PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY

Introduction

This course is designed to introduce students to the ways in which states and sub-national actors interact between and among one another. It is the first course that students should take in the international studies major, and it serves as the foundation for other courses in the international studies curriculum.

The cold war ended a decade and a half ago, and we now find ourselves involved in a number of new conflicts, most notably the war on terrorism and the war in Iraq. These conflicts differ in a number of significant respects from previous conflicts. And military threats are not the only challenges confronting us; environmental degradation, global poverty and other emerging threats are becoming increasingly important.

Throughout this course, we will focus on international challenges in the past, present and the foreseeable future. We will employ a number of educational approaches to consider these challenges including case studies, role-playing simulations, and multi-media.

Course Instructor and Office Hours

The course instructor is Professor Dan Caldwell. His office is located in Appleby Center 221 and his office hours are Tuesday and Friday 10:30-11:30, Wednesday, 1:00-2:00 and by appointment; call 310/506-4573 or e-mail: dan.caldwell@pepperdine.edu.

You are encouraged to stop by to discuss any questions that you have about the course, the curriculum in political science or international studies and co-curricular activities such as internships and the Washington, D.C. program.

Required Texts

• John Rourke and Mark Boyer, World Politics: International Politics on the World Stage, 6th Edition (Brief edition), 2006. Please be sure that you purchase and read the sixth edition.
• James F. Hoge, Jr. and Gideon Rose, eds., Understanding the War on Terror: A Foreign Affairs Book, 2005.
• Dan Caldwell and Robert E. Williams, Jr., Seeking Security in an Insecure World, 2006.

Recommended Reading

Foreign Affairs is one of the most widely read and respected journals in international affairs. The articles in it are written for a general audience and are very readable and informative. The publisher offers a discounted student subscription, and I highly recommend this publication to students in this class.

Course Requirements

1. Students are expected to attend class regularly and to be on time for the beginning of class. Any students who are not able arrive in class by 8 am should not take this class.
2. Students should also complete the assigned reading prior to coming to class. In each of the articles that you read in Understanding the War on Terror, consider the following questions:
   • What is the author's thesis?
   • What evidence does the author use to support his or her thesis?
   • When was the article written? How did the time in which it was written affect the author's view?
   • Do you agree or disagree with the author? Why?
   • Irrespective of whether you agree or disagree with the author, how would you criticize the article?
3. Two short papers of six to eight pages in length will be required. The papers should a minimum of six pages and a maximum of eight pages, not including the title page, footnote page and bibliography. They should be typed, double-spaced and are due at 8 am, the beginning of class, on September 22 and November 21. Late papers will not be accepted unless permission is obtained from Prof. Caldwell. Details on the paper assignments will be distributed in class.
4. Regularly consult the Web resources for the textbook, including:
   • Interactive exercises for each chapter;
   • Study quizzes that will help prepare you for exams;
   • Interactive glossary;
   • Real-world links to informative internet sites;
   • Book-specific web-based resources. Go to: www.mhhe.com/rourkeboyer6
5. There are a number excellent websites that you should consult periodically for information related to the field of international relations and to the paper topics; they include:
   • Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: www.ceip.org
   • Council on Foreign Relations: www.cfr.org
   • International Crisis Group: www.crisisgroup.org
   • National Defense University: www.ndu.edu
   • Nuclear Threat Initiative: www.nti.org
   • U.S. Central Intelligence Agency: www.cia.gov
   • U.S. Department of State: www.state.gov
   • Website on terrorism: www.terrorismanswers.org
6. For those who want to go beyond the readings listed in this syllabus, there are a number of excellent journals in the field of international relations, including:
   • Foreign Affairs
   • Foreign Policy
   • International Security
   • International Studies Perspectives
   • International Studies Quarterly
   • Journal of Conflict Resolution
   • International Organization
   • International Studies Quarterly
   • Orbis
   • World Politics
7. A mid-term will be given on October 17, and a final exam on December 12 from 7:30-10 am. The exams will only be given at these times.
8. Final course grades will be calculated according to the following formula:

Students with Disabilities:

Any student with a documented disability (physical, learning, or psychological) needing academic accommodations should contact the Disability Services Office (Main Campus, Tyler Campus Center 264, extension 6500) as early in the semester as possible. All discussions will remain confidential. For additional information, please visit: http://www.pepperdine.edu/disabilityservices/.

My Approach to this Class:

A college education should help students to learn to read, write and think carefully, clearly, independently and critically. I have designed this course to assist you in achieving those objectives; however, you will only achieve them if you complete the assigned work.

The fundamental objective of those in colleges and universities is to seek the truth. This semester, we will be thinking about world politics and how our world operates. Anyone who plagiarizes or cheats on a quiz, paper or exam is violating the search for truth and will be punished to the maximum extent allowed under the Seaver College Code of Academic Ethics.

Class Schedule and Reading Assignments

(Note: I have indicated the required readings that should be completed prior to coming to class on the day that they are listed. I have also indicated recommended readings for those who wish to consult additional materials on the topics that we will address.)

Aug. 29: Introduction to the Course and International Relations

Discussion question: What is the greatest international threat we face at the present time?

Sept. 1: International Relations after 9/11

(See the questions to ask yourself concerning this article in the "Requirements Section" above.)

Required readings:

• Understanding the War on Terror, 2-45
• "We Have Some Planes," The 9/11 Commission
• "Overview of the Enemy," 9/11 Commission Staff Statement

Recommended readings:

• Graham Allison, Nuclear Terrorism: The Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe, 2004.
• Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon, The Age of Sacred Terror, 2002.
• Bruce Hoffman, Inside Terrorism, rev. ed., 2006.

Sept. 5: Why Study International Relations?

Required reading:

• Rourke and Boyer, pp. 1-23

Recommended reading:

• Dan Caldwell, World Politics and You, 2001.

Sept. 8: The Evolution of World Politics

Required reading:

• Rourke and Boyer, pp. 24-47

Recommended readings:

• Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War
• Machiavelli, The Prince
• Edward Vose Gulick, Europe's Classical Balance of Power
• John Lewis Gaddis, Strategies of Containment
• Charles Krauthammer, "The Unipolar Moment," Foreign Affairs, America and the World, 1990/91: 23-33.

Sept. 12: The 9/11 Plot

Required reading:

• "Outline of the 9/11 Plot," Understanding the War on Terror, 46-71

Recommended readings:

• Jean-Charles Brisard, Zarqawi: The New Face of Al-Qaeda, 2005.
• Articles by Ashton B. Carter, Philip B. Heymann, Barry R. Posen and Stephen M. Walt, "The Threat of Terrorism: U.S. Policy After September 11," International Security 26, no. 3 (Winter 2001/02): 3-78.
• Bruce Lawrence, Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama bin Laden, 2005.
• Jeremy D. Mayer, 9-11: the Giant Awakens, 2003.

Sept. 15: Levels of Analysis in International Relations

Required reading:

• Rourke and Boyer, 48-84

Recommended readings:

• Kenneth Waltz, Man, the State and War, 1959.
• J. David Singer, "International Conflict: Three Levels of Analysis," World Politics 12 (April 1960): 453-461.
• Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Understanding International Conflicts: An Introduction to Theory and History, 4th ed., 2003.

Sept. 19: Nations, States and Nationalism

Required reading:

• Rourke and Boyer, 85-108

Recommended readings:

• James Dobbins, et al., America's Role in Nation-Building: From Germany to Iraq, 2003.
• Francis Fukuyama, ed., Nation-Building Beyond Afghanistan and Iraq, 2006.

Sept. 22: All papers are due at 8 am sharp; late papers will not be accepted.

Discussion of papers

Sept. 26: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Asia, and Terrorism

Required reading:

• Understanding the War on Terror, 201-247

Recommended readings:

• Samina Ahmed, "The United States and Terrorism in Southwest Asia: September 11 and Beyond," International Security 26, no. 3 (Winter): 79-93.
• Brahma Chellaney, "Fighting Terrorism in Southern Asia," International Security 26, no. 3 (Winter): 94-116.
• Council on Foreign Relations, New Priorities in South Asia: U.S. Policy Toward India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, Chairmen's Report of an Independent Task Force, 2003.

Sept. 29: Globalization and Transnationalism

Required reading:

• Rourke and Boyer, pp. 109-136

Recommended readings:

• Niall Ferguson, "Sinking Globalization," Foreign Affairs 84, no. 2 (March/April 2005): 64-77.
• Robert O. Keohane and Joseph S. Nye, Power and Interdependence, 3rd ed., 2001.
• Strobe Talbott, "Globalization and Diplomacy: A Practitioner's Perspective," Foreign Policy 108 (Fall 1997): 69-83.
• J. Ann Tickner, Gendering World Politics, 2002.

Oct. 3: The Case For and Against States

Required readings:

• Rourke and Boyer, 137-158;
• Caldwell and Williams, 117-128

Recommended readings:

• Michael Howard, The Invention of Peace: Reflections on War and International Order
• Michael Klare and Yogesh Chandrani, eds. World Security: Challenges for a New Century, 3rd ed., 1998.
• Stephen D. Krasner, Defending the National Interest, 1978.

Oct. 6: Class will not meet due to the Pepperdine Faculty Conference.

Oct. 10: International Organization

Required reading:

• Rourke and Boyer, 159-190

Recommended readings:

• Inis Claude, Swords into Plowshares
• Karen A. Mingst and Margaret P. Karns, The United Nations in the Post-Cold War Era, 2nd ed., 2000.

Oct. 13: Dealing with Terrorism

Required readings:

• Understanding the War on Terror, 166-190:
  • "Counterterrorism before 9/11: National Policy Coordination"
  • George W. Bush, "Address of September 20, 2001"
• Caldwell and Williams, "Living in the Shadow of the World Trade Center: Coping with the Threat of Terrorism," pp. 170-181.

Recommended readings:

• Philip B. Heymannn, Terrorism, Freedom and Security: Winning without War, 2003.
• Paul R. Pillar, Terrorism and U.S. Foreign Policy, 2001.

Oct. 17: Mid-Term Exam

The format will consist of one essay question and fifty multiple-choice questions. There will be at least one multiple-choice question from each of the required readings. Please bring a blue book to class for the exam.

Oct. 20: Power and Diplomacy

Required readings:

• Rourke and Boyer, 191-221

Recommended readings:

• Paul Gordon Lauren, Gordon A. Craig and Alexander L. George, Force and Statecraft: Diplomatic Challenges of Our Time, 4th ed., 2007.
• Sir Harold Nicolson, Diplomacy, 3rd ed., 1963.
• Henry Kissinger, Diplomacy, 1994.
• Jessica T. Mathews, "Power Shift," Foreign Affairs 76, no. 1 (January/February 1997): 50-66.
• Stephen Walt, "Taming American Power," Foreign Affairs 84, no. 5 (September/October 2005): 105-120.

Oct. 24: International Law and Morality

Required readings:

• Rourke and Boyer, 222-248
• Robert E. Williams, Jr. and Dan Caldwell, "Jus Post Bellum: Just War theory and the Principles of Just Peace," International Studies Perspectives 7 (November 2006): 309-320.

Recommended readings:

• Carl Q. Christol, International Law and U.S. Foreign Policy, 2nd ed., 2007.
• Mark W. Janis, An Introduction to International Law, 4th ed., 2003.
• James Turner Johnson, Morality and Contemporary Warfare, 1999.
• Michael Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations, 3rd ed., 2000.

Oct. 27: The Rwandan Genocide: The Power of Nationalism and Failure of Diplomacy

DVD: Ghosts of Rwanda

Required reading:

• Caldwell and Williams, "Ethnic Conflict and Security: Ancient Hatreds?" pp. 144-153.

Recommended readings:

• Lieutenant-General Romeo A. Dallaire, Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda, 2004.
• Philip Gourevitch, We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families: Stories from Rwanda, 1999.
• Samantha Power, A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, 2003.

Oct. 31: Dealing with Terrorists: Should International Law Apply?

Required readings:

• Understanding the War on Terror, 302-317:
  • Kenneth Roth, "The Law of the War on Terror;"
  • Ruth Wedgwood, Kenneth Roth, "Response: Combatants or Criminals?"

Recommended readings:

• Karen J. Greenberg and Joshua J. Dratel, eds., The Torture Papers: The Road to Abu Ghraib, 2005.

Nov. 3: Pursuing Security

Required readings:

• Rourke and Boyer, pp. 249-292
• Caldwell and Williams, pp. 1-46

Recommended readings:

• Gary Hart, The Shield and the Cloak: The Security of the Commons, 2006.
• Edward Kolodziej, Security and International Relations, 2005.
• Patrick M. Morgan, International Security: Problems and Solutions, 2006.

Nov. 7: New Sources of Insecurity

Required reading:

• Caldwell and Williams, pp. 47-114

Recommended readings:

• Scott Sagan, "Keeping the Bomb Away from Tehran," Foreign Affairs 85 (September/October 2006): 45-60.

Nov. 10: Securing the Homefront

Required readings:

• Understanding the War on Terror, 270-301:
  • Stephen Flynn, "America the Vulnerable"
  • Richard Betts, "Fixing Intelligence"

Recommended readings:

• Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon, The Next Attack: The Failure of the War on Terror and a Strategy for Getting It Right, 2005.
• Stephen Flynn, America the Vulnerable: How Our Government Is Failing to Protect Us from Terrorism, 2004.

Nov. 14: International Political Economy

Required readings:

• Rourke and Boyer, pp. 293-321
• Caldwell and Williams, "Economic Security," pp. 144-153.

Recommended readings:

• David Baldwin, Economic Statecraft, 1985.
• Thomas Friedman, The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
• Robert O. Keohane, "Globalization: What's New? What's Not? (And So What?)" Foreign Policy 118 (Spring 2000): 104-19.

Nov. 17: Global Economic Competition

Required readings:

• Rourke and Boyer, pp. 322-366

Recommended readings:

• Jeffrey D. Sachs, The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time, 2006.
• Jagdish Bhagwati, In Defense of Globalization, 2004.

Nov. 21: Second papers are due at 8 am sharp.

Nov. 24: Thanksgiving Holiday; class will not meet.

Nov. 28: Human Rights

Required readings:

• Rourke and Boyer, pp. 367-391

Recommended readings:

• Debra L. DeLaet, The Global Struggle for Human Rights: Universal Principles in World Politics, 2006.
• Paul Gordon Lauren, The Evolution of International Human Rights: Visions Seen, 2nd ed., 2003.
• William F. Schultz, In Our Own Best Interest: How Defending Human Rights Benefits Us All, 2001.
• Robert E. Williams, "The Impact of Feminist Thought on Human Rights," Global Society 11, no. 1 (1997): 111-128.

Dec. 1: The Wars on Terrorism and Iraq: Who's Winning and at What Cost?

Required readings:

• Understanding the War on Terror, 354-432:
  • Jessica Stern, "The Protean Enemy"
  • Paul Pillar, "Counterterrorism after Al-Qaeda"
  • Reuel Marc Gerecht, "Not a Diversion"
  • James Fallows, "Bush's Lost Year"
  • Barton Gellman and Dafna Linzer, "Afghanistan, Iraq: Two Wars Collide"

Recommended readings:

• General Wesley K. Clark, Winning Modern Wars: Iraq, Terrorism, and the American Empire, 2003.
• Larry Diamond, James Dobbins, Chaim Kaufman, Leslie Gelb, and Stephen Biddle, "What to Do in Iraq: A Roundtable," Foreign Affairs 85, no. 4 (July/August 2006): 150-169.
• Andrew Krepinevich, "How to Win in Iraq," Foreign Affairs 84, no. 5 (September/October 2005): 87-104.
• Paul Pillar, "Intelligence, Policy, and the War in Iraq," Foreign Affairs 85, no. 2 (March/April 2006): 15-28.

Dec. 5: Protecting the Global Commons: The Environment

Required readings:

• Rourke and Boyer, 392-423.
• Caldwell and Williams, "Ecological Disasters and Resource Wars," pp. 154-169.

Recommended readings:

• Ruth Greenspan Bell, "What to Do About Climate Change," Foreign Affairs 85, no. 3 (May/June 2006): 105-114.
• Jared Diamond, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, 2005.
• David Victor, Climate Change: Debating America's Policy Options, 2004.

Dec. 8: Conclusion and Review

Please review your class lecture and reading notes prior to this class.

Dec. 12: 7:30-10 am: Final Exam. The format will be the same as the mid-term: one essay and fifty multiple choice questions. This is the only time that the final will be given.