- Winter 2022
Syllabus Description:
Winter 2022
POLS 407: INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT
MW, 1130-1250
Prof. Kier
office hrs: W, 3:30-5:00; https://washington.zoom.us/j/91459948732
Teaching Assistant:
Bree Bang-Jensen, office hrs: Mon., 1-3pm https://washington.zoom.us/j/2044335714; in-person on Friday.
War is a central feature of international politics. After an overview of the development of modern warfare, we will examine the causes of interstate war. Is war inevitable given the structure of the international system? Or can changes in beliefs affect its likelihood? Does the spread of democracies eliminate the security dilemma? What role does the military and military technology play in the potential for armed conflict? Might misperceptions lead countries into wars that no one intended to start? We will examine these questions through a focus on World War I and World War II. The course will conclude with an examination of the origins of two contemporary conflicts: the Persian Gulf War and the 2003 war in Iraq.
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Remote lectures: Lectures are synchronous via Zoom throughout the quarter (not just the first week). Recordings will be available on Canvas. Sharing recordings outside of class violates student rights under FERPA (Links to an external site.). 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.
It is important to stay up-to-date with the lectures, readings, and readings questions, especially because Canvas occasionally goes down (and could be inaccessible preceding an exam).
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Readings: Most of the readings are available on Canvas under “Files.” The book (Michael Howard, War in European History, 1976) is available online through the UW library. However, the online book is available to only three students at a time so you may wish to purchase it or read the copy on reserve at Odegaard. Readings questions are available on Canvas under "Files" to guide your reading and to help you take notes on it.
Daily reading of the New York Times (or another national news source) is also required. For the reduced college rate, see NYTimes.com/UWashington. Students can gain free access to the Wall Street Journal here: WSJ.com/ActivateUW
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Requirements: Two exams (30% each); research paper (30%); and section (10%).
The exams will be closed book and on-campus in two separate rooms: section AD in Condon 115 and sections AA & AB in Condon 135. If you think you might have Covid, you must stay home and arrange a make-up. Otherwise, no 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 https://www.polisci.washington.edu/department-and-university-policies
You are expected to go to section well prepared, and to actively participate in section discussion. Section will focus on discussing some of the course readings, developing your research papers, and applying course themes to current events. Section will not address all the readings so it is important to use the reading questions to guide your reading and to help you take notes. If you are unable to attend a section, submit a 350-550 word essay within a week of the missed section that discusses the week’s readings.
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.
The research paper is discussed below.
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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 easily arrange accommodations.
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/).
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Grading Policy To request a re-grading of your work (outside of tabulation errors):
- 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.
- Your TA will review and return your materials within a week.
- If you’re still dissatisfied, your TA will pass the materials to Kier for her evaluation.
Research Paper on the Causes of War
This course focuses on explanations for the outbreak of war. The research paper provides an opportunity to take this knowledge and apply it to a war of your choosing. You will test how one explanation for war stands up against the historical record. You can choose any interstate war that we have not discussed in detail in class.
The paper has four purposes. First, it will give you a better understanding of what it means to use evidence to test an argument. Second, it will sharpen your analytical skills. Third, it will broaden your substantive knowledge and allow you to pursue regional or historical interests. Finally, it will improve your research and writing skills.
Choosing a war
We encourage you to speak with us about your topic, but here’s a list of possible interstate wars. We recommend against choosing an internal war, which the class does not explore.
War of 1812; Russo-Turkish (1828), Mexican-American (1846), Firs Schleswig-Holstein (1848); Platine War (1851); Crimean (1853), Second Schleswig War (1864); Franco-Prussian (1870), Sino-French War (1885); Sino-Japanese (1894-95), Spanish-American (1898), Russo-Japanese (1904-05), Italo-Turkish (1911-12); Russo-Finnish (1939); Korean (1950-53), Sino-Indian (1962), Indo-Pakistani (1965); Vietnam (1965); Six Day (1967); Indo-Pakistani (1971); Yom Kippur (1973), Turco-Cypriot (1974); Sino-Vietnamese (1979); Iran-Iraq (1980), Falklands (1982); Chad-Libya (1987), Iraq-Kuwait (1990), Armenia-Azerbaijan (1992), Eritrea-Ethiopia (1998); Kargil War (1999); Russian-Georgia (2008); Russo-Ukrainian (2014-); Nagorno-Karabakh (2020).
Writing your paper topic
Your paper topic assignment should answer four questions:
1. What's your case? (Be specific).
2. What's your puzzle? ("Why did [State A] fight [State B]?")
3. What explanation are you testing (e.g., polarity, security dilemma, power transition, nationalism, diversionary war, offense bias, military preferences, misperception, beliefs).
4. What 5-6 books and articles have you collected?
Finding sources
Your paper should cite 10-12 sources. 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.
We also encourage you to consult with reference librarians to ensure that you take full advantage of search engines. You can email Emily Keller, the Political Science and Public Policy Librarian, for an appointment. She will introduce you to, or refresh your knowledge of, search engines, and help you find books and articles on your topic. emkeller@uw.edu
Writing your paper
We’ll discuss the paper in lecture and section, but in should include four parts.
I. Introduction (one short paragraph). What war are you examining? What explanation are you testing? What is your overall conclusion?
II. Setting the scene (max: 1/2 page). When did the war occur? Who are the major players and what are the major issues?
III. Testing the explanation (8-10 pages).
A. Present the key parts of the explanation that you are testing. Discuss the explanation’s assumptions; who or what it identifies as the crucial actors or variables; and detail its causal argument about the causes of war. Also identify the argument’s empirical implications: what do you expect to see/not expect to see if it is correct?
B. Test the argument against empirical evidence.
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- Discuss evidence that supports the explanation
- Discuss evidence that challenges it
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Your task is not to “prove” that your argument is correct, but to show that you know how to use evidence to test an argument. Evidence that challenges your argument is as important as evidence that confirms it.
C. Assess the evidence. What does the evidence say about the explanation that you are testing? What does it indicate about the plausibility of one of the other explanations for war discussed in class?
IV. Conclusion (½ page). Evaluate your case study: what does it say about the causes of war?
Writing well
Your papers should be 2,500-3000 words not including bibliography. Put word count on the first page. Your paper should include citations and a bibliography. To ensure the correct formatting of each, see http://depts.washington.edu/pswrite/Handouts/CitingPrintSources.pdf
Your paper must be well written and carefully edited (and will be assessed on content and style). An indispensable guide to writing is Strunk & White’s, Elements of Style. You may wish to exchange your paper with a colleague for comments on your argument and assistance with your writing. Even the most accomplished authors profit from editorial feedback.
See the “Criteria for Grading Research Papers” posted on Canvas for a discussion of how your paper will be assessed.
You will submit your exams and research paper through SimCheck, 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. If you are uncertain about the meaning of plagiarism and how to avoid it, see: http://depts.washington.edu/pswrite/plag.html
Important due dates
Feb. 17: Topic selection: Submit on Canvas by 9am. See instructions above. Not graded, but late submission will lower final paper grade .2 pts. for each day.
March 11: Poster session: Present findings in section (or lose .5 pts. on final paper). See “Poster Session Guidelines” on Canvas for instructions.
March 15: Final paper: Submit on Canvas by 1pm. Late papers lose .5 pts. for each day.
War through the Movies
In addition to the films recommended on the syllabus, we encourage you to view a few of the following. Some are wartime Hollywood propaganda films (e.g. The Green Berets); some are anti-war movies (e.g. All Quiet on the Western Front). None can replace a close reading of history and a clear understanding of theory, and most should be recognized for what they are: fiction. But even if films are less useful in describing the larger political, social, and economic context, they can powerfully depict the heroic, tragic, and morally ambiguous aspects of war.
American Civil War: Glory (1989) African-American volunteer regiment from Massachusetts; Gettysburg (1993) depicts this crucial battle.
South African War: Breaker Morant (1980) explores the morality of attacks on civilians.
World War I: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) adaptation of German anti-war novel; Gallipoli (1981) one of WWI’s great disasters - Australian soldiers decimated in trying to invade Turkey; La Grande Illusion (1937) Renoir's film about WWI’s effects, as reflected in the lives of French POWs and their German warden; Paths of Glory, Kubrick (1957) French soldiers wrongfully court-martialed; They shall not grow old (2018) critically-acclaimed documentary remasters original filming from WWI; 1917 (2019) Two British soldiers race to deliver a message that could save 1,600 British soldiers.
World War II: Stalingrad, German anti-war drama released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the battle; Slaughterhouse Five (1972) Vonnegut's story about a man who becomes "unstuck in time" after witnessing Dresden’s firebombing; Catch 22 (1970) satire about an aviator trying to escape the war; The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) three servicemen return home and adjust to civilian life; Bridge over the River Quai (1957) true story of POWs forced to build the Bangkok-Rangoon railway bridge; Why We Fight, Capra (1940s) propaganda series made during the war; Das Boot (1981) heroic efforts of a German U-boat captain and crew; Days of Glory/Indigènes,(2006) North African soldiers who enlist to free France; Dunkirk (2017) dramatic depiction of the evacuation.
Korean War: M*A*S*H (1970) depiction of medical unit in Korea that satirizes Vietnam; Pork Chop Hill, (1959); The Manchurian Candidate (1962) on the consequences of brainwashing.
Vietnam: Full Metal Jacket, Kubrick (1987) Marines in boot camp and Vietnam prior to the Tet Offensive; Hearts and Minds, Davis (1974) Academy Award for best documentary; The Green Berets (1968) John Wayne’s pro-Vietnam depiction; Platoon, Oliver Stone’s (1986) depiction based on his experience as an infantryman; Apocalypse Now, Coppola (1979) epic vision of war’s madness, loosely based on Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness; Born on the 4th of July (1989) Ron Kovic becomes an anti-war activist after feeling betrayed by the country he fought for; The Anderson Platoon (1967) Academy Award - focuses on daily life of a grunt; The Deer Hunter (1978) steelworkers who found only horror and death in Vietnam; The Killing Fields (1984) fall of Cambodia and the American evacuation; Fog of War (2003) documentary about McNamara, Secretary of Defense during Vietnam; Da 5 Bloods (2020) Black vets return to Vietnam to find the remains of their squad leader and the fortune he helped them hide.
Yugoslavia: Before the Rain; Welcome to Sarajevo
Nuclear war: Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick’s (1964) political satire of Cold War nuclear strategy; On the Beach (1959) depicts the aftermath of a nuclear war.
Afghanistan and Iraq: Restrepo (2010) documentary about U.S. platoon in one of deadliest valleys in Afghanistan; The Hurt Locker (2008) follows a War Explosive Ordnance disposal team in Iraq.
International Conflict
I. State, Society, & the Development of Modern Warfare
A. From Dynastic to Napoleonic Warfare
B. Total war: World War I & World War II
II. Causes of War (with a focus on World War I & World War II).
A. The International system
1. polarity
2. power transitions
3. security dilemma
B. The State
1. nationalism
2. diversionary
3. democracies and war
C. The Military
1. bureaucratic interests
2. doctrine: offense, defense, and stability
D. The Individual
1. misperceptions and war
2. beliefs about war
III. Contemporary Case Studies
A. Persian Gulf War, 1991
B. War in Iraq, 2003
Mon., Jan. 3: Introduction
Wed., Jan. 5: The Development of Modern Warfare
Michael Howard, War in European History, chaps. 4-5, pp. 54-93.
Mon., Jan. 10: The Age of Total War: World War I
Michael Howard, War in European History, chaps. 6-7, pp. 95-135.
Wilfred Owen, "Dulce et Decorum Est," 1918. Read or listen: http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/owen1.html or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qts3K3KznN4
recommended: A global interactive guide to WWI https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2014/jul/23/a-global-gu...
recommended movie: All Quiet on the Western Front. The trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grapXipP3fM
Wed., Jan. 12: The Age of Total War: World War II
Edward H. Bonekemper, The Myth of the Lost Cause: Why the South Fought the Civil War and Why the North Won. Washington, DC: Regnery’ 2015. Read chap. 1 and excerpts from Chap 3: pp. 31-51, 56-59, 66-95.
recommended movie: Days of Glory (Indigènes). The trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aip0EjFwWr4
Mon., Jan. 17: Martin Luther King Jr. Day – no class
Wed., Jan. 19: The International System: Polarity
Kenneth Waltz, "The Origins of War in Neorealist Theory," in Rotberg & Rabb, The Origin & Prevention of Major Wars, pp. 39-51 (48-51 is NOT required - stop at "Keeping wars cold" pg. 48 & start again at "Wars, hot and cold" pg. 51)
Margaret MacMaillan, “Which Past Is Prologue? Heeding the Right Warnings From History,” Foreign Affairs, 99, 5, Sept-Oct 2020.
Mon., Jan. 24: The International System: Power Transitions
The White House, “Prevent our Enemies from Threatening Us, Our Allies, and Our Friends with Weapons of Mass Destruction,” Section V of The National Security Strategy of the USA (Sept 2002).
David E. Sanger, “Beating them to the prewar: The ‘anticipatory self-defense’ talk,” NYT (Sept 28, 2002).
Michael Beckley and Hall Brands, “Competition With China Could Be Short and Sharp: The Risk of War Is Greatest in the Next Decade,” Foreign Affairs, Dec. 17, 2020.
not required, but highly recommend, esp. his argument for "why now." https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/20/putin-has-carefully-calculated-odds-right-now-theyre-his-favor/
Wed., Jan. 26: The International System: The Security Dilemma
David Cloud & Jay Solomon, “How U.S., North Korea turned broken deals into a standoff,” Wall Street Journal (March 4, 2003).
Steven Lee Myers, “Bush backs Ukraine’s bid to join NATO, despite Putin’s objections,” NYT (April, 2, 2008).
John J. Mearsheimer, “Getting Ukraine Wrong,” NYT (March 13, 2014).
If not up-to-date on the crisis between Russia & the Ukraine, do some background readings. Some possibilities: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/01/21/ukraine-russia-explain-maps/
https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/20/europe/ukraine-russia-tensions-explainer-cmd-intl/index.html
Mon., Jan. 31: The State: Nationalism
Paul T. Miller, “How World War III Could Start in Latvia,” Foreign Policy (Nov 16, 2016).
James Stavridis and Elliot Ackerman, “How the U.S. Could Sleepwalk into a War with China,” Time, March 9, 2021.
Vladimir Putin, short excerpt from ”On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians,” July 12, 2021. If interested in the article, see: http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/66181
recommended: Brett Forrest, “Russia-Ukraine Conflict Lies in the Bones of an 11th-Century Prince,” Wall Street Journal, Jan 1, 2022.
More background on Ukraine-Russia: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/25/infographic-military-capabilities-of-russia-and-ukraine-interactive
Wed., Feb., 2: The State: Diversionary
Thomas Erdbrink, “Long divided, Iran unites against Trump and the Saudis in a nationalist fervor,” NYT, Nov 26, 2017.
Aron Leon, “Could Putin Launch Another Invasion?” Politico (opinion), March 15, 2021.
Landler, Mark, “Britain Pursues More Muscular Role in Standoff With Russia on Ukraine,” NYT, Jan 23, 2022.
recommended movie: Wag the Dog (1997). The trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNo0BicRM8k
Mon., Feb. 7: The State: The Democratic Peace
Christopher Layne, “Kant or Cant: The Myth of the Democratic Peace,” in Karen Mingst and Jack Snyder, eds., Essential Readings in World Politics (Norton, 2001).
David Plotz, “Greens Peace,” New York Times Magazine (June 4, 2000).
Wed., Feb. 9: First exam - bring blue book; on-campus in two separate rooms: section AD in Condon 115 and sections AA & AB in Condon 135.
* section on Friday, Feb. 11 *
Discuss paper topics, research process, and poster presentation
Mon., Feb. 14: The Military: Bureaucratic Interests
Stephen Van Evera, “The Cult of the Offensive & the Origins of the First World War," International Security (summer 1984): 58-107.
Wed., Feb. 16: The Military: Offense-Defense and Stability
Jonathan G. Panter, “Will Americans Die for Freedom of Navigation? The Navy’s favorite tool in Asia is deeply flawed.” Foreign Policy, April 6, 2021.
Chris Horton, “Airliners have become China’s newest means of pressuring Taiwan,” NYT (Jan. 19, 2018).
* submit paper topic on Canvas by 9am on Thurs, Feb 17 *
Mon., Feb. 21: President’s Day – no class
Wed., Feb. 23: The Individual: Misperceptions and War
Richard Fontain and Vance Serchuk, “Pick your Prism: How foreign policy makers view pivotal years says a great deal about how they act in 2014” (excerpt), Politico, Nov 28, 2014.
recommended movie: Fog of War (2003). The trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0Sjq-i0bTI
Mon., Feb. 28: The Individual: Beliefs about War
Margaret Mead, "Warfare Is Only an Invention - Not a Biological Necessity," ASIA (1940).
Lee Myers, “In Putin’s Syria intervention, Fear of a Weak Government hand,” NYT (Oct 4, 2015).
Anton Troianovski, Ivan Nechepurenko and Valerie Hopkins, “How the Kremlin is Militarizing Russian Society,” NYT, Dec 21, 2021.
Wed., March 2: The Gulf War, 1991
Background: Anthony Cordesman, “The Persian Gulf War,” in John Whiteclay Chambers II, ed., The Oxford Companion to American Military History (Oxford, 1999): 544-46. Or watch: The Gulf War 1991: “Desert Storm: The War Begins” CNN documentary discusses Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and the Bush administration’s response https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udk-f4yqTSs
George H. W. Bush, “The Liberation of Kuwait has Begun,” (Speech of Jan 16, 1991), reprinted in The Gulf War Reader, edited by Micah L. Sifry and Christopher Cerf (Random House, 1991).
Thomas Friedman, "Confrontation in the Gulf: U.S. Gulf policy – vague ‘vital interest," NYT (Aug 12, 1990).
Mon., March 7: The War in Iraq, 2003
Background: “War in Iraq,” in Richard Samuels, editor, Encyclopedia of United States National Security (Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2006).
Colin Powell, “We reserve our sovereign right to take military action,” (excerpt from a speech at the World Economic Forum), NYT (Jan 27, 2003); and George W. Bush, “Domestic security,” “Disarming Iraq,” and “The military,” (excerpts from the State of the Union), NYT (Jan 28, 2003).
Jeffrey Record, “The Neoconservative Vision and 9/11,” in Dark Victory: America's Second War against Iraq, (Annapolis, Md., Naval Institute Press, 2004), pp. 17-29.
recommended movie: The Hurt Locker. The trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIbFvqFYRT4
Wed., March 9: Second Exam - bring blue book; on-campus in two separate rooms: section AD in Condon 115 and sections AA & AB in Condon 135.
* Friday, March 11 - poster session in section *
present findings from research paper; see “Poster Session Guidelines” under "Files" for instructions.
Tues., March 15: Research paper due by 1pm; submit on Canvas
Note instructions above on length and formatting.