U.S. Foreign and Security Policy

Catalog description

This course emphasizes the main theories of and themes in American foreign policy since the end of the Second World War. We will examine the patterns that have permeated American Foreign Policy since 1945, and discuss the roles that various actors play in the foreign policy process. We will use theoretical concepts to discuss the major events in American foreign policy over the last half of a century. The course will focus on both the conduct and formulation of American foreign policy. Detailed knowledge of the policy-making process, including legal and institutional restraints and standard operating procedures, is clearly essential for all students of foreign policy. Yet, only by exploring America’s past actions in the global arena and only by searching for historical precedents and patterns can students fully grasp the dilemmas facing the United States today.