POLS Selected Topics in International Relations: Political Leadership and International Conflict Spring 2017

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1 POLS Selected Topics in International Relations: Political Leadership and International Conflict Spring 2017 Time and Location: TR 9:30pm 10:50 pm, Holden Hall 130 Instructor: Daehee Bak Contact: Office Hours: Tuesday 11am 2pm (Holden 24) and by appointment TA: Kerry Chavez Contact: Office Hours: Wednesday 12:30m 3:30pm (Holden Hall 9) and by appointment Overview Course Description The international conflict scholarship has seen burgeoning interests in the role of political leadership in the process of international conflict over the past decade. Beyond the system-level or regime-level analysis of international conflict, the dynamic influence of various leadership characteristics sheds light on research on the causes and consequences of international conflict. This course explores whether there are systemic variations in conflict behavior across different types of leaders. In particular, students are expected to learn why leadership tenure and survival is an essential element of understanding the evolution of international conflict. Requirements Attendance and Participation (10% of the final grade) : Attendance is mandatory, which constitutes 10% of the final grade. For every missing class, I will subtract one point out of the total (10) attendance credits. However, the first four missing classes are not counted. An attendance sheet will be circulated at the beginning of class. If you are late for class, don t forget to sign your name on the attendance sheet. Students are expected to read assigned journal articles in advance and participate in class discussion. Active and constructive participation in class discussion will be rewarded at the instructor s discretion. Essay (10% of the final grade) : Each student is required to write a 5-6 page essay that discusses the role of political leadership in international conflict. A particular leader is assigned to each pair of students. These essays will be also circulated to the whole class before presentation, which will help other students prepare for the tests and the final exam. The detailed essay and presentation guidelines can be found in a separate document that will be posted to the blackboard. 1

2 Presentation (20% of the final grade) : Students are required to give a presentation about the assigned leader and conflict to the class according to the designated presentation schedule. See the detailed essay and presentation guidelines in the blackboard. Students are required to submit their essay and the power point slides at least one day before the presentation date. Tests (40% of the final grade) Students will take four tests that are not comprehensive. Test questions consist of multiple-choice and short-answer questions. These questions will come from lectures and student essays (& presentations). Final Exam (20% of the final grade) The final exam is comprehensive. Make-up tests and exam No make-up exams will be given unless a student has provided an official document that proves extremely unusual conditions for absence at least one day in advance. If a student provides the excuse document for absence after an exam or a test, the student is allowed to take a make-up exam with penalties (only 40% of the total credits will be given). A make-up exam should be taken in eight days after the scheduled exam date. Extra Credits Each test and the final exam may have several bonus questions. Grading Scale No incomplete grade will be given unless a student has provided a written document that shows a compelling reason why the student cannot complete the course on time. I use the following grading scale: A+= , A= , A-= , B+= , B= , B- = , C+= , C= , C-= , D+= , D= , D-= , F=59.99 or lower. Recommended Books, not required Giacomo Chiozza and H. E. Goemans Leaders and International Conflict. Cambridge University Press. Jessica Weeks Dictators and War and Peace. Cornell University Press. Dan Reiter and Allan C. Stam Democracies at War. Princeton University Press. Dan Reiter and Allan C. StamBruce Bueno de Mesquita, Alastair Smith, Randolph M. Siverson and James D. Morrow The Logic of Political Survival. MIT University Press. Course Outline The following course schedule is tentative and subject to change. For tests and exams, you should pay attention to the instructor s announcement in order not to misunderstand the materials that will be covered in each test or exam. January 19 (Thursday): Organizational Meeting January 24 (Tuesday): Domestic Sources of International Conflict Bueno de Mesquita, Bruce, and Alastair Smith Domestic Explanations of International Relations. Annual Review of Political Science 15:

3 January 26 (Thursday): War and Leadership Survival 1 Bueno de Mesquita, Bruce, and Randolph Siverson War and the Survival of Political Leaders: A Comparative Study of Regimes and Political Accountability. American Political Science Review 89(4): Bueno de Mesquita Bruce, James D. Morrow, Randolph M. Siverson and Alastair Smith An Institutional Explanation of the Democratic Peace. American Political Science Review 93(4): January 31 (Tuesday): War and Leadership Survival 2 Debs, Alexandre, and H. E. Goemans Regime Type, the Fate of Leaders, and War. American Political Science Review 104(3): Giacomo Chiozza and H. E. Goemans International Conflict and the Tenure of Leaders: Is War Still ex post Inefficient? American Journal of Political Science 48(3): Croco, Sarah E The Deciders Dilemma: Leader Culpability, War Outcomes, and Domestic Punishment. American Political Science Review 105(3): February 2 (Thursday): War Outcome and Target Selection Reiter, Dan, and Allan Stam Democracy, War Initiation, and Victory. American Political Science Review 92(2): Bak, Daehee, Michael R. Kenwick, and Glenn Palmer Who s Careful: Regime Type and Target Selection. European Journal of International Relations 22(4): February 7 (Tuesday): Audience Costs Fearon James Domestic Political Audiences and the Escalation of International Disputes. American Political Science Review 88(September): Weeks, Jessica Autocratic Audience Costs: Regime Type and Signaling Resolve. International Organization 62(1): February 9 (Thursday): Presentation Iraq War (George W. Bush vs. Saddam Hussein) February 14 (Tuesday): Presentation Yom Kippur War (Anwar Sadat vs. Golda Meir) February 16 (Thursday): Test 1 February 21 (Tuesday): Diversionary Conflict 1 Levy, Jack The Diversionary Theory of War: A Critique. In Manus Midlarsky, ed., The Handbook of War Studies. Boston: Unwin Hyman, pp

4 Leeds, Brett Ashley, and David R. Davis Domestic Political Vulnerability and International Disputes. Journal of Conflict Resolution 41: Miller, Ross Regime Type, Strategic Interaction, and the Diversionary Use of Force. Journal of Conflict Resolution 43(3): February 23 (Thursday): Diversionary Conflict 2 Smith, Alastair Diversionary Foreign Policy in Democratic Systems. International Studies Quarterly 40(1): Fordham, Benjamin Strategic Conflict Avoidance and the Diversionary Use of Force. Journal of Politics 67(1): Arena, Philip and Glenn Palmer Politics or the Economy? Domestic Correlates of Dispute Involvement in Developed Democracies. International Studies Quarterly 53(4): February 28 (Tuesday): Presentation Falklands War (Leopoldo Galtieri vs. Margaret Thatcher) March 2 (Thursday): Presentation Military Intervention in Libya (Muammar Gaddafi vs. Barack Obama) March 7 (Tuesday): Test 2 March 9 (Thursday): Leader Tenure and International Conflict 1 Gaubatz, Kurt Taylor Election Cycles and War. Journal of Conflict Resolution 35(2): Wolford, Scott The Turnover Trap: New Leaders, Reputation, and International Conflict. American Journal of Political Science 51(4): March 14 (Tuesday), 16 (Thursday): No class (Spring Break) March 21 (Tuesday): Leader Tenure and International Conflict 2 Horowitz, Michael, Rose McDermott and Allan C. Stam Leader Age, Regime Type, and Violent International Relations. Journal of Conflict Resolution 49(5): Potter, Philip B. K Does Experience Matter? American Presidential Experience, Age, and International Conflict. Journal of Conflict Resolution 51(3): Bak, Daehee, and Glenn Palmer Testing the Biden Hypotheses: Leader Tenure, Age, and International Conflict. Foreign Policy Analysis 6(3):

5 March 23 (Thursday): Leader Tenure and International Conflict 3 Chiozza, Giacomo and H. E. Goemans Peace through Insecurity: Tenure and International Conflict. Journal of Conflict Resolution 47(4): Gelpi, Christopher and Joseph M. Grieco Attracting Trouble: Democracy, Leadership Tenure, and the Targeting of Militarized Challenges, Journal of Conflict Resolution 45(6): March 28 (Tuesday): Presentation Cuban Missile Crisis (John F. Kennedy vs. Nikita Khrushchev) March 30 (Thursday): Presentation 6 World War II (Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill) April 4 (Thursday): Test 3 April 6 (Thursday): Autocratic Leader s Conflict Behavior 1 Peceny, Mark, Caroline C. Beer and Shannon Sanchez-Terry Dictatorial Peace? American Political Science Review 96(1): Lai, Brian, and Dan Slater Institutions on the Offensive: Domestic Sources of Dispute Initiation in Authoritarian Regimes, American Journal of Political Science 50: April 11 (Tuesday): Autocratic Leader s Conflict Behavior 2 Pickering, Jeffrey and Emizet F. Kisangani Diversionary Despots? Comparing Autocracies Propensities to Use and to Benefit from Military Force. American Journal of Political Science 54(2): Weeks, Jessica Strongmen and Straw Men: Authoritarian Regimes and the Initiation of International Conflict. American Political Science Review 106(2): April 13 (Thursday): Presentation 7 Chinese Intervention in Korean War 1950 (Harry Truman vs. Mao Zedong) April 18 (Tuesday): Documentary Film 1 World War II (Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, and Franklin D. Roosevelt) April 20 (Thursday): Documentary Film 2 World War II (Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, and Franklin D. Roosevelt) 5

6 April 25 (Tuesday): Test 4 April 27 (Thursday): External Threats and Leader s Political Incentives 1 Stein, Arthur Conflict and Cohesion: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Conflict Resolution 20(1): Desch, Michael C War and strong states, peace and weak states? International Organization 50(2): May 2 (Tuesday): External Threats and Leader s Political Incentives 2 May 4 (Thursday): Leader s Political Ideology and International Conflict Palmer, Glenn, Tamar London and Patrick M. Regan Whats Stopping You? The Sources of Political Constraints on International Conflict Behavior in Parliamentary Democracies. International Interactions 30(1): May 9 (Tuesday) Advising Session May 11 (Thursday) Final (Exam 2) 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. The final exam schedule for Spring 2017 is designated by the University. The information can be found at: http : // s chedule/spring c lass.php. Any students who fail to take the final exam at the designated time will earn no points on the final exam. The final exam will be held in the same classroom. Learning Objectives Demonstrate knowledge of theoretical foundations of international relations (Method of assessment: Understand theories and empirical findings on the causes and consequences of international conflict (Method of assessment: Be able to explain the role of domestic politics in international relations (Method of assessment: Demonstrate knowledge of basic theories of international political economy (Method of assessment: Be able to describe various aspects of transnational issues (Method of assessment: tests and exams) Identify and critique alternative explanations for claims about social issues and human behavior (Method of assessment: 6

7 Demonstrate knowledge of the appropriate methods, technologies, and data that social and behavioral scientists use to investigate the human condition (Method of assessment: tests and exams) Identify and appreciate [demonstrate] differences and commonalities among cultures (Method of assessment: Demonstrate awareness and knowledge of cultural differences within one of more global societies. (Method of assessment: Be able to describe roles the U.S. plays in the international community. (Method of assessment: Academic Honesty I expect students to fully understand the guidelines of academic honesty established by Texas Tech University. Please read carefully the Texas Tech University Operating Policy and Procedure (OP 34.12) which shows detailed information about specific cases of academic dishonesty and academic penalties. All cases of academic dishonesty will be reported directly to the Student Judicial Programs for disciplinary action for academic dishonesty. The policy document is available at Disabilities Any student who, because of a disability, may require special arrangements in order to meet the course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make any necessary arrangements. Students should present appropriate verification from Student Disability Services during the instructors office hours. Please note instructors are not allowed to provide classroom accommodations to a student until appropriate verification from Student Disability Services has been provided. For additional information, you may contact the Student Disability Services office in 335 West Hall or Observance of Religious Holidays Statement about observance of religious holidays. The university also requires that instructors provide a statement about religious holy days. The OP states that a student who intends to observe a religious holy day should make that intention known in writing to the instructor prior to the absence. A student who is absent for the observance of a religious holy day shall be allowed to take an exam or complete an assignment scheduled for that day within a reasonable time after the absence. The OP also states that a student may not be penalized for such an absence, but an instructor may respond appropriately if the student fails to complete the assignment satisfactorily. See OP