POL S 321 A: American Foreign Policy

 321: AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY

MW, 1130-1250, PCAR 192

Prof. KIER

Office hrs, Wed., 430-600, Gowen 129, ekier@uw.edu,

Teaching Assistants:

Ryan Reynolds, AB (10:30) & AD (11:30) deadpool@uw.edu, office hrs. Wed., 130-330, Smith 31

Jessica Sciarone, AA (9:30) & AC (11:30), jsciar@uw.edu, office hrs.: Wed., 830-1030 https://washington.zoom.us/j/93417604325

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, realism and liberalism, explain American foreign policy. We also examine how the Cold War affected U.S. state-building and the potential consequences of this state-building for the design of U.S. foreign policy today.

We use these approaches to examine pivotal events, actors, and developments in U.S. foreign policy. 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 focus on a central issue in U.S. foreign policy today: the implications of China’s rise for U.S. Chinese relations.

Requirements:  You have a choice between two options:

Option 1:   Two exams (30% each), policy memo (30%), and section (10%)

Option 2:   Two exams (45% each) and section (10%)

Choice must be made by May 2 (indicated by submission of paper topic). Late decisions will not be accepted.  

The exams will be closed-book and on-campus. Copies of past exams are under "Files." You must stay home and arrange a make-up if you think you have COVID. 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 prepared to discuss current events and to actively participate in all discussions. Section will focus on applying course themes to contemporary issues in U.S. foreign policy. 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.

Readings. Most of the readings are on Canvas under “Files.” Readings questions to help you take notes are also available under “Files”. Daily reading of the New York Times (or other national newspaper that covers international politics) is also required. The NYT digital edition is available for free to UW students: https://nytimesineducation.com/access-nyt/ UW students also have free access to the Wall Street Journal: WSJ.com/ActivateUW

Participation in lecture can also positively affect your final grade.

Accommodations Contact the Disability Resources office to request accommodation. 448 Schmitz Hall, 543-8924 (voice), 543-8925 (TTY), 616-8379 (fax), uwdss@uw.edu. DRS is understaffed so it is important to make your request as soon as possible.

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 theory’s critique of it.

This memo involves 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 U.S. 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 . . .   

• shift away from its military-first counterterrorism strategy in the Salal region and increase funding for diplomatic and development efforts?
• ratify the UN Convention of the Law of the Seas because of the increased international competition in the Arctic?
• double-down on strikes against Yemen’s Houthis to degrade their ability to attack shipping in the Red Sea? Or, build stronger intelligence and military relations with the UN-recognized government in Yemen so they can drive the Houthis away from Red Sea ports?
• surge humanitarian assistance to Sudan (or Haiti) to avoid famine?
• militarily intervene in Haiti to restore order and to make elections possible?
• condition military aid to Israel on the reduction of civilian casualties in Gaza or the delivery of humanitarian aid?
• resume funding UNRWA, the main UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees?
• resume U.S. security cooperation with military forces in Niger (canceled after the July 2023 military coup)?
• sanction Ghana if its harsh anti-LGBTQ legislation becomes law? Or, encourage the World Bank to suspend future financing to Ghana if the bill is adopted?
• move the U.S. drone base in Niger to Ghana, Ivory Coast or Benin?
• designate transnational white supremacist groups as foreign terrorist organizations?
• condition military aid to Ukraine on Kyiv entering negotiations with Russia to trade land for peace? Or, provide Ukraine with significantly more advanced weapons, and especially those with long-range capabilities? Or, expand NATO to include Ukraine?
• pursue regime change in Syria given its gross violations of human rights? Or, in Iran given its nuclear program and support for the “axis of resistance”?
• curtail USAID support to Gambia if it reverses its ban on female genital cutting.
• deploy additional U.S. troops to Germany? Or, send additional U.S. troops and military equipment to the Baltic states?
• enact a full ban on the use of anti-personnel land mines and join the Ottawa Convention?
• sign the ICC, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, or some other treaty?
• end (or lessen) sanctions on Cuba?
• withdraw the 2,500 American troops from Iraq (or the 900 from Syria)? Or, deploy more U.S. forces to Iraq (or Syria)?
• raise (or lower) the cap on the number of refugees or individuals granted asylum?
• replace its “strategic ambiguity” posture with an explicit commitment to defend Taiwan from an armed attack? Or, base a U.S. brigade in Taiwan?
• scale back Trump (and now the Biden’s) tariffs on Chinese products? Or, pursue a less interventionist policy with China (less human rights, less Taiwan) to advance cooperation on other issues, such as climate change?
• deploy tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea for the first time since the end of the Cold War?
• recognize North Korea as a legitimate nuclear weapons power?
• reverse the seizure of the Afghan national bank’s assets, restoring its access to the international financial system?
• expand U.S. sanctions to punish companies that do business with Chinese companies relying on the forced labor of the Uighur minority?
• increase funding for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria? Or, provide additional funding for global vaccine efforts such as COVAX? Or, help expand vaccine manufacturing for use abroad?
• impose additional conditions on its military assistance to Egypt because of the regime’s repression and human rights abuses?
• crack down on illiberal regimes, such as Hungary, with trade sanctions.

Important due dates:

Policy memo topic due by 5pm, Thurs., May 2. State your policy proposal 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.

Policy memo due 9am, Tues., June 4: 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 we will assess your policy memo is available under “Files.” 

You will submit your memo through Turnitin, an educational tool that identifies plagiarism. It indicates the amount of original text and whether material that you quote, paraphrase, or summarize is appropriately referenced. For a discussion of plagiarism and how to avoid it, see https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/plagiarism/

Memo Outline

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

Your memo will include four parts:

• Presentation of issue (1/2 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 U.S. foreign policy by discussing the benefits and the costs of your favored policy. Biden will want to know the downsides of any policy you recommend.

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 & 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 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 

Think tanks are valuable sources on American foreign policy but if you rely on one you must ensure it is a reputable organization and that you know its politics. Check under “Files” on Canvas for a list of some think tanks focusing on U.S. foreign policy. If you cite a think tank publication, include a brief (phrase or sentence) of its politics in your bibliography.

Your memo should be 10-12 pages (or 2,225–2,500 words) not including citations and bibliography. 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.

Full and accurate citations are critical to your memo’s credibility. Your memo should have footnotes, including pages numbers and a bibliography. To ensure the correct formatting of each, see http://depts.washington.edu/pswrite/Handouts/CitingPrintSources.pdf 

Concise and well-written memos are more likely to influence their intended audience. An indispensable guide to writing well is Strunk & White’s, Elements of Style.

1. Mon., March 25: Introduction

2. Wed., March 27: 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. Mon., April 1: 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. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-joint-session-congress...  

Rose Gottenmoeller, "The New START Verification Regime: How Good Is It?" Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, May 21, 2020.  https://carnegieendowment.org/2020/05/21/new-start-verification-regime-how-good-is-it-pub-81877

4. Wed., April 3: 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.  http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=7552#axzz1XkJgCgHM   http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/153890-01 

Not required but for those interested in one of your TA's recent publications see,: Jessica Sciarone, “Radicalization pathways among women in U.S. far-right extremist networks and implications for deradicalization, Journal for Deradicalization, spring 2024.

5. Mon., April 8: 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). 

6. Wed., April 10: Comparing Realism & Liberalism

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

Patricia Cohen, “Economic Ties Among Nations Spur Peace. Or Do They?” NYT, March 4, 2022

7. Mon., April 15: 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.

8. Wed., April 17: Cold War State-Building: How did the Cold War affect the U.S. state?

Athen Theoharis, "Expanding U.S. Surveillance Powers: The Costs of Secrecy,” Journal of Policy History, 28/3 (2016): 515-34.

Editorial Board, "Operation Chaos," New York Times, June 11, 1975. 

recommended:  For journalistic accounts of 9-11’s effect on civil liberties, see:Janet Reitman, “I helped Destroy People,” NYT, Sept. 1, 2021.  https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/01/magazine/fbi-terrorism-terry-albury.h...   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-...  

9. Mon., April 22: The National Security State: Militarization of U.S. 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.

Rachel Chason and Michael Birnbaum, “U.S. struggles for influence in West Africa as military juntas rise,” Washington Post, Feb. 24, 2024.

recommended:  Stimson Center, “U.S. Global Force Posture and U.S. Military Operations Short of War, 1991-2020 (deployment of U.S .troops over time). https://www.stimson.org/2021/us-global-force-posture-and-us-military-ope...

10. Wed., April 24: Implications of U.S. State-building: What effect on U.S. 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 U.S. Foreign Policy, edited by Gordon Adams and Shoon Murray, Georgetown University Press, 2014.

recommended:

For details on DoD spending in Washington state, see https://oldcc.gov/sites/default/files/FY2022%20Defense%20Spending_WA.pdf  

For interactive map of Lockheed Martin’s economic impact in each state, see: https://www.f35.com/f35/about/economic-impact.html

11. Mon., April 29: First exam – bring blue book

12. Wed., May 1: Post-Cold War: Should NATO expand?

James M. Goldgeier, “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.

** Thurs., May 2. optional paper topic due by 5pm **

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

13. Mon., May 6: 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://sgp.fas.org/crs/natsec/R42738.pdf   

14. Wed., May 8: 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: https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/05/when-we-tested-nuclear-bombs/1...   esp. “Operation Cue”: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/05/video-gallery-nuc...  

15. Mon., May 13: Nuclear Proliferation: Why the bomb?  

Peter Wilby, History tells us why North Korea really wants the bomb, New Statesman,  Sept. 7, 2017; and excerpts from: Dave Mosher, “North Korea is not building nuclear weapons to destroy the U.S. — 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.

Joby Warrick, "Nuclear deal in tatters, Iran edges close to weapons capability," Washington Post, April 10, 2024. 

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

To reserve a spot on the free tours of Reactor B at Hanford:  https://manhattanprojectbreactor.hanford.gov/index.cfm

16. Wed., May 15: 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,   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2wR11pGsYk    Also see highlighted section about near miss.  https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/799655-mcnamara.html#document/p2/a122657    

recommended: W.J. Hennigan, “The Brink,” NYT (opinions), March 7, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/03/04/opinion/nuclear-war-prevention.html

17. Mon., May 20: 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.

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

background (recommended):

- summary of Biden's recent balancing in Asia (and some great maps). John Ismay, Edward Wong and Pablo Robles, "U.S. Builds Web of Arms, Ships and Bases in the Pacific to Deter China," NYT, April 26, 2024.  https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/04/26/us/politics/us-china-mili...

- summary of U.S.-China relations, 1949-2023: Council on Foreign Relations, U.S.-China Relations, 1949-2023 https://www.cfr.org/timeline/us-china-relations   

- watch China’s relative rise, 1960-2018. Scroll to “China’s Economic Rise” and hit “replay”.  https://www.visualcapitalist.com/china-economic-growth-history/    

 - summary of Xi’s increase in autocratic power: Weiyi Cai et. al., “How Xi returned China to one-man rule, NYT, Sept. 2, 2023.   https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/09/02/world/asia/china-xi-rule....

- watch (and read about) China’s tactics in the South China sea. Feliz Solomon, “How China’s aggressive sea tactics look from the deck of an opposing ship,” Wall Street Journal, March 6, 2024. https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/how-chinas-aggressive-sea-tactics-look-from-the-deck-of-an-opposing-ship-a942f912?reflink=integratedwebview_share

18. Wed., May 22: China’s Rise: A new cold war? part II

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

Li Yuan, “Perils of Preaching Nationalism Play Out on Chinese Social Media,” NYT, Aug. 4, 2022.  

Mike M. Mochizuki and Michael D. Swaine, Opinions, “A Dangerous Game is Underway in Asia,” NYT, April 2024.

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

more recommended background

- will China pass the US?  Stella Yifan Xie, “China’s Economy Won’t Overtake the U.S., Some Now Predict,” Wall Street Journal, Sept. 2, 2022.  https://www.wsj.com/articles/will-chinas-economy-surpass-the-u-s-s-some-...  

- China’s economic headwinds:  Jason Douglas, “What’s wrong with China’s economy, in Eight charts,” Wall Street Journal, March 1, 2024. https://www.wsj.com/world/china/whats-wrong-with-chinas-economy-in-eight-charts-efc2ea5f?st=sjztcmkm57tinlv&reflink=article_email_share

-Taiwan & the policy of "strategic ambiguity": Josh Chin, “China and Taiwan relations explained: What’s behind the divide,” Wall Street Journal, March 30, 2023.  https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-taiwan-relations-tensions-explained-1...

Mon., May 27: Memorial Day. No class

Wed, May 29:  Second Exam

** Optional policy memo due 9am, Tues., June 4 **

See above for instructions on length, format, and structure. Remember that if you cite a think tank publication, include a brief (phrase or sentence) of its politics in your bibliography.

A rubric describing how your policy memo will be assessed is on Canvas under “Files"