POL S 321 A: American Foreign Policy

Autumn 2021

PS 321: AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY

MW, 1130-1250  

Prof. KIER

office hrs: Wed, 1:00-2:30  https://washington.zoom.us/j/98346225499

ekier@uw.edu

Teaching Assistants:

Jessica Sciarone (AC & AD), jsciar@uw.edu, Zoom office hrs: Wed, 830-10:30am

Yusri Supiyan (AA & AB), yusri@uw.edu, Zoom office hrs: Tues, 3-5pm

This course examines the sources of American foreign policy and the implications of these sources for policy design. We begin by reviewing how two dominant approaches to international relations, realism and liberalism, explain U.S. foreign policy. We also examine how the Cold War affected US state-building and the potential consequences of this state-building for US foreign policy today. We use these approaches to examine pivotal events, actors, and developments in US foreign policy since World War II. After explaining the end of the Cold War, we examine two prominent issues in the immediate post-Cold War period: NATO expansion and humanitarian intervention. We then explore the role of nuclear weapons: their nonuse since 1945 and the causes and consequences of nuclear proliferation. Finally, we address several current issues in US foreign policy, such as China’s rise and reliance on privatized military force.

Remote lectures:  Lectures are synchronous via Zoom. Recordings will be available on Canvas, but they will be inaccessible during in-class exams. Sharing recordings outside of class violates student rights under FERPA. Lecture outlines will be posted under “Files” on Canvas prior to each lecture.

In-class sections:  Sections are NOT recorded.

In-class exams: Closed-book exams will be given on campus. Location TBD.

Requirements  

You have a choice between two options:

Option 1:  Two exams (30% each), policy memo (30%), and section (10%). You take the exams and we eliminate the lowest score from final grade calculations.

Option 2:  Three exams (30% each) and section (10%)

Choice must be made by Nov 12. Decisions are final (as indicated by topic submission). 

The readings are available through Canvas under “Files.” Daily reading of the New York Times (or other national newspaper that covers international politics) is also required. For digital subscriptions to the NYT at the reduced college rate, see https://www.nytimes.com/subscription/education. UW students can gain free access to the Wall Street Journal  here: WSJ.com/ActivateUW

The exams will be closed book and held on-campus: Sections AA, AB, & AC in Gould Hall (GLD) 322; Section AD in Bagley Hall (BAG) 108. If you think you might have Covid (no proof required), you must stay home and we'll arrange a make-up. Otherwise, no non-medical make-ups without a written excuse from a recognized authority. Attempts at a fait accompli (“already bought my ticket”) will fail. For additional information on courses, grading, academic conduct, and university policies, see UW and Department policies.

Section will be held on campus and will focus on applying course themes to contemporary issues in US foreign policy. You are expected to come prepared to discuss current events and to actively participate in all discussions. If you are unable to attend a section, submit a 350-550 word essay that relates a recent article in a national news source (e.g., NYT, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, or the Economist) to course themes. Include a link to the article.

UW requires students and faculty to wear masks (with DRS approved exceptions) and prohibits eating or drinking in the classroom. Instructors are required to clear the classroom in the event of non-compliance.

Accommodations

Contact the Disability Resources office to request accommodation. 448 Schmitz Hall, 543-8924 (voice), 543-8925 (TTY), 616-8379 (fax), uwdss@uw.edu. With a letter from them, we can arrange accommodations.

If you have COVID-19, you must take the following steps to protect others and help you recover. If you feel sick, you must stay home (no proof required). We will arrange make-up exams and there is a written option for missed section participation. For FAQs on UW policy and COVID-19, go here.

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/).

Grading Policy

To request a re-grading of your work (outside of tabulation errors):

1. Within a week of receiving your exam, give your TA your work and a typed statement of no more than one page that explains why you believe the grade should be altered. This must be about the substance of your work, not the effort you put into the class.
2. Your TA will review and return your materials within a week.
3. If you’re still dissatisfied, the other TA will review your materials.
4. If the second evaluation is still to your dissatisfaction, your TA will pass the materials to Kier for her evaluation.

Policy Memorandum (optional)

President Biden has asked you to analyze an issue in American foreign policy and to recommend a specific course of action. You must use either a liberal or a realist understanding of international politics as a basis for your recommendation and then defend your recommendation against the other theoretical perspective’s critique of it.

This memo will involve substantial research and careful thought. You must master the details of a specific policy problem and think theoretically about how realists and liberals would approach it.

The memo has three purposes. First, it provides an opportunity to apply your understanding of theory to an important issue in U.S. foreign policy. Second, it allows you to dive into a foreign policy issue that interests you. Third, it will improve your research and writing skills.

Topic selection:

You may choose any issue in US foreign policy that is not the focus of lectures and readings. Ask a particular question, such as “should the United States sign the ICC?” or, “should the United States increase economic aid to Pakistan?” Do not ask a general question, such as “should the United States sign human rights treaties?" or, "should the United States increase economic aid abroad?"

Here are some examples, but you are free to choose any topic in consultation with your TA.

Should the United States . . . 

• try to block Belarus from receiving IMF support until Lukashenko’s government reverses its violent suppression of dissent? 
• designate international white supremacist groups as foreign terrorist organizations in order to contain the threat of transnational far-right terrorism?  
• sign the ICC, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, or some other treaty?
• end (or lessen) sanctions on Cuba?
• impose sanctions or other punitive measure on Ethiopian officials and commanders involved in the war in the Tigray region?
• terminate/increase military and intelligence support for the Saudi-backed war in Yemen?
• participate in international carbon markets?
• raise/lower the cap on the number of refugees or individuals granted asylum?
• impose sanctions on Myanmar’s most important industries and its top military officials in response to the February coup and subsequent violent repression?
• replace its “strategic ambiguity” posture with an explicit commitment to defending Taiwan from an armed attack? Or, base a US brigade in Taiwan?
• withdraw all US forces from Germany, South Korea, Syria, or Iraq?
• deploy tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea (for the first time since the end of the Cold War) to deter North Korea?
• reverse its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan?
• expose companies to criminal proceedings if their supply chains rely on the forced labor of China’s Uighur minority?
• significantly increase the refugee allocation for applicants from Hong Kong in response to China’s assault on Hong Kong’s political freedom?
• scale back the Trump administration’s tariffs on Chinese products?
• reverse the December 2020 decision to recognize Morocco’s claims over the disputed Western Sahara?
• provide more assistance to efforts to stop human trafficking and enslavement?
• increase funding for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria?
• provide additional funding for global vaccine efforts such as COVAX? Or, help expand vaccine manufacturing for use abroad?
• reverse its 2017 decision to lift an Obama-era ban on selling weapons to Nigeria because of the military’s extrajudicial killings, torture, and forced disappearances?
• impose additional conditions on military assistance to Egypt because of the government’s human rights abuses?
• release more money to the Venezuelan opposition from the government’s frozen assets in the United States?
• scale back current plans to spend $1 trillion to modernize US nuclear weapons?
• embrace a “no first use” policy?
• substantially increase aid to Lebanon to help address its economic crisis? Or, develop a comprehensive program to promote Lebanese democracy?
• link American arms supplies to halting Israeli settlements in lands envisioned as part of a Palestinian state in a “two-state solution”? Or reverse the US decision to officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital?

Important due dates:

Nov 12: Topic selection due at the beginning of section. State question and list at least 8 sources. No more than 10% can be blogs or unfiltered sources. Note instructions on sources below. Late submissions are not accepted. Submission of paper topic indicates choice of option #1.

Dec 13: Policy memo due by 900 am. Submit on Canvas. Late papers lose .5 pts/day (e.g., a 4.0 becomes a 3.5). Note instructions below on length, format, and structure.

A rubric describing how your policy memo will be assessed is available under “Files.” 

You will submit your memo through SimCheck on Canvas. SimCheck is an educational tool that identifies plagiarism. It indicates the amount of original text and whether material that you quote, paraphrase, summarize, or use from another source is appropriately referenced. Consult http://depts.washington.edu/pswrite/plag.html if you are uncertain about the meaning of plagiarism and how to avoid it. 

Memo Outline

A policy memo is a practical, professionally written document that provides analysis and recommendations for a particular audience regarding a particular situation or problem.

Your memo will include four parts:

• Presentation of issue (less than one page). Describe the problem and your solution: What is the issue, why is it important to the United States, and what (in 1-2 sentences) is your policy recommendation?
• Recommendation (4-5 pages). Describe your recommendation: What does the policy entail? Be specific. Then defend it. Detail why realists/liberals would recommend this policy given their assumptions about international politics. Recognize that every policy also has disadvantages (and explain those). Be sure to link your theoretical discussion to the policy you are recommending.  
• Critique  (3-4 pages). Describe how the competing theoretical perspective would react to your recommendation: Would it disagree with the policy, and if so, why? If it would agree with the policy but provide a different rationale, then detail that reasoning. Again, be specific and directly link this discussion to your policy recommendation.
• Retort  (2-3 pages). Defend your policy recommendation against this critique.

The objective of your memo is to provide Biden the rationale for choosing a policy. In this sense, you are advocating for a specific policy. But there are always value trade-offs Do not treat your memo as if it were a lawyer’s brief. Recognize the complexity and competing interests in the design of US foreign policy by discussing the benefits and the costs of your favored policy. Biden will want to know the downsides of the policy you recommending.

Sometimes realist or liberal positions on a particular issue are straightforward but oftentimes realists and liberals disagree amongst themselves. Your job is not to recommend the “correct” liberal or realist position (as often there is not one). Instead, it is to propose and defend a policy in realist or liberal terms. Some liberals or some realists might view the issue differently and that’s OK. We will assess your memo based on how well you develop a (not the) realist or liberal perspective. 

Research and Writing

The memo requires research on your policy and the advantages and disadvantages of it. It is not an opinion piece based on your thoughts about the issue or your take on realism and liberalism.

Be careful in your use of the web: do not rely on blogs or other unfiltered sources. Use the UW library website to access journal and newspaper articles. See https://guides.lib.uw.edu/research/faq/scholarly for instructions on how to access peer-reviewed journals.

You may use sources available on a think tank website, but it is important to both ensure it is a reputable organization and that you know its politics. Check under “Files” on Canvas for a list of think tanks focusing on U.S. foreign policy. You may also wish to consult http://guides.lib.washington.edu.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/content.php?pid=199359&sid=1667575  http://guides.lib.washington.edu/polisci  

Your memo should be 10-12 pages (or 2,225–2,500 words) not including citations. Do not exceed this word count. Policy-makers are busy and keeping to a word limit encourages careful editing. Put the word count on the first page and consult stylebooks to ensure consistent citation format. http://guides.lib.washington.edu/content.php?pid=69943&sid=517698   

Tightly-written policy memos have a much better chance of influencing their intended audience. An indispensable guide to writing well is Strunk & White’s, Elements of Style. I also recommend that you exchange your memos with colleagues for comments on your argument and assistance with your writing. Even the most accomplished authors profit from editorial feedback.

1. Wed, Sept 29: Introduction

2. Mon, Oct 4: Realism: Power & Anarchy          

Hans J. Morgenthau, “A Realist Theory of International Politics,” and “The Balance of Power,” from Politics among Nations: The Struggle for Power and Peace, New York, A.A. Knopf, 1948.

John Mearsheimer, “Anarchy & the Struggle for Power,” The Tragedy of Great Power Politics, Norton, 2001.

3. Wed, Oct 6: Liberalism: Ideas & Institutions, part I            

Hedley Bull, “Does Order Exist in World Politics,” from The Anarchical Society, NY: Columbia, 1977.

President Woodrow Wilson, “The Fourteen Points,” from his address to the U.S. Congress, Jan. 8, 1918. http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=62&page=transcript

4. Mon, Oct 11: Liberalism: Ideas & Institutions, part II  

Margaret Keck & Kathryn Sikkink, “Transnational Advocacy Networks in International Politics,” from Activists beyond Borders, Ithaca: Cornell, 1998.

President Carter, “Commencement Address at the Univ. of Notre Dame,” May 22, 1977. Read or watch: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=7552#axzz1XkJgCgHM http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/153890-01

5. Wed, Oct 13: The Cold War: Why did it end?

Background: Felix Gilbert & David Clay Large, The End of the European Era: 1890 to the Present, NY: Norton, 2002, pp. 517-558 (focus on 517-548). 

John Lewis Gaddis, "Hanging Tough Paid Off," Bulletin of Atomic Scientists 45/1 (Jan. 1989): 47-61.

Gen. Sec. Gorbachev’s address to the 43rd U.N. General Assembly, Dec. 7, 1988 (excerpts). 

Katrina vanden Heuvel, “Here’s what leaders facing global crises can learn from Mikhail Gorbachev,” Washington Post (Opinion), Feb. 23, 2021.  

6. Mon, Oct 18: Comparing Realism & Liberalism

See questions in “Comparing Realism & Liberalism” in "lecture outlines" in “Files.” 

7. Wed, Oct 20: First exam.   Closed-book, in-class exam. Bring a blue book. Sections AA, AB, & AC will take their exams in Gould Hall: GLD 322; Section AD will take their exams in Bagley Hall: BAG 108. 

8. Mon, Oct 25: War & State-building: How does war affect states?

Bruce D. Porter, “War and the American Government,” from War and the Rise of the State: The Military Foundations of Modern Politics,” NY: The Free Press, 1994, pp. 243-96.

9. Wed, Oct 27: Cold War State-Building: How did the Cold War affect the US state?

Athen Theoharis, "Expanding U.S. Surveillance Powers: The Costs of Secrecy,” Journal of Policy History, 28/3 (2016): 515-534.

Recommended:  For journalistic accounts of 9-11’s effect on civil liberties, see:

Reitman, Janet, “I helped Destroy People,” NYT, Sept 1, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/01/magazine/fbi-terrorism-terry-albury.html?referringSource=articleShare   Or, “For Many American Muslims, The Legacy Of 9/11 Lies In The Battle For Civil Rights,” NPR Saturday edition, Sept 11, 2021. https://www.npr.org/2021/09/11/1036217570/9-11s-legacy-changed-life-for-muslims-in-america

10. Mon, Nov 1: The National Security State: Militarization of US foreign policy?  

Mark Malan, “Africa: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing,” Testimony before the Subcommittee on African Affairs, Committee on Foreign Relations, 2007 (pp. 1-5 & conclusion p. 7).

Helene Cooper, “White House Pushes Military Might Over Humanitarian Aid in Africa,” NYT, June 26, 2017. 

Nick Turse (excerpts), “How One of the Most Stable Nations in West Africa Descended Into Mayhem,” NYT, Oct 15, 2020.

Elizabeth Schmid and William Minter, “Can We Demilitarize U.S. Policy in Africa?” Foreign Policy in Focus, July 28, 2021.

Recommended:  Stimson Center, “US Global Force Posture and US Military Operations Short of War, 1991-2020 (interactive visualization of number of US troops where and over time).   https://www.stimson.org/2021/us-global-force-posture-and-us-military-operations-short-of-war/?utm_source=Stimson+Center&utm_campaign=d8b8b3c97b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_07_30_01_11&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_15c3e20f70-d8b8b3c97b-47044669

11.  Wed, Nov 3: Implications of US State-building: What effect on US foreign policy?

David Rieff, “Blueprint for a Mess,” NYT Magazine, Nov. 2, 2003.

Gordon Adams, “Does Mission Creep Matter?” in Mission Creep: The Militarization of US Foreign Policy, edited by Gordon Adams and Shoon Murray, Georgetown University Press, 2014.

12. Mon, Nov 8: Post-Cold War: Should NATO expand?

James M. Goldgier, “NATO Expansion: The Anatomy of a Decision,” in Wittkopf and McCormick, eds., Domestic Sources of Foreign American Policy, Rowman & Littlefield, 2003.  

Henry Kissinger, “Expand NATO now,” Washington Post, Dec. 19, 1994.

George K. Kennan, “A Fateful Error” New York Times, Feb. 5, 1997.  

Stephen Wertheim, “Sorry, Liberals. But You Really Shouldn’t Love NATO,” NYT (opinion), June 14, 2021

13. Wed, Nov 10: Post-Cold War: A responsibility to protect? (humanitarian intervention)

Jon Western, “Sources of Humanitarian Intervention,” in Eugene R. Wittkopf and James M. McCormick, eds., The Domestic Source of American Foreign Policy, Rowman & Littlefield, 2003.  

Mark Landler, “Obama’s Choice: To Intervene or Not in Libya,” New York Times, March 5, 2011.

Recommended:   For a summary of U.S. military interventions from 1798-2020 (does not include covert interventions): https://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R42738.pdf

** Fri, Nov 12: (optional) paper topic due at the beginning of section **

Last day to choose option #1 (as indicated by submission of paper topic).

14. Mon, Nov 15: Second exam.  Closed-book, in-class exam. Bring a blue book. Sections AA, AB, & AC will take their exams in Gould Hall: GLD 322; Section AD will take their exams in Bagley Hall: BAG 108. 

15. Wed, Nov 17: Nuclear Weapons: Why non-use since Hiroshima & Nagasaki?

Excerpts from John Hersey, “Hiroshima,” The New Yorker, August 31, 1946. Hersey chronicles the lives of six individuals in the weeks after Hiroshima. Choose one person from part I and follow their story. Be sure to read from part IV, “Panic Grass and Feverfew.”

Recommended:  See tests: http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/05/when-we-tested-nuclear-bombs/100061/, esp. “Operation Cue”: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/05/video-gallery-nuclear-bomb-tests/238461/  

16. Mon, Nov 22: Nuclear Proliferation: Why the bomb?  

Peter Wilby, History tells us why North Korea really wants the bomb, The New Statesman,  7 Sept 2017; and excerpts from:  Dave Mosher, “North Korea is not building nuclear weapons to destroy the US — the real reasons are much more surprising,” Business Insider, Jan 21, 2018.   

Jung H. Pak, "What Kim Wants: The Hopes and Fears of North Korea's Dictator," Foreign Affairs, 99, 3, May-June 2020.

Maysam Behravesh, “Iran Is Starting to Want the Bomb: The U.S. maximum pressure campaign accidentally spurred a strategic shift in Tehran,” Foreign Policy, March 10, 2021.

Recommended: Nuclear stockpiles over time (global and individual states; cumulative and comparative – latter esp. interesting): https://thebulletin.org/nuclear-notebook-multimedia

17. Wed, Nov 24: Nuclear Proliferation: Is more better?

Kenneth N. Waltz, “The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: More may be Better,” in Richard K. Betts, ed., Conflict after the Cold War: Arguments on Causes of War & Peace, NY: Pearson Longman, 2005.

Excerpt from "Always/Never: The Quest for Nuclear Safety, Control, and Survivability," Sandia National Labs, 2010, Broken Arrow, North Carolina, 1961 Also see highlighted section about near miss. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/799655-mcnamara.html#document/p2/a122657

Mon, Nov 29: China’s Rise: A new cold war?, part I

 Graham Allison, “Imagine China were just like us,” in Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’ Trap? Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017, pp. 89-106.

Ryan Hass, “China Is Not Ten Feet Tall,” Foreign Affairs, March 3, 2021. 

Recommended: summary US-China relations, 1949-2021:  https://www.cfr.org/timeline/us-relations-china

visual depiction of China’s relative rise. Scroll to “China’s Economic Rise” and hit “replay” https://www.visualcapitalist.com/china-economic-growth-history/    China's annual growth rate: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG?end=2019&locations=CN&start=1961

19. Wed, Dec 1: China’s Rise: A new cold war?, part II

David Adesnik, "Biden Revives the Truman Doctrine," Foreign Policy, March 29, 2021. 

Liza Lin, “X’s China Crafts Campaign to Boost Youth Patriotism,” Wall Street Journal. Dec 30, 2020.

Carrie A. Lee, "Sleepwalking into WWIII: Trump's Dangerous Militarization of Foreign Policy," Foreign Affairs, October 19, 2020. .  

Fareed Zakaria, “Opinion: The Pentagon is using China as an excuse for huge new budgets,” Washington Post, March 18, 2021.

recommended (on U.S. policy of "strategic ambiguity"):

"A stronger China tests America's policy of "strategic ambiguity" on Taiwan," NPR, Nov. 30, 2021. https://www.npr.org/2021/11/30/1060185873/the-u-s-may-start-to-clarify-its-taiwan-policy

20. Mon, Dec 6: Privatized Military Force: Good for democracy & US foreign policy?

Fisher, Marc, Ian Shapira, & Emily Rauhala, “Behind Erik Princes’ China Venture,” Washington Post, May 4, 2018. 

Kate Brannen, “The Company Getting Rich Off the ISIS War,” The Daily Beast, Aug 2, 2015; and Kate Brannen, “Spies-for-Hire Now at War in Syria: It’s not just U.S. troops battling ISIS,” The Daily Beast, Aug 8, 2016.

Declan Walsh, “By Air and Sea, Mercenaries Landed in Libya. Then the Plan Went South,” NYT,  May 25, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/25/world/middleeast/libya-mercenaries-arms-embargo.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=World%20News

21. Wed, Dec 8: Third exam.  Closed-book, in-class exam. Bring a blue book. Sections AA, AB, & AC will take their exams in Gould Hall: GLD 322; Section AD will take their exams in Bagley Hall: Bag 108.   

*** Optional policy memo due by 9am, Mon, Dec 13 ***

 Note instructions on length, format, and structure (above and on Canvas).  A rubric describing how your policy memo will be assessed is on Canvas under “Files.”