23 Europe in a Multipolar World 1: Old allies

• The world balance of power is changing as well as the role of the United States within it. From Obama to Biden through Trump, Europe had to cope with changing American priorities.

Readings:

- Jean-Yves Haine, “A New Gaullist Moment?”, International Affairs, Vol. 91, No. 5, (Sept. 2015), pp. 991-1008.

- Alina Polyakova and Benjamin Haddad, “Europe Alone: What Comes After the Transatlantic Alliance”, Foreign Affairs, Vol. 98, No. 4, (July-August 2019), pp. 109-120.

24 Europe in a Multipolar World 2: New enemies?

• The Union finds itself in a strangely familiar position in the middle of Big Powers, China and the US. Will Europe join Washington in a new Cold War against Beijing? Will it a bridge between the two? The class will analyse Europe’s choices.

Readings:

- Graham Allison, “China vs. America, Managing the Next Clash of Civilizations”, Foreign Affairs, Vol. 96, No. 5, (Sept.-oct. 2017), pp. 80-89.

- European Commission and HR/VP contribution to the Council, EU-China - A strategic outlook, 12 March 2019, available at https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/eu-china-strategic-outlook-commission-contribution-european-council-21-22-march-2019_en

- Odd Arne Westad, “The Sources of Chinese Conduct: Are Washington and Beijing Fighting a New Cold War?”, Foreign Affairs, Vol. 98, No. 1, (Jan.-Feb. 2019), pp. 86-95.

---------------------------------------