POLS351

U.S. Foreign Policy

PS 351

Prof. John W. Dietrich

Mailbox in Suite C Office Hours: M 2-3, W 2-3, Th 1-3, F 12-1

jdietric@bryant.edu Office: Room C-222

Phone: 232-6432

Required Readings:

James McCormick, American Foreign Policy and Process

Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in American Foreign Policy, 3rd ed.

Annual Editions: American Foreign Policy 06/07 (AE)

Grading and Evaluation:

Topics for a 3-4 page paper based on the readings will be distributed on October 6. The paper is due in class on October 13. This paper will count 10% of the course grade.

A midterm consisting of short answer questions will be given in class on October 13. The midterm will count 10% of the course grade.

Students will be responsible for one debate topic. Those on the same side of a topic will jointly draft a 4-5 page opening statement. The opening is due by email the Wednesday before the debate (with the exception of the first debate which is due the Monday before). The day of the debate, one team member will be randomly selected to present the group’s statement and other team members will answer questions posed by the opposing team and the broader class. The written statement will count 10% of the course grade and the debate presentation will count 10%.

Students will complete a 10 page paper based on one of the debate topics. Students may write about their debate topic or another debate topic, but the final paper should be comprehensive and in-depth. The final paper will be due on December 11. This paper counts 20% of the course grade.

A final exam consisting of short answer and essay questions given on December 19 at 10 am. The final counts 20% of the course grade.

Students are expected to be active and informed participants in class discussions. Class participation is 10% of the final grade.

Students are expected to participate in online discussions of class material by going to Bryant’s Blackboard website. For each substantial posting (more than three relevant sentences) students will receive one point (up to a maximum of 10 points) toward the final grade.

Week 1-

September 6- Introduction

September 8- Themes in American Foreign Policy

McCormick, pp. 6-29.

AE 14, Minxin Pei, "The Paradoxes of American Nationalism."

On Reserve- Kennan, "On American Principles."

Week 2-

September 11- 19^th Century Foreign Policy

On Reserve- "The Historical Context: Great Debates."

September 13- America Becomes a World Power

On Reserve- "Becoming a Global Power:1914-45."

September 15- The Cold War

McCormick, pp. 36-47; 55-63; 70-80.

On Reserve- X (George Kennan), "The Sources of Soviet Conduct."

On Reserve- Kunz, "The Marshall Plan Reconsidered"

Week 3-

September 18- Post-WW2 Institutions

McCormick, pp. 47-54.

September 20- Vietnam

McCormick, pp. 90-97.

On Reserve- Gelb, "Vietnam: The System Worked."

September 22- The End of the Cold War

McCormick, pp. 139-42; 158-69.

Week 4-

September 25- The President

McCormick, pp. 250-87; 217-222.

AE 17, Wolfensberger, "The Return of the Imperial Presidency?"

On Reserve- Mallaby, "The Bullied Pulpit."

September 27- Congress

McCormick, pp. 296-332; 446-60; 214-17.

AE 19, Wittes, "Checks, Balances, and Wartime Detainees"

On Reserve- "Should the President’s Ability to Commit U.S. Forces to Combat

Be Restricted?"

September 29- The Bureaucracy

McCormick, pp. 342-81; 390-436.

AE 18, Abramowitz and Gelb, "In Defense of Striped Pants"

AE 22, Prados, "The Pros From Dover"

TS 14, "Has the Department of Homeland Security Been a Success?"

Week 5-

October 2- Interest Groups and Public Opinion

McCormick, pp. 460-488; 513-43.

AE 15, Western, "Doctrinal Divisions:The Politics of U.S. Military Interventions"

AE 21, Tenpas, "Words vs. Deeds: President George W. Bush and Polling"

October 4- The Press

McCormick, pp. 498-513.

AE 16, Ricchiardi, "Missed Signals"

On Reserve- "Does the Media Drive Foreign Policy?"

October 6- Decisionmaking in the Cuba Missile Crisis

McCormick, pp. 87-90.

On Reserve- Graham Allison, "Conceptual Models and the Cuban Missile Crisis."

Week 6-

October 9- Columbus Day

October 11- Decision-making in the Persian Gulf War

McCormick, pp. 170-74.

On Reserve- Mathews and Waller, "Path to War."

On Reserve - excerpt of Woodward, "The Commanders."

October 13- MIDTERM EXAM

Week 7-

October 16- Morality and Human Rights

McCormick, pp. 112-21.

TS 3, "Should Promoting Democracy Abroad Be a Top U.S. Priority?"

TS20, "Is It Justifiable to Put Suspected Terrorists Under Great Physical Duress?"

October 18- Intervention

McCormick, pp. 185-92.

AE 13, Straus, "Darfur and the Genocide Debate"

TS 21, "Can Humanitarian Intervention Be Justified?"

October 20- An International Court System

On Reserve- "Should the United States Ratify the ICC Treaty?"

Week 8-

October 23- Nuclear Policy

AE 27, Deutch, "A Nuclear Posture for Today"

AE 29, McNamara, "Apocalypse Soon"

October 25- Proliferation

AE 12, Joffe, "Libya: Who Blinked, and Why"

AE 33, Pollack and Takeyh, "Taking on Tehran"

AE 34, Takeyh, "Iran’s Nuclear Calculations"

October 27- Stopping Proliferation

TS 2, Should the United States Have an Official Strategy of Preemption?"

TS 12, "Should the U.S. Seek Negotiations and Engagement with North Korea?"

Week 9-

October 30- Terrorism

On Reserve- Bernard Lewis/ Bin Ladin, "License to Kill"

On Reserve- Doran, "Somebody Else’s Civil War."

AE 20, Krueger and David Laitin, "Misunderestimating Terrorism"

AE 26, Hutchings, "X + 9/11"

AE 30, Munson, "Lifting the Veil: Understanding the Roots of Islamic Militancy"

November 1- Debate #1- Should the United States Build a Missile Defense System?

TS 8, "Is Building a Ballistic Missile Defense System a Wise Idea?"

November 3- Debate #2- Should the United States Quickly Withdraw from Iraq?

TS 6, "Should the United States Withdraw from Iraq?"

AE 32, Kaplan, "The Ethics of Exit"

Week 10-

November 6- The Global Economy

McCormick, pp. 182-85.

AE 23, Mead, "America’s Sticky Power"

AE 24, Klare, Global Petro-Politics: The Bush Administration’s Energy Plan"

TS 17, "Is Economic Globalization Good for the United States?"

TS 18, "Is Outsourcing Good for the United States?"

November 8- Aid to Less Developed Countries

AE25, Moss and Bannon, "Africa and the Battle over Agricultural Protectionism" On Reserve- "Foreign Aid After Sept. 11."

November 10- Debate #3- Should the United States pursue regional Free Trade Areas?

On Reserve- "The Ongoing NAFTA Debate."

On Reserve- "Ghost of NAFTA."

Week 11-

November 13- The United Nations

TS 1, "Should the United States Resist Greater Global Governance?"

November 15- Should the United States Join Multilateral Efforts?

AE 2, Dueck, "Hegemony on the Cheap"

AE 5, Tepperman, "Some Hard Truths about Multilateralism"

November 17- Debate #4- The Kyoto Accords

TS 19, "Should the United States Support the Kyoto Treaty?"

Week 12-

November 20- Latin American Neighbors

AE 11, Shifter, "The U.S. and Latin America Through the Lens of Empire"

On Reserve- Hakim, "Is Latin America Doomed to Failure?"

November 22-24 Thanksgiving

Week 13-

November 27- Japan as an Economic Challenger

On Reserve- Tong, "Revolutionizing America’s Japan Policy"

AE 10, Lim, "Japan: America’s New South Korea?"

November 29- The Rise of China as a World Power

McCormick, pp. 105-11.

AE 9, Van Ness, "China’s Response to the Bush Doctrine"

On Reserve- Segal, "Does China Matter?"
On Reserve- Pomfret, "China Is Rising"

December 1- Debate #5- China: A Threatening Power?

TS 11, "Is China More Friend than Foe?"

Week 14-

December 4- The EU

AE 8, Layne, "America as European Hegemon"

On Reserve- Walker, "Europe: Superstate or Superpower?"

December 6- Post-Communist Russia

AE 6, Katz, "Exploiting Rivalries: Putin’s Foreign Policy"

AE 7, Hill, "The United States and Russia in Central Asia"

TS 13, "Are U.S.-Russian Relations on the Right Track?"

December 8- Debate #6- Will The U.S. Clash Economically (and/or Politically) with EU?

On Reserve- Matthews, "Estranged Partners"

Week 15-

December 11- U.S. Involvement in the Middle East

McCormick, pp. 123-25.

TS 10, "Is the "Roadmap to Peace" in the Middle East the Right Map to Follow?"

Final Exam December 19- 10 am