Political Science 363/International Studies 363

United States Foreign Policy

Summer 2018

 

Bill Newmann, Political Science Department

Office Hours: 318 Founders Hall: Tuesday and Thursday 2:00-3:00 or By Appointment

Phone: Office: 828-2076 (main POLI number)

e-mail: wnewmann@vcu.edu

Newmann's home page: www.people.vcu.edu/~wnewmann with links to other Newmann syllabi and other fun stuff.

 

Introduction:

This course serves as an introduction to US foreign policy. We’ll start with the basics (the structure of the US foreign policy bureaucracies and basic theories of how we think about US national interests), but we will we proceed from there to tackle the challenging issues (dealing with potential great power rivals such as China and Russia; the threat from middle powers who reject international norms such as Iraq under Saddam Hussein or the current Iranian regime; or North Korea; and 21st century threats from non-state actors such as al-Qaeda or ISIS).   Underneath it all will be two simple questions.  First, how do we define the threats to the US?  Second, what should be the US role in the world?  Politicians, scholars, think tanks, lobby groups, the media, and the public have generated a number of potential foreign policy priorities, including: spreading democracy, opening closed economies, fostering basic human rights in other nations, responding to humanitarian tragedies, ending civil or ethnic wars, preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, deterring the rise of rival great powers, maintaining regional balances of power, ensuring US hegemony, counterterrorism, and even reducing the US role in world affairs in an effort to concentrate on the problems at home.  We’ll be studying the interplay of those priorities an, how they change from time to time, and the way priorities are decided. This is particularly interesting because of the 2016 election. It may have signaled a great change in the US role in the world. Maybe it’s a mild ripple in the evolution of US leadership; Trump foreign policy might be an outlier and we’ll return to a more traditional Republican or Democratic foreign policy in 2020 or 2024. Maybe it is the beginning of the end of US hegemony. Scholars from 100 years in the future may see 2016 as the year when the US stepped away from global leadership and handed the 21st century to China.

The course will focus on the following: 

National Security Decision Making Process: We will examine the wild and wacky world of foreign policy decision making. People think that issues as serious as nuclear weapons policy or armed intervention are decided upon in the most solemn and analytical manner. I wish. Foreign policy decision making often resembles a bunch of three-year-olds in a sandbox fighting over the only pail and shovel. Understanding the way decisions are made is perhaps the single most important aspect of analyzing foreign policy. Many people think that there really is no US foreign policy, only a process that churns out half-decisions, non-decisions and useless compromises. By the end of the semester you will be familiar with the policy making process and all the institutions, Departments, and Agencies involved.

The Cold War Years: In examining the period of intense competition with the USSR, we will focus on the emergence of the two antagonists in the late 1940s and 1950s; US involvement in Vietnam; detente and arms control during the Nixon years; the fall of detente and the collapse of arms control during the Carter years; and the renewed Cold War of the early Reagan years. The focus is two-fold: the ways in which the US and USSR formed a competitive, yet in many ways cooperative relationship. In the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev had begun the restructuring of the USSR, a restructuring that would eventually reshape the world. We will examine the Reagan and Bush administrations' responses to the changes within the USSR and the changes around the world that followed.

US Foreign Policy after the Cold War: Finally, we will explore the range of possibilities for the future in terms of a number of issues: the rise of economic priorities; the issue of intervention and peace operations; human rights and democracy; great power rivals to the US; and the spread of weapons of mass destruction. We will try to answer the big picture questions: What world role should the US assume after the Cold War? Are there economic threats facing the US that are as challenging as the political-military threat of the old USSR? How should the US organize and use its military assets after the Cold War? Is China the next great rival to the US?

Post-9/11 and the Future of US Foreign Policy: Has the terrorist attack on the US changed everything we know about foreign policy or has it simply added to the complexity of the challenges the US faces as the only remaining superpower?  What are the threats the US must deal with: terrorist attack, radical ideologies, authoritarian states, economic challengers, economic institution building?  What is the proper US role in the world: building democracies, rolling back the spread of anti-democratic and anti-American ideologies, the rise of rivals to the US (China, India, EU), building better global governance based on US values?  For example, what is more dangerous: a capitalist and authoritarian China, or the failures of public education in Pakistan, or the spread of infectious disease in poor nations? 

2016 and Beyond: Of course, after the 2016 election, we need to consider how all this plays out in Trump and post-Trump US foreign policy. Trump foreign policy represents a possible major shift in US foreign policy interests. What impact might this have on the US definition of threats in the world and the US view of its role in the world? These questions are relevant in the context of US security goals and in its economic relationships with the rest of the world.

 

Within each of these categories we will address these key issues:

 

In the class readings we will pay special attention to US policy in the Middle East and US relations with China.

 

For an extensive list of governmental and non-governmental sources of information on foreign affairs click here: Links to Websites on foreign policy and national security. Some of these links may be in a state of flux because of the transition to a new administration. I will try to keep them updated, but if anything changes or disappears, let me know.
 


 

Texts:

You need to read them, but you don’t have to buy them. The books are available at the Virginia Book Company on Shafer St. or the VCU Bookstore.  If anyone has problems getting access to the texts, for any reason, let me know as soon as possible so you don't get too far behind in the reading. Most of the books are available on reserve at Cabell Library, which means that if you don’t want to buy them, you can read them there. Ask me if you have any questions about how the reserve system works.  The short version is this: A book on reserve can’t be checked out of the library. It will always be there. It can be used for renewable two hour periods in the library.

·         Stephen Sestanovich. Maximalist (New York: Vintage, 2014) On Reserve E744 .S473 2014  

·         David Rothkopf. Running the World (NY: Public Affairs, 2006) On Reserve UA23.15 .R68 2005

·         Andrew J. Bacevich. America’s War for the Greater Middle East (New York: Random House, 2017) On Reserve DS63.2.U5 B3214 2016  

·         Thomas Christensen. The China Challenge (NY: W. W. Norton, 2015) On Reserve JZ1730 .C56 2015  

·         Thomas J. Wright. All Measures Short of War (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2017) On Reserve JK275 .W75 2017)

 

A guideline for the readings: There are aspects of US foreign policy that you should give special attention as you do your readings. They affect every debate over US foreign policy and it is probably a good idea to understand how they relate to major issues and events when it comes to the final exam: (1) Decision Making: US foreign policy does not just happen. Men and women make those decisions and that process is important in shaping the actual substance of US foreign policy; (2) Intervention Policy: The US picks and chooses what type of world events have bearing on US national interests and in which events it will take an active role. On what basis does the US make those decisions? How has the US definition of national interest changed over the years and have the criteria for involvement in international events changed? (3) Cold War vs. Post-Cold War vs. War on Terrorism: How have the definitions of US national interests evolved? (4) Domestic Politics: Are the definitions of national interest and the content of US foreign policy based upon the threats the US faces or on domestic political contests and trends that influence the perceptions of those threats?
 

Grading System: Grades will be determined through the following:

Map Quiz

(Printable Blank Maps)

June 19

5% of the grade

Exam 1

July 3

30% of the grade

Research Paper

Paper Topic June 19

Paper Due July 26 in hard copy at the beginning of class

35% of the grade

Exam 2

August 2

30% of the grade

How do you calculate your grade? Use the percentages from the above table. So, if you received the following grades, you would calculate your grades in the following manner:

I give you this very detailed formula for a number of reasons. You should never be unaware of what your class average is. You can calculate it at any point in the semester. If your grade is not what you'd like it to be, you should know, and you should come see me about it. Do not come to me after Exam 2 and say that you're having trouble in the class. It's too late at that point. But any time in the semester that you feel you are having trouble, or not doing as well as you feel you should, come talk to me. During my office hours and by appointment I am happy to talk to you about the class

 

Grading scale: I use a typical scale: A = 90-100; B = 80-89; C = 70-79; D = 55-69. Borderline grades are considered in the following manner.

·         If your grade is 69.5, 79.5, or 89.5 or higher, then you may be a candidate for a round up to the higher grade (Notice those numbers in the sentence; do not ask for a higher grade if your average is a 68 or 78 or 88 or lower; those are not borderline averages).

·         You may become a candidate if your grades are borderline and if your grades have been going up during the semester.

·         That means that if you are borderline, but your last exam is lower than the previous exams (you are between a B and C, but your third exam is a C for example), you will probably get the lower grade.

·         If you are borderline, and your last exam is higher than the previous exams (you are between a B and C, but your third exam is a B), you may get the higher grade.

·         Another factor I consider is the typical grade you receive. Let’s say we have four grades for the class and three are grades of B and one is a C (bad day) and your average is a 79.6, you are a candidate for receiving a B.  If you have four grades and three are grades of C and one is a grade of B, you are probably not a candidate for the higher grade

·         There is no extra credit for this class.  Please do not ask.

 

 

Research Paper: Paper Topics are due June 19. The paper is due July 26 in hard copy at the beginning of class or it is late.  Also email me a copy of the paper.

For the paper topic, I’m looking for a few sentences to a paragraph telling me what your topic is. See the paper instructions on the type of topics I’m looking for. This paper has a very specific topic. It’s not just a “write stuff about US foreign policy that interests you” type of paper.

I will review rough drafts, outlines, and even completed papers, if handed in by July 19.  This is not required, but an opportunity for you let me review your paper and get it back to you so you can use my comments to rewrite your paper. 

The following instructions are important. Please pay attention to them.  If you don't you will wind up hurting your grade:  

·         LATE PAPERS: The late penalty is ten points per day, meaning that after class begins your paper, if a 95, is now an 85, after two days it is a 75, after three it is a 65, and so on down to zero.

 

EXAMS: The exams will be short answer and essay. At least one week before the exam I will out a review sheet on line. It will be linked to the syllabus below this paragraph. In general, the review sheets should be used as your study guide for the exam. The review sheet will include some terms that are from the readings only, so that you can go back and review those items from the readings. Once you have the review sheet, feel free to ask me questions about the terms. This is the best way to study for the exam. If you understand the terms on the review sheet, you can define each one and see how each one relates to the larger concepts and issues we've discussed in class, you should do just fine on the exam. The exams will consist of short answer/identifications and one essay. I will give more details on the exams in class as we approach the first exam.

 

Review 1

Review 2

 

 

COURSE AND READING SCHEDULE

Note: For the first few weeks the readings will be ahead of the class lectures. Make sure you keep up, though. If you do not do the readings you will quickly be lost and you'll be in serious trouble on the first exam. The dates below are the dates when you should have finished the readings (except for the first week of course). 

Day 1: June 12 Introduction and Decision Making

·         Sestanovich, Prologue, Chapters 1-2

 

 

Day 2: June 14 Decision Making

 

 

Day 3: June 19 Early Cold War

·         June 19: Map Quiz

·         Paper Topics Due

·         Sestanovich, Chapters 4-5

·         Rothkopf, Chapter 5

·         Early Cold War PPT

 

 

Day 4: June 21 Intervention and Detente

·         Sestanovich, Chapter 6-8 (145-209)

·         Rothkopf, Chapter 6 (108-137)

·         Cold War Strategies Intervention, Engagement, Confrontation (use this presentation for the next two classes)

 

 

Day 5: June 26 Détente and Confrontation

·         Sestanovich, Chapter 8 (209-218)

·         Bacevich, Chapters 1-4

 

 

Day 6: June 28 The End of the Cold War

·         Rothkopf, Chapter 8

·         Bacevich, Chapter 5

·         Sestanovich, Chapter 9

·         End of the Cold War

 

 

Day 7: July 3 Bush 41 and Clinton: A “New World Order?”

·         Exam 1

·         Rothkopf, Chapter 9 (for second exam)

·         Bush 41 PPT

 

 

Day 8: July 5 Clinton: Peace Operations and Economics

·         Sestanovich, Chapter 10

·         Rothkopf, Chapter 10

·         Clinton PPT

 

 

 

Day 9: July 10 The Dilemma of China

·         Christensen, Chapters 1, 2, and 3

·         China PPT

 

 

Day 10: July 12 Bush 43 and Post-9/11 World

·         Christensen, Chapters 4 and 8

·         Bacevich, Chapters 11, 12 and 13

·         Bush 43 PPT

 

 

Day 11: July 17 Iraq and Afghanistan and Beyond

·         Bacevich, Chapter 14

·         Wright, Chapters 1 and 2

 

 

Day 12: July 19 Obama Foreign Policy

·         Last Day for Turning in Rough Drafts of the Paper (optional)

·         Wright, Chapter 5

·         Sestanovich Chapter 12

·         Obama PPT

 

 

Day 13: July 24 New Threats, Old Threats: North Korea, Iran, Russia

·         Wright, Chapters 6, 7, and Epilogue

·         Russia PPT

 

 

Day 14: July 26 Trump Foreign Policy I: The End of World Order? The Return of Russia?

·         Paper Due (at the beginning of class, in hard copy)

·         Bacevich Chapters 15-16

·         Trump PPT

 

 

Day 15: July 31 Trump Foreign Policy II

·         Bacevich Chapters 17-18

 

 

Day 16: August 2

Exam 2

 

 

Where can you find information on international affairs?

This is the questions students always ask me: “Where do I find good information on international affairs. I’m looking for something unbiased and something that doesn’t always look at the world through American eyes (as in how do these developments affect the US).

 

Here’s the short answer: For day by day coverage of events in the world:

  1. BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/.   On a day-by-day basis, no other news organization covers the world as well.  It has separate pages for most regions, links to past stories, links to data bases, all kinds of information that will get you up to speed on anything.
  2. World News Network: http://wn.com/. This is a site which covers day-by-day events by creating links to major news papers around the world.  So if something is happening in Pakistan, for example, there will be several links to stories about the event from web-based sources in S. Asia, E. Asia, Europe, N. America…  It also has links to regional windows with coverage that is more focused.  It even has links to issue-specific compilations of links on various issues.  For example, the science page has sections for stories on AIDS, Biotech, cloning…
  3. For terrorism and counterterrorism check out The Long War Journal: http://www.longwarjournal.org.  It is a project of the Foundation for defense of Democracies, a non-partisan project, that keeps track day by day of events related to terrorism around the world.

 

On a weekly basis:

The Economist: www.economist.com.  This is a Britain-based weekly which covers world politics and world business.  There really is nothing else like it in the comprehensive nature of its coverage.  You can also buy it on the newsstand, but the web is free.  It covers world politics very well.

 

Long Term Views of Crisis and Conflict:

International Crisis Group: www.crisisweb.org.  This is the International Crisis Group, a non-profit organization that studies, analyzes, and makes recommendations about how to resolve various crises in the world.  There is nothing better for the in-depth examination of current world events and the dilemmas of problem solving and peace making.  It has reports (30-50 pages), briefings (10-30), and a weekly briefing (Crisis Watch), which you can get on the web site or sign up for e-mail delivery.

 

 

VCU Policies

VCU Email Policy

Email is considered an official method for communication at VCU because it delivers information in a convenient, timely, cost-effective, and environmentally aware manner. Students are expected to check their official VCU email on a frequent and consistent basis in order to remain informed of university-related communications. The university recommends checking email daily. Students are responsible for the consequences of not reading, in a timely fashion, university-related communications sent to their official VCU student email account. This policy ensures that all students have access to this important form of communication. It ensures students can be reached through a standardized channel by faculty and other staff of the university as needed. Mail sent to the VCU email address may include notification of university-related actions, including disciplinary action. Please read the policy in its entirety: http://www.ts.vcu.edu/kb/3407.html.

 

VCU Honor System: Upholding Academic Integrity

The VCU Honor System policy describes the responsibilities of students, faculty and administration in upholding academic integrity, while at the same time respecting the rights of individuals to the due process offered by administrative hearings and appeals. According to this policy, "Members of the academic community are required to conduct themselves in accordance with the highest standards of academic honesty and integrity." In addition, "All members of the VCU community are presumed to have an understanding of the VCU Honor System and are required to:

 

 

More information can be found at in the VCU policy library at http://www.assurance.vcu.edu/Policy%20Library/Honor%20System.pdf.

 

Student Conduct in the Classroom

According to the Faculty Guide to Student Conduct in Instructional Settings (http://www.assurance.vcu.edu/Policy%20Library/Faculty%20Guide%20to%20Student%20Conduct%20in%20Instructional%20Settings.pdf), “The university is a community of learners. Students, as well as faculty, have a responsibility for creating and maintaining an environment that supports effective instruction. In order for faculty members (including graduate teaching assistants) to provide and students to receive effective instruction in classrooms, laboratories, studios, online courses, and other learning areas, the university expects students to conduct themselves in an orderly and cooperative manner." Among other things, cell phones and beepers should be turned off while in the classroom. The Student Code of Conduct also prohibits the possession of or carrying of any weapon. For more information see http://register.dls.virginia.gov/details.aspx?id=3436.

 

Students with Disabilities

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, require that VCU provide "academic adjustments" or "reasonable accommodations" to any student who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity. To receive accommodations, students must request them by contacting the Disability Support Services Office on the Monroe Park Campus (828-2253) or the Division for Academic Success on the MCV campus (828-9782). Please also visit the Disability Support Services website at www.students.vcu.edu/dss and/or the Division for Academic Success website at healthsciences.vcu.edu/DAS/ for additional information.

 

Any student who has a disability that requires an accommodation should schedule a meeting with the instructor at the student's earliest convenience. Additionally, if coursework requires the student to work in a lab environment, the student should advise the instructor or a department chairperson of any concerns that the student may have regarding safety issues related to a disability. Students should follow this procedure for all courses in the academic semester.

 

Statement on Military Short-Term Training or Deployment

If military students receive orders for short-term training or for deployment/mobilization, they should inform and present their orders to Military Student Services and to their professor(s). For further information on policies and procedures contact Military Services at 828-5993 or access the corresponding policies.

 

Excused Absences for Students Representing the University

Students who represent the university (athletes and others) do not choose their schedules. Student athletes are required to attend games and/or meets. All student athletes should provide their schedules to their instructors at the beginning of the semester. The Intercollegiate Athletic Council strongly encourages faculty to treat missed classes or exams (because of a scheduling conflict) as excused absences and urges faculty to work with the students to make up the work or exam.

 

Campus Emergency Information

What to Know and Do to Be Prepared for Emergencies at VCU:

 

 

 

VCU Mobile

The VCU Mobile application is a valuable tool to get the latest VCU information on the go. The application contains helpful information including the VCU directory, events, course schedules, campus maps, athletics and general VCU news, emergency information, library resources, Blackboard and more. To download the application on your smart phone or for more information, please visit http://m.vcu.edu.

 

Class Registration Required for Attendance

Students may attend only those classes for which they have registered. Faculty may not add students to class rosters or Blackboard. Therefore, if students are attending a class for which they have not registered, they must stop attending.

 

Withdrawal from Classes

Before withdrawing from classes, students should consult their instructor as well as other appropriate university offices. Withdrawing from classes may negatively impact a student’s financial aid award and his or her semester charges. To discuss financial aid and the student bill, visit the Student Services Center at 1015 Floyd Avenue (Harris Hall) and/or contact your financial aid counselor regarding the impact on your financial aid. Contact information for the University Financial Aid Office is available at http://www.enrollment.vcu.edu/finaid/contact-us/.

 

Student Financial Responsibility

Students assume the responsibility of full payment of tuition and fees generated from their registration and all charges for housing and dining services, and other applicable miscellaneous charges. Students are ultimately responsible for any unpaid balance on their account as a result of the University Financial Aid Office or their third party sponsor canceling or reducing their award(s).