POSC 170 International Relations & World Politics
Spring 2000
Professor Robert B. Packer
Office: Dept. of Political Science, 413 Willis
Phone: 646-4119
e-mail: rpacker@carleton.edu
Change. The word itself has become a mantra for our time. Political and economic elites evoke it; social commentators embrace it; millions fear it.
World Politics, as we enter the 21st century, is about change. But it is also about continuity. How these polar opposites resolve their struggle for supremacy gives world politics its motive force.
Much will be said over the next nine weeks about the great transformation of the international system that has occurred since the collapse of the Soviet Bloc and the end of the Cold War. Much will also be said about the continuing problems of war and armament, poverty and economic development, that still afflict much of humanity.
At no time since the end of the last global war has the world experienced the breadth and depth of change that has occurred over the past nine years. To borrow the imagery of one scholar, it is as if the tectonic plates on which world politics had operated on in the past have suddenly shifted - yielding new valleys of concern through which to cross, and new mountains of opportunity on which to scale.
The international system structure, that two generations of political scientists had studied, was that of the bipolar world of the Cold War. The United States and the Soviet Union led two great alliances in mortal combat not only for power, but also for the hearts and minds of populations yearning for a better life.
With the edifice of the Communist monolith shattered, and its internal core rotted away, global citizens have been treated to talk of "the end of history" and a "new world order." But such talk of the halcyon days of a future Nirvana has proven premature at best.
Warfare currently engulfs more than forty countries in bloody conflict. Nationalism is resurgent, spawning a new breed of ethnic hatred. Followers and scholars of the Realist (Realpolitik) paradigm stress the continued primacy of power relations as the sine qua non of world politics. For them, lack of an organized international system structure - which the Cold War provided - yields chaos.
Opposed to the Realpolitik (a.k.a. Machtpolitik or "power politics") is the Liberal paradigm. Liberals hold the view that greater economic interdependence, political democratization, and technological advancement will lead to the promotion and preservation of peace.
Liberals stress the change in world politics, and wish more of it. Realists emphasize continuity and stability, and wish to manage the change that does occur.
As in any field of inquiry, proper analysis of ongoing phenomena requires a competent knowledge of the trends and events that have led us to this point in time. This course introduces students to the field of World Politics. Its ultimate concern is with understanding the dynamics of relations among and between state and non-state actors. To do this requires an understanding of those circumstances that constitute the basic structures of the international system, and that define the context in which politics take place.
This course attempts both to clarify competing perspectives on the dynamics and structures of the international system and also to investigate the changing roles played by various states, international institutions, and transnational actors. Major parts of the course detail, respectively: competing explanations of the sources of foreign policy decisions; current world issues; and basic future trends. The overall objective is to give students sufficient awareness of the interaction of political, technological, communications, economic, and military factors to permit a critical appreciation of the contemporary international environment and ways of thinking about the future.
COURSE OUTLINE
This course will be mostly lecture. However, I strongly encourage questions on any aspect of the readings or lecture that is unclear. A central objective of the course to build student skills in critical thinking, reasoning, and effective argument. I would like all students to bring to every class-session a short list (two or three items) of what he or she believes to be the major themes of the readings assigned for that day. Two or three students will be randomly selected to start class-sessions by reading and commenting on their lists. I expect vigorous discussion of the arguments raised by authors in the course. To that end, outsideof-class discussion groups may be useful. I further encourage students to take advantage of office hours.
There is a fair amount of reading for this course. A useful approach to organizing the material is to classify reading selections according to major theoretical arguments. This approach ought to facilitate comparisons within and between particular topic areas. There will be five exams given for the course. These exams will consist of one essay question each. These are to be completed outside class and typewritten. Each essay should be five to six pages (space-and-a-half) long. The essay questions will be based upon the readings and
lecture. The examinations will be graded on your ability to demonstrate a comprehension of the reading material and to integrate it with the basic tenets of world politics. Exams must be handed in by 5PM on the due date. All late papers will be penalized one-third grade per day late (e.g., A- becames a B+ after one day, a B after two days). The final (fifth) exam is due June 5.
Attendance is essential. More than three absences may result in a lowering of grade. Grading will be based upon the exams (90%) and class participation (10%).
COURSE SCHEDULE
March 29-3 1: Post-Cold War visions: the "End of History" or the "Coming Anarchy"?
Spiegel, "The Future of World Politics," World Politics in a New Era (1995): 737-746.
Gaddis, "Tectonics, History, and the End of the Cold War," in The United States and the End of the Cold War (1992): 155-167.
Fukuyama, "The End of History?" in Betts, ed., Conflict After the Cold War: Areuments on Causes of War and Peace (1994): 5-18.
Cohen, "Military Power and International Order: Is Force Finished?" in Crocker, Hampson & Aall, ed., Managing Global Chaos (1997): 223-230, 235-236.
The Economist, "Defence in the 21st Century," in Purkitt, ed. Annual Editions: World Politics 94/95 (1994): 239-244.
Melvin, "Experiencing the agony of Sierra Leone," Atlanta Constitution (February 4, 1999)
Maynes, "The New Pessimism: Wasn't the Cold War Better?" Current (December 1995): 20-27.
PART 1: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES IN THE STUDY OF WORLD POLITICS
April 3: Rival Perspectives of World Politics
Schweizer, Imaging World Politics (1997): 63-133.
April 5: cont. First Exam handed out
April 7: cont.
Hughes, Continuity and Change in World Politics: Competing Perspectives (1997):
Hollis & Martin, Explaining & Understanding International Relations (1991):
Hughes, Continuity and Change in World Politics: Competing Perspectives (1997): 46-64.
Nye, "Is There an Enduring Logic of Conflict in World Politics?" Understanding International Conflicts (1993): 1-25.
International Realist and Neo-Realist Perpectives
Levy, "The Causes of War: Contending Theories" in Kegley & Wittkopf, ed., The Global Agenda: Issues and Perspectives, 3rd ed. (1992): 61-71.
Hughes, Continuity and Change in World Politics: ComIxting Perspectives (1997): 79-88.
Art, "The Four Functions of Force," in Art & Jervis, ed., International_ Politics: Enduring Concepts and Contemporaly Issues, 4th ed. (1996):155-167.
April 10: cont.
April 14: cont.
April 17: cont.
Spiegel, World Politics in a New Era (1995): 598-607, 609-617.
Waltz, "The Origins of War in Neorealist Theory," in Betts, ed., Conflict After the Cold Wan Arguments on Causes of War and Peace (1994): 88-95.
Gilpin, "Hegemonic War and International Change," in Betts, ed., Conflict After the Cold War: Arguments on Causes of War and Peace (1994):96-109.
April 12: Liberal and Neo-Liberal crtiques of Realism First Exam due
Oye, "The Conditions for Cooperation in World Politics," in Art & Jervis, ed., International Politics: Enduring Concepts and Conte=orajX Issues, 4th ed. (1996): 81-94.
Kegley, "The Neoliberal Challenge to Realist Theories of World Politics: An Introduction" in Kegley, ed., Controversies in International Relations TheoEy (1995): 1-24.
Rosecrance, "Force or Trade: The Costs and Benefits of Two Paths to Global Influence," in Kegley & Wittkopf, ed, Global Aggrida: Issues and Perspectives, 4th ed. (1995): 24-34.
Zacher & Matthew, "Liberal International Theory: Common Threads, Divergent Strands," in Kegley, ed., Controversies in International Relations Theoly (1995): 107-150.
Russett, "Why Democratic Peace?" in Brown, Lynn-Jones, and Miller, ed., Debating the Democratic Peace (1996): 82-115.
Schweizer, Imaging World Politics (1997): 240-250.
The Communitarian Challenge to World Order
Huntington, "The Coming Clash of Civilizations Or, the West Against the Rest," in Kegley & Wittkopf, ed., The Global Agenda: Issues and Perspectivga, 5th ed. (1998): 221-224.
Hughes, Continuity and Change in World Politics (1997): 265-292.
April 19: cont. Second Exam handed out
Gurr, "Communal Conflicts and Global Security, in Current Hisj= (May 1995): 212-217.
Bowen, "Ethnic Conflict: Challenging the Myths," Current (January 1997): 16-21.
Barber, "McWorld Vs. Jihad," in
PART II: INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM AND STATE INTERACTION
April 21: The Levels of Analysis Problem in World Politics
Nye, "Origins of the Great Twentieth-Century Conflicts," UnderstandingInternational Conflicts (1993): 26-48.
Walt, "Alliances: Balancing and Bandwagoning," in Art & Jervis, ed.,
International Politics: Enduring Concepts and Conteml2oraEy Issues, 4th ed. (1996): 108-115.
April 24: Balance of Power vs. Collective Security
Nye, "Balance of Power and World War I," Understanding International Conflicts (1993): 49-73.
Nye, "The Failure of Collective Security and World War Il," Understanding International Conflicts (1993): 74-97.
April 26: Explaining the Cold War Second Exam due
Nye, "The Cold War," Understanding International Conflicts (1993): 98-119.
Rationality and Decision Making Models
Guzzini, Realism in International Relations and International Political EconoMy (1998): 64-80.
April 28: cont.
Cashman, "Governmental Decision Making," What Causes War? (1993): 77-123.
May 3: Misperception and the Paradoxes of War
Jervis, "War and Misperception," in Williams, Goldstein, & Shaffitz, ed., Classic Readings of International Relations (1994): 367-383.
Lamb, "The Basic Question - Why Do Wars Begin?" How to Thin1L about Arms Control and Disarmament (1988): 176-188.
Van Evera, "The Cult of the Offensive and World War I," in Art and Waltz, ed. The Use of Force: Milita1y Power and International Politics, 3rd. ed. (1988): 125-15 1.
May 5: cont. Third Exam handed out
Christensen & Snyder, "Chain Gangs and Passed Bucks: Predicting Alliance Patterns in Multi olarity " in Viotti & Kauppi, International
May 8: cont.
May 10: cont.
IR Relations Theory, 2nd ed. (1993): 154-186.
Betts, SuEprise Attack (1982): 34-50, 56-62.
Betts, Surprise Attack (1982): 119-149. Patchen, Resolving Disputes Between Nations (1988): 108-115.
Berman, "From Intervention to Disengagement: The United States in Vietnam" in Levite, Jentleson & Berman, Foreign Milij= Intervention: The Dynamics of Protracted Conflict (1992): 23-64.
PART III: TRANSNATIONAL POLICY ISSUES
May 12: The Global Political Economy Third Exam Due
Hughes, Continuity and Change in World Politics (1997): 302-321.
May 15: cont.
Kegley & Wittkopf, "States and Markets: Monetary and Trade Relations in an Interdependent World Political Economy," in World Politics: Trend and Transformation, 6th ed. (1997): 203-247.
Spiegel, "North-South Economic Relations: The Challenge of Development," World Politics in a New Era (1995): 339-383.
May 17: cont. Fourth Exam handed out
Kegley & Wittkopf, World Politics: Trend and Transformation, 6th ed. (1997): 255-257; 261-275.
Epstein, Crotty, & Kelly, "Winners and Losers in the Global Economics Game," Current Hisj= (November 1996): 377-3 8 1.
Krugman, "In Praise of Cheap Labor" (web.mit.edulkrugmanlwwwlsmokey.html)
May 19: International Security Affairs: Arms Race and Nuclear Strategy
Patchen, Resolving Disputes Between Nations ' (1988):195-229.
Lamb, "Arms Control and Nuclear Deterrence Strategy", How to Think about Arms Control and Disarmament (1988): 73-92.
May 22: cont.
Tractenberg, History and Strategy (1991): 3-4,1546.
Jervis, The Meaning of the Nuclear Revolution (1986): 8-23; 3841.
Waltz, "Nuclear Weapons: More May Be Better," in Freedman, ed., War (1994): 354-355.
May 24: International Security Affairs: Post-Cold War threats Fourth Exam due
Nye, "Conflicts after the Cold War," World Politics 97/98 (1997): 28-36.
Mandelbaum, "The Reluctance to Intervene," in Art & Jervis, ed., International Politics: Enduring Concepts and Contemporgy Issues, 4th ed. (1996): 527-536.
"Proliferation," in Strategic Assessment: Flashpoints and Force Structure (1997): 1-10.
May 29-3 1: Perpetual Peace or Turbulence? ... in World Politics Fifth Exam handed out
Gaddis, "Great Illusions, the Long Peace, and the Future of the International System," in The United States and the End of the Cold War (1992): 168-192.
Beedham, "The New Geopolitics," The Economis Survey (July 3 1, 1999).
Fifth Exam Due (June 5)