Fall 2006

GOV 360N • 12- International Security

Course Description

Course number may be repeated for credit when the topics vary.

This is an introductory course to security studies, a subfield of international relations focused on how states use military force to preserve their sovereignty and resolve political conflicts with other states. We will begin by examining how the anarchical structure of the international system constrains a state's ability to meet these responsibilities. This discussion will then lead into an examination of the origins of war between states and nuclear deterrence theory. After these sections, we will explore whether the task of protecting national security has changed in the post-Cold War and post-9/11 periods. In particular, we will explore the following questions. Does nuclear proliferation enhance or diminish international stability? Under what conditions do civil wars occur? Does terrorism provide a unique challenge to sovereign states? Does globalization enhance or diminish national security? What strategies should the United States adopt to cope with traditional and emerging threats to its political interests?

Grading Policy

Participation 20% Paper 20% Midterm 20% Final 40%

Texts

James Joll. 1992. The Origins of the First World War. 2d ed. Longman: Harlow, England. Robert J. Art and Robert Jervis. 2005. International Politics: Enduring Concepts and Contemporary Issues. New York: Pearson Longman. Samantha Power. 2002. A Problem From Hell: America in the Age of Genocide. New York: Perennial. Avery Goldstein. 2005. Rising to the Challenge: China's Grand Strategy and International Security. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

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