This course examines the sources of American foreign policy making and their implications for contemporary issues and problems in American foreign affairs. Special emphasis will be placed on the security aspects of foreign policy. The first-half section will provide a theoretical framework of understanding both external and internal sources of American foreign policy behavior. We begin by reviewing dominant approaches for international relations, such as realist, liberalist, rationalist, and constructivist, to explain American foreign policy. We then focus on the role of domestic actors—such as individual leaders, Congress, interest groups, and public opinion—in foreign policy decision-making. Throughout the course, we will use these approaches to examine pivotal events and critical turning points in U.S. foreign policy.
In the second half of the course, we will turn our attention to the country’s contemporary issues and debates in various foreign policy domains: nuclear weapons, military alliances, trade and tariffs, military intervention, diplomatic rapprochement, and grand strategy. The class will conclude with a discussion of the future of American foreign policy, including the possibility of a new Cold War and the role of emerging technology.