American Foreign Policy Since World War II

Catalog description

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. This course provides an overview of American foreign policy since 1945 and focuses on the question: What are the purposes of American power? At the end of World War II the United States incontestably was the most powerful state — militarily, economically and ideationally — in the international system. The United States used this commanding position to construct the postwar international order. The Soviet Union’s 1991 collapse reinforced American dominance by ushering in the Unipolar Era. The course examines the underlying domestic political, economic and ideological drivers of postwar American foreign policy. The course looks at key events since 1945: the origins of the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War’s end, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the rise of China. The course examines changing external and domestic factors that raise the issue of whether the postwar international order that America built will endure. Sections of INTA 605 are taught by different instructors. Beyond the key topics discussed above, there may be variations in subject matter from section to section. Before enrolling, students are strongly advised to review the course syllabi of the sections being offered. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.