Area Politics C (Study in Contemporary U.S. Foreign Policy)

Instructors

LIEBER Robert

Credits / Language / Semester

2Credits / English / Summer

Objectives/Overview

In this course we will analyze the evolving role of the United States of America in world affairs. In doing so, we will consider alternative interpretations of the American role as well as the domestic economic, political, and societal bases on which it depends. We will also examine the impact of changes in the international system due to globalization and the diffusion of power. By the conclusion of this course, students should acquire a broad understanding of the determinants of U.S. strength, its unique role in world affairs, the contingent nature of policy choices, and the potential consequences for international order if the U.S. were to adopt a strategy of disengagement.

Keywords

United States of America, Foreign Policy, Primacy, Decline, Competitiveness, Leadership

Schedule

1. Introduction to US Foreign Policy (USFP) 2. American Exceptionalism
3. Liberal internationalism and USFP 4. Realism and USFP
5. Problems of Policy & Purpose 6. Domestic & Global Interactions-economics
7. Domestic & Global Interactions-Energy 8. US Attitudes & Institutions
9. The Rise of Others, US & China 9. BRICS & problems of collective action
10. Security Threats 11. Retrenchment vs. Engagement
12. Commitments & Capabilities 13. Why the US is Not Destined to Decline

Teaching Methods

Lecture and discussion. Students are expected to complete the reading before each class. At every session, each student will be asked to identify what he or she considers to be the most important question or problem that emerges from at least one of the readings.

Grading

Class participation and a paper

Required Text

Robert J. Lieber, Power & Willpower in the American Future: Why the US is Not Destined to Decline (Cambridge University Press, 2012); Michael Mandelbaum, The Frugal Superpower: America’s Global Leadership in a Cash-Strapped Era (New York: PublicAffairs, 2011.

Reference Books

Selected journal articles on U.S. foreign policy to be assigned

Notes on Taking the Course

(This lecture is made possible by the generous support from the Shibusawa Ei’ichi Memorial Foundation commemorating the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the A. Barton Hepburn Professorship in American Constitution, History, and Diplomacy, currently called American Political and Diplomatic History at the Faculty of Law, the University of Tokyo.)

Instruction will be conducted on July 26th through August 2nd except the weekend.

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