RPOS 386: International Security and Conflict

Transcription

1 RPOS 386: International Security and Conflict Professor: Bryan R. Early Class Times: T-Th 8:45-10:05 AM Room: Earth Sciences, Rm Office Hours: Uptown, Humanities Building T 10:05-11:35 AM Downtown, Milne 300A M 10:00-11:00 AM Course Description This class explores the strategies pursued by states to obtain security and power in international relations. It addresses how national interests are formed and how they develop into the grand strategies pursued by states. The class also explores the uses of force in international politics and what causes international conflicts, how they are fought, and how they terminate. Lastly, the class addresses international efforts to prevent conflict and make it more humane. As part of the class, students will gain insight into past international conflicts and gain first-hand experience in the challenges of military strategy through a semester-long war gaming competition. Expectations This is a reading intensive class. Students will be expected to attend every class having read the assigned texts, as quizzes will be regularly given to assess students knowledge. As well, students are expected to meet all the out of class deadlines for completing their assigned war gaming matches. Students should work with their partners in finding mutually agreeable times for their matches and play all games competitively, fairly, and courteously. Course Objectives By the end of the semester, students should: Understand the various types and uses of force in international relations Understand the principle reasons why international military conflicts are fought, how they are fought, and how they end Be able to understand the United States national security strategy and the security strategies pursued by foreign countries Possess a fundamental understanding of military strategy, national security strategy, and grand strategy Have experience developing and applying strategies in competitive environments Grading Quizzes 25% Ten quizzes will be given at the beginning of Thursday s classes, covering the week s readings and Tuesday s lecture. Students absent when quizzes are given will receive zeroes. Only students top nine quiz scores will count towards their final quiz grade. 1

2 Strategy and War Gaming Exercise 20% Students will be required to engage in five mandatory war games vis-à-vis their peers outside of class and complete short post-game assignments. These war game sessions will be played using Axis & Allies Class rankings will be kept publically and top performers will have the option of participating in end of class playoffs to win the 2013 Master Strategist Champion s Cup. Postgame assignments are due in class for each match on the following days: Match1 Completed By: 9/24 Match 2 Completed By: 10/8 Match 3 Completed By: 10/22 Match 4 Completed By: 11/5 Match 5 Completed By: 11/19 Playoffs for Division Winners: TBA Midterm Exam 25% This exam will test the material covered in the first half of the semester. It will be very difficult to pass for students that do not keep up with the readings and attend lectures. It will be held on 10/24. Final Exam 30% This will be a cumulative exam that will cover the entire semester s course material. It will be pretty much impossible to pass for students that do not keep up with the readings and attend lectures. Students should take detailed notes throughout the semester on their readings and during their lectures. Building a running study guide throughout the semester is also strongly suggested. Grading Policy Tests and papers will be graded blind by the instructor and/or teaching assistant. If a student wishes to challenge how his or her exam or paper was graded, the student must submit a written statement describing what part of their assignment was improperly evaluated and why they think that was the case. This must be done within five days of having the assignment returned. Both the instructor and assistant will re-grade the entire project, compare their assessments, and mutually decide on a final grade. This grade may be higher or lower than the original grade given and will be final. Any clear mistakes or errors made by the instructor will be promptly corrected. Policy on Academic Honesty Please familiarize yourself with the undergraduate bulletin s descriptions of cheating. If you are involved in cheating on an exam or rigging and/or skipping game matches, the penalty will be failure on that entire assignment and you will be reported to judicial affairs. If you are not sure if something violates standards feel free to ask ahead of time. The university s official policy can be found at: < 2

3 Accommodations Reasonable accommodations will be provided for students with documented physical, sensory, systemic, cognitive, learning and psychiatric disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring accommodation in this class, please notify the Director of Disabled Student Services (Campus Center 137, ). The office will provide the course instructor with verification of your disability, and will recommend appropriate accommodations. For the University s policy, see: If you wish to discuss academic accommodations for this class please inform the instructor as soon as possible. Resources This course will be very reading intensive. The readings come from a mixture of books, chapters and articles posted on Blackboard, and articles that students will be required to look up online. The instructor will indicate where the readings can be found in advance of their due dates. Required Texts Bartholomees, J. Boone., ed The U.S. Army War College Guide to National Security Issues, Volume I: Theory of War and Strategy. Carlisle, PA: U.S. Army War College. Available online and Blackboard. Bartholomees, J. Boone., ed The U.S. Army War College Guide to National Security Issues, Volume II: National Security Policy and Strategy. Carlisle, PA: U.S. Army War College. Available online and Blackboard. Carr, Caleb, Ed The Book of War. New York: The Modern Library. Williams, Paul Security Studies: An Introduction (SSI). New York: Routledge. Other Required Materials Axis & Allies 1942 Board Game (Wizards of the Coast) Single player versions of Axis & Allies 1942 can be played for free at: This site requires registration, but solo play vs. a computer opponent can be done for free. I recommend that students practice the game live or at this site before the competition begins. The first two turns are crucial to A&A matches, so this website can give you crucial experience that will provide you with an edge in competitive play. It will also familiarize you with the rules of the game. 3

4 Course Schedule Day 1: 8/27 (T) - Introduction Explaining the Pursuit of Power and Security Day 2: 8/29 (Th) - Paul Williams Chapter 1: Security Studies: An Introduction. In SSI. - Colin Elman and Michael Jensen Chapter 2: Realisms. In SSI. - Thucydides, The Melian Dialogue History of the Peloponnesian War. Access at: Day 3: 9/3 (T) - David Jablonsky Chapter 9: National Power. In Theory of War and Strategy. - David Baldwin Power in International Relations. In Carlsnaes, Risse, and Simmons, eds., Handbook of International Relations. Thousand Oaks: Sage Press. - Go over Axis & Allies Instruction Manual. Available with the game or in part at: Day 4: 9/5 (Th) No Class The Use(s) of Force in International Relations Day 5: 9/10 (T) - Reed J. Fendrick Chapter 12: Diplomacy as an Instrument of National Power. In Theory of War and Strategy. - Clayton K. S. Chun Chapter 15: Economics: A Key Element of National Power. In Theory of War and Strategy. - Joseph Nye Soft Power. Foreign Policy 80(Autumn): Day 6: 9/12 (Th) - Ken Book and Nicholas Wheeler Uncertainty. In SSI. - Charles L. Glaser The Security Dilemma Revisited. World Politics (50)1: Robert Jervis Cooperation under the Security Dilemma. World Politics 30(2): Day 7: 9/17 (T) - Robert Art To What Ends Military Power? International Security 4(4): John F. Troxell Chapter 17: Military Power and the Use of Force. In Theory of War and Strategy. 4

5 - David Baldwin The Sanctions Debate and the Logic of Choice. International Security 24(3): Day 8:9/19 (Th) - Schelling, Thomas Chapter 1: The Diplomacy of Violence. Arms and Influence. New Haven: Yale University Press. - Lawrence Freedman and Srinath Raghavan Chapter 14: Coercion. In SSI. - Patrick M. Morgan Nuclear Strategy. International Studies Encyclopedia. Denmark: Robert A. Blackwell Publishing. Strategic Theory and Grand Strategy Day 9: 9/24 (T) - Frank Zagare Chapter 4: Game Theory. In SSI. - Schelling, Thomas Chapter 1: Retarded Science of International Strategy. The Strategy of Conflict. New York: Oxford University Press. - Schelling, Thomas Chapter 2: An Essay on Bargaining. The Strategy of Conflict. New York: Oxford University Press. Day 10: 9/26 (Th) - Colin Gray Why Strategy Is Difficult. Joint Forces Quarterly (Summer): Colin Gray The Dimensions of Strategy. Modern Strategy. New York: Oxford University Press. - J. Boone Bartholomees Chapter 2: A Survey of the Theory of Strategy. In Theory of War and Strategy. Day 11: 10/1 (T) - Alan G. Stolberg Chapter 1: Crafting National Interests in the 21 st Century. In National Security Policy and Strategy. - Sean Kay Chapter 4: Great Powers and Grand Strategy. Global Security in the Twenty-First Century. New York: Rowman & Littlefield. - Janeen M. Klinger Chapter 12: International Relations Theory and American Grand Strategy. In National Security Policy and Strategy. Why Do International Military Conflict Occur? Day 12: 10/3 (Th) - Paul Williams Chapter 13: War. In SSI. - James Fearon Rationalist Explanations for War. International Organization 49(3): David Lake. 2010/11. Two Cheers for Bargaining Theory Assessing Rationalist Explanations of the Iraq War. International Security 35(3):

6 Day 13: 10/8 (T) - Dominic D.P. Johnson and Dominic Tierney The Rubicon Theory of War: How the Path to Conflict Reaches the Point of No Return. International Security 36(1): Kevin M. Woods and Mark E. Stout Saddam s Perceptions and Misperceptions: The Case of Desert Storm. The Journal of Strategic Studies 33(1): Greg Cashman Chapter 4: Governmental Decision Making. What Causes War: An Introduction to Theories of International Conflict. New York: Lexington Books. Day 14: 10/10 (Th) - William R. Thompson Why Rivalries Matter and What Great Power Rivalries Can Tell Us about World Politics. In William Thompson s, ed., Great Power Rivalries. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press. - John Duffield Chapter 23: Alliances. In SSI. - Paul Huth Territory: Why Are Territorial Disputes between States a Central Cause of International Conflict. In John A. Vasquez s, ed., What Do We Know about War? New York: Rowman & Littlefield. Day 15: 10/15 (T) - Cornelia Navari Chapter 3: Liberalisms. In SSI. - Bruce Russett and Harvey Starr From Democratic Peace to Kantian Peace: Democracy and Conflict in the International System. In Manus Midlarsky s, ed., Handbook of War Studies II. Anne Arbor: University of Michigan Press. - Special Topics Guest Lecture 1 Day 16: 10/17 (Th) - Erik Gartzke and Yonatan Lupu Trading on Preconceptions: Why World War I Was Not a Failure of Economic Interdependence. International Security 36(4): Greg Cashman and Leonard Robinson Chapter II: World War I. An Introduction to the Causes of War. New York: Rowman & Littlefield. Day 17: 10/22 (T) - Joseph Nye and David Welch The Failure of Collective Security and World War II. In UGCC. - Lynn Miller The Idea and the Reality of Collective Security. Global Governance 5: Special Topics Guest Lecture 2 Day 18: 10/24 (Th) - Midterm Exam 6

7 Military Strategy during International Conflicts Day 19: 10/29 (T) - Carl Von Clausewitz Book One: On the Nature of War. On War. - Carl Von Clausewitz Book Two: On the Theory of War. On War. Day 20: 10/31 (Th) - Carl Von Clausewitz Book Three: On Strategy in General. On War. - Carl Von Clausewitz Book Four: The Engagement. On War. - Carl Von Clausewitz Book Eight: War Plans. On War. Day 21: 11/5 (T) - Sun-Tzu. Chapters 1-8. The Art of War. What Determines How International Conflicts End? Day 22: 11/7 (Th) - Fred Iklé Chapter 1: The Purpose of Fighting. Every War Must End. New York: Columbia University Press. - Scott Gartner Opening Up the Black Box of War. Journal of Conflict Resolution 42(3): Clayton K. S. Chun Chapter 26: Painting Yourself into a Corner: Conflict Termination, Unconditional Surrender, and the Case of Japan. In NSPS. Day 23: 11/12 (T) - Dan Reiter and Allan Stam Understanding Victory: Why Political Institutions Matter. International Security 28: Alexander Downes How Smart and Tough Are Democracies? Reassessing Theories of Democratic Victory in War. International Security 33(4): Special Topics Guest Lecture 3 Day 24: 11/14 (Th) - War Termination Simulation Just and Unjust Wars and War-Fighting Day 25:11/19 (T) Guest Lecture - Robert D. Sloane. The Cost of Conflation: Preserving the Dualism of Jus Ad Bellum and Jus in Bello in the Contemporary Law of War. Yale Journal of International Law 33. Available at: andfinal_000.pdf 7

8 - Just War Theory. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Available at: Day 26: 11/21 (Th) - Adam Jones Genocide and Crimes against Humanity. In SSI. - Jennifer K. Elsea Lawfulness of Interrogation Techniques under the Geneva Conventions. Congressional Research Service Report. Washington, DC. Available at: - Crimes of War Summary of Crimes: International Criminal Court. Available at: - United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Available at: Day 27: 11/26 (T) No Class Day 28: 11/28 (Th) No Class Day 29: 12/3 (T) Morrow, James. When Do States Follow the Laws of War? American Political Science Review 101(3): Richard Price A Genealogy of the Chemical Weapons Taboo. International Organization 49(1): Day 30:12/5 (Th) Alexander Downes Desperate Times, Desperate Measures: The Causes of Civilian Victimization in War, International Security 30(4): Kenneth J. Campbell Genocide International Studies Encyclopedia. Denmark: Robert A. Blackwell Publishing. U.S. Grand Strategy and National Security Strategy Day 31: 12/10 (T) - Mr. X (George Kennan) The Sources of Soviet Conduct. Foreign Affairs 25(July): President of the United States U.S. National Security Strategy. Washington, DC: Whitehouse. Available at: - Daniel Drezner Does Obama Have a Grand Strategy? Foreign Affairs 90(4):