DRAFT Spring 2018 The Harvard Kennedy School
International and Global Affairs: Concepts and Applications IGA-100 Class Time and Location: Monday and Wednesday, 11:45 pm – 1:00 pm in Wexner 330 Instructor: Stephen M. Walt Office Hours (Littauer 367): Tuesdays 2:00-4:00 Faculty Assistant: Leah Knowles, L340 Course Assistant: Kathy Lee, MPP2 Objectives: This course is a wide-ranging introduction to central principles of international affairs and foreign policy analysis. Topics covered include key concepts of international relations, the changing landscape of global affairs, different tools of statecraft, and the implications for a diverse set of contemporary policy problems. The course emphasizes skill development through written exercises, class discussion, and team assignments. Course Organization and Requirements: The course will be taught through a combination of lectures, in-class discussions and exercises, and individual and team assignments. One of these assignments will be coordinated jointly with the Comparative Politics sections of DPI-101. Expectations of professionalism: Students are expected to complete all of the required reading prior to each class and to arrive on time. Be prepared to be called upon by name and to participate fully in the discussion. Important: to facilitate active learning and engagement, laptop computers may not be used in class, except for certified medical exemption and for the in-class exercise on March 7. Written work must observe Kennedy School and Harvard rules regarding citation of sources: any sentences or paragraphs taken verbatim from the writing of (or interviews with) any other person(s) must be placed in quotation marks and the source clearly identified. Changing the wording of a sentence or passage slightly does not evade the requirement for citation. Indeed, a reference to the original source is required whenever you are drawing an important argument or insight from someone else, even if you express it in your own words. Please consult the University of Chicago Manual of Style for appropriate citation formats. I encourage you to discuss topics in the class with each other, but individual written work must be entirely your own. Team exercises require collaboration and a fair division of effort among team members. Grades will be based on class participation (10%), two individual written memos (40%), a group exercise (20%) and a final take-home examination (30%). Course Materials: Readings for the course will be available on the course webpage; materials that are not available online will be available for purchase from the Course Materials Office. Textbooks: three books are available for purchase: 1. Baylis, Smith & Owens, The Globalization of World Politics, 6th ed. 2. Lauren, Craig, and George: Force and Statecraft: Diplomatic Problems of Our Time. 3. Weston, A. A Rulebook for Arguments 4th ed. 4. “A One-Page Memo on Writing Policy Memos” (posted on the course page) Who should take this course? IGA-100 is a required course for all MPP1 students considering a concentration in IGA, unless a petition for exemption has been approved. MPP1s intending to concentrate in IGA are guaranteed enrollment in the course and do not need to spend bidding points on it. Remaining seats in the course will go to bidding by MPA, MPA/ID, or MC-MPA students. Students from other Harvard Schools are welcome if there are still seats available.
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DRAFT Class Schedule and Assignments
January 22: Introduction: How Can We Understand a Complex International System? Walt, Stephen M., “The Relationship between Theory and Policy in International Relations,” Annual Review of Political Science (2005), 23-48. Read either Baylis, Smith & Owens, Globalization of World Politics, chaps. 2-3 or Lauren, Craig and George, Force and Statecraft, pp. 3-131. January 24: Theoretical Traditions: Realism, Liberalism, and Social Constructivism: Walt, Stephen M. “International Relations: One World, Many Theories,” Foreign Policy, No. 110 (Spring 1998). Mearsheimer, John J., The Tragedy of Great Power Politics 2nd ed. (W.W. Norton, 2009), chap. 2. Dunne, T. “Liberalism,” in Baylis, Smith & Owens, Globalization of World Politics, pp. 113-125. Barnett, M. “Social Constructivism,” in Baylis, Smith, & Owens, Globalization of World Politics, pp. 155-168. January 29: Why is There Conflict in World Politics? Levy, J.S. “The Causes of War and Conditions of Peace,” Annual Review of Political Science 1 (1998), pp. 139-165. [ONLINE] Fearon, J. “Rationalist Theories of War,” International Organization 49, no. 3 (1995). Blainey, G. “Dreams and Delusions of a Coming War,” The Causes of War, chap. 3. Skim J. Baylis, “International and Global Security,” in Baylis, Smith and Owens, Globalization of World Politics, chap. 15. Mahbubani, K. “Why Can’t Countries Think Like Companies?” Times of India, November 18, 2014, at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/stoi/all-that-matters/Why-cant-countries-thinklikecompanies/articleshow/45163437.cms January 31: Why, When, and How Do States Cooperate? Stein, A. Why Nations Cooperate: Circumstance and Choice in International Relations (Ithaca: Cornell University Press 1990, pp. 3-20. Oye, K. “Explaining Cooperation under Anarchy: Hypotheses and Strategies,” World Politics 38, no. 1 (October 1985). R. Little, “International Regimes,” in Baylis, Smith & Owens, Globalization of World Politics, chap. 19 February 5: How Do Others See the World (and why don’t they see it like we do?) Van Evera, S. “Why States Believe Foolish Ideas: Non-Self Evaluation by States and Societies,” (2002) at http://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/5533/why_states_believe_foolish_ideas.pdf?sequence=1 Jervis, R. “Hypotheses on Misperception,” World Politics 20, no. 3 (1968). S. Karagonov, “2016: A Victory for Conservative Realism,” Global Affairs (Moscow) February 2017, http://eng.globalaffairs.ru/print/number/2016--A-Victory-of-Conservative-Realism-18585 Something from Islamic world/Iran; something from China/something from developing world? February 7: Globalization and Its Discontents: N. Woods, “International Political Economy in an Age of Globalization,” in Baylis, Smith, & Owens, Globalization of World Politics, pp. 243-257. Linklater, A. “Globalization and the Transformation of Political Community,” in Baylis, Smith & Owens, Globalization of World Politics, pp. 498-512.
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Haidt, J. “When and Why Nationalism Beats Globalism,” The American Interest 12, no. 1 (2016). Rodrik, D. The Globalization Paradox (W. W. Norton, 2011), chapter 9. Walt, S. M. “Fads, Fevers, and Firestorms: Thinking about Political Contagion,” Foreign Policy Nov/December 2000). NOTE: The first graded assignment will be posted on February 7 and is due on February 12. Be sure to read the “One Page Memo on Writing Policy Memos” before completing this assignment. February 12: Norms and Institutions: Where do they come from and what can they do? Sikkink, K. and M. Finnemore, “International Norm Dynamics and Political Change,” International Organization 52, no. 4 (Autumn 1998). Thomas, Ward. “Norms and Security: The Case of International Assassination,” International Security 25, no. 1 (Summer 2000). February 14: Non-State Actors in World Politics: Willets, Peter, “Transnational Actors and International Organizations in World Politics,” in Baylis, Smith, & Owens, Globalization of World Politics, pp. 320-336. Kiras, J. “Terrorism and Globalization,” in Baylis, Smith, and Owens, Globalization of World Politics, pp. 357-371. Naim, M. “Five Wars of Globalization,” Foreign Policy, November 3, 2009.
February 19: President’s Day: NO CLASS February 21: Mystery Guest February 26: Making and Managing International Alliances: Walt, S. M. “Why Alliances Endure or Collapse,” Survival 39, no. 1 (1997). February 28: Deterrence and Coercion: Lauren, Craig, and George, Force and Statecraft, chapters 9-11. Betts, R. K. “The Lost Logic of Deterrence,” Foreign Affairs, March/April 2013. Drezner, D. “Serious about Sanctions,” The National Interest (Fall 1998). NOTE: The second graded assignment will be posted on February 28 and is due on March 5. March 5: Policy Analysis and Evaluation in International and Global Affairs Kugler, R. Policy Analysis in National Security Affairs: New Methods for a New Era (NDU Press, 2006), chaps 1 and 2. Hajer, M. “Policy without Polity?: Policy Analysis and the Institutional Void,” Policy Sciences 36 (2003), pp. 175-95. Walt, S. M. “Making the Grade: Is There a Way to Judge if a Foreign Policy is Successful?” Foreign Policy (online), January 6, 2014. March 7: In-class exercise: (background readings TBA).
MARCH 12, 14: SPRING BREAK: NO CLASS
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March 19: Science, Technology and International Affairs (Guest lecturer: John Holdren) Lane, N. et al. "Science Advice in the Trump Whitehouse," Science 355, no. 6325 (February 10, 2017). pp. 574-576. Holdren, J. and Megan Smith. "Office of Science and Technology Policy Executive Office of the President: Cabinet Exit Memo," Office of Science and Technology Policy, January 5, 2017. "100 Examples of President Obama’s Leadership in Science, Technology, and Innovation," IMPACT REPORT, June 16, 2016. March 21: Cyber-Security (Guest lecturer: David Eaves) March 26, 28, TEAM EXERCISE (joint with DPI-101): Team presentations on March 29-30. April 2-4: America’s Role in the World: What Has it Been? What Should It Be? Posen, B. “Pull Back: The Case for a Less Activist Foreign Policy,” Foreign Affairs, (Jan/Feb. 2013). Brooks, S., Ikenberry, J., and Wohlforth, W. “Lean Forward: In Defense of American Engagement,” Foreign Affairs, (Jan/Feb. 2013). Kagan, R. “Superpowers Don’t Get to Retire: What Our Tired Country Still Owes the World,” The New Republic, May 26, 2014. Mearsheimer, J. J. and Walt, S. M. “The Case for Offshore Balancing: A Superior US Grand Strategy,” Foreign Affairs (July/August 2016). D. Trump, “Transcript: Trump’s Foreign Policy Speech” (April 2016) at http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/28/us/politics/transcript-trump-foreign-policy.html National Security Strategy of the United States of America, (The White House, December 2017, at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/NSS-Final-12-18-2017-0905.pdf April 9-11: Forecasting the Future of International and Global Affairs Huntington, S. P. “The Clash of Civilizations,” Foreign Affairs (Summer 1993). Mueller, J. “The Decline of War: Explanations and Extrapolations,” from The Remnants of War (Cornell University Press, 2004). Diamond, L. “Democracy in Decline,” Foreign Affairs (July/August 2016). Walt, S. “The Top 5 Foreign Policy Lessons of the Past 20 Years,” Foreign Policy, November 2014, at http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/11/18/the-top-5-foreign-policy-lessons-of-the-past-20-years/
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