Making Sense of International Relations Today

Catalog description

In January 2026, the Prime Minister of Canada declared that we are living through a rupture in the international order. This followed U.S. threats to annex Greenland and punish resistant NATO allies, along with false claims that NATO had failed to assist the United States in past crises. That same week, the United States extrajudicially seized Venezuela's leader, declared de facto governance over the country, and sidelined its democratic opposition to install the former regime's vice president as head of state. Meanwhile, the world economy is experiencing a return to tariff levels not seen since the 1930s, as many states increasingly view economic interdependence as strategic liability rather than mutual benefit. Humanitarian regimes governing refugee treatment, food provision in conflict, and civilian protection are eroding, with countries abandoning longstanding obligations. The United States has shunned international organizations and military alliances it once championed. Historic allies like Canada face tariffs, annexation threats, and public insults from the American president. These examples represent only a partial catalogue of upheaval. How do we make sense of this moment? And can our existing frameworks for understanding international relations help us - or are they part of the problem? This course brings together international relations scholars and practitioners in weekly conversations to examine how they interpret contemporary crises and, crucially, whether their training prepared them for this moment or failed to. We will interrogate both today's disruptions and the analytical paradigms we use to understand them. Students will complete short weekly readings (1-2 articles, approximately 30-40 pages) and come prepared with informed questions for our guests.