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PS 345 / INTL 396: U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
FROM THE COLD WAR TO THE WAR ON TERRORISM
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Prof Mel Gurtov
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Office: 650D Urban Affairs Building
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Telephone: (502) 725-5974
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Email: mgurtov@aol.com
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Office Hours: T 9-10, 2-3; W 9-12 & by
appointment
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Course Purposes:
The course examines the changing international
perspectives, policy instruments, and processes of decision making in U.S.
administrations since 1945. Two major objectives of the course are to
develop an understanding of the interests that shape foreign policy, and a
capacity for critical analysis of the ways in which U.S. power
has been projected abroad. In pursuit of those objectives, we pay
considerable attention to clashes of cultures and value systems, the use of
force, ethical considerations in policy making, and alternatives to chosen
courses of action.
Texts:
Spanier and Hook, American Foreign Policy Since World War II (16th
ed);
Hunt, Crises in U.S.
Foreign Policy
Course requirements:
Your
grade will be based on: (1) consistent attendance and participation;
(2) midterm exam, October 26; (3) research paper (see below for
guidelines), due November 9; (4) comprehensive final exam, Tuesday,
Dec. 7 at 10:15 AM.
Please take note: (1) Students are
responsible for being aware of the date and time of the final examination,
and making preparations to take it then. Only in exceptional
circumstances will a final exam be given at another time. (2) The grade
of I (incomplete) will only be given in extraordinary circumstances, and
then only if the student has attended class regularly and completed all
other assignments. In addition: take notes or don’t take the
class.
Overheads: Schools
in US Foreign Policy, Cold
War Alignments, US-USSR
Strategic Forces, 1962, The
Road to Vietnam, Sources
of JFK's Cuba Policy, 1962, How did Vietnam happen?
Discussion Sequence:
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1.
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Submarine Warfare and Pearl
Harbor: Patterns and Priorities
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Readings
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Spanier & Hook, ch. 1
Hunt, Chs. 1 and 2
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2.
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Origins of the Cold War (Roosevelt and Truman)
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Readings
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Spanier & Hook, ch. 2
Hunt, ch. 3 (through doc. 19)
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3.
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Globalizing Containment (Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy,
1947-63)
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Readings:
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Spanier & Hook, ch. 3
Hunt, ch. 3 (from doc. 20) and chs. 4-5 (Korean War, Cuban Missile
Crisis)
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4.
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Vietnam
and the Imperial Presidency (Johnson, 1963-68)
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Readings:
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Part I: Spanier & Hook, chs. 4-5 (to p. 141);
Hunt; ch. 6 (documents to p. 325)
Part II: Spanier & Hook, remainder of ch. 5; Hunt, remainder of ch. 6
Film: "Hearts and Minds"
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5.
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Managing World Order (Nixon and Ford, 1969-76)
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Readings:
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Spanier & Hook, ch.6
Film: "On Company Business" (part 3: The CIA in Chile and Angola)
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6.
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Human Rights versus Revolution (Carter, 1977-80)
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Readings:
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Spanier & Hook, ch. 7
Hunt, Ch. 7 (Iran)
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7.
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Counterrevolution (Reagan, 1981-88)
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Readings:
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Spanier & Hook, ch. 8
Film: " Coverup: Behind the Iran/Contra Affair" (OTA
274)
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8.
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"New World
Order" (Bush, 1989-92)
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Readings:
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Spanier & Hook, chs. 9 and 10 (to p. 270)
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9.
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Engagement and Enlargement (Clinton, 1993-2000)
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Readings:
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Spanier & Hook, chs. 10-12
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10.
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The War on Terrorism (G.W. Bush, 2001-?)
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Readings:
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The National
Security Strategy of the US
Spanier & Hook, chs. 13-14
Hunt, ch. 8
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Instructions for Papers
1. Topic: Choose any topic within the scope of the
course. Check with me to make certain your choice is appropriate.
The possibilities are many, and include: (1) the decision-making process in
a foreign-policy crisis, such as the Berlin Blockade; (2) the influence of
some aspect of domestic politics on foreign policy; (3) the role of
transnational corporations or commercial interests in foreign policy
decisions or processes; (4) origins or application of a foreign-policy
doctrine; (5) tracing policy over time on a specific issue, such as human
rights, nuclear weapons, alliances, immigration, drugs, or terrorism; (6)
assessments of external threat; (7) overall assessment of U.S. foreign
policy in one or more time periods, or comparatively between one
administration and another; (8) study of U.S. relations with a particular
country or region.
2. Approach: It is important that your essay begin with a
statement of the issue and the way you intend to handle it. Your
essay should be more than a description of events; it should first and
foremost be a foreign-policy analysis that concludes with your own
evaluation of what the evidence shows.
3. The Paper: 8-10 pages of text, using a minimum of 6 sources
(including at least one primary source, such as memoirs, documents,
and newspaper accounts of the period under study). You may cite the
course texts, but they will not count as one of your sources. The Internet
may be used for official documents, newspapers, and published, signed
scholarly articles. Do not use news magazines such as Time
unless the news item is a primary source, such as an interview.
4. Citing sources: Use any consistent form for citing
sources: footnotes, endnotes, in-text notes. A bibliography is not
needed; include all relevant information (author, article and journal or
book title, and page numbers) in your notes. Cite specific
pages. See the end of this syllabus for samples of footnotes or endnotes.1
2 3 4
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1 Morton Smyth, ed., Henry
Kissinger’s Diplomacy (New York: Norton, 1995), pp. 1-10.
2 Mary Jones, “Clinton’s China Connection,” Journal
of International Security, vol. 61, No. 3 (Summer, 1998), pp. 8-12.
3 Ibid., p. 13. (“Ibid.”
refers to the last-mentioned item.)
4 Smyth, ed., Henry Kissinger’s
Diplomacy, p. 58.
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5. Check spelling, punctuation, and grammar. (If you
don’t yet know the following distinctions, learn them: there/their,
principal/principle, its/it’s, affect/effect, to/too, country’s/countries.) A sloppily written paper will
count heavily against you. Don't forget to paginate and title
your essay. Use 12-point font, please. Do not rely
excessively on any one source.
6. Questions? I'm here; and I would like to see each of
you at sometime during your research.
Basic Documentary (Primary) Sources
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U.S.
Department of State
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Department of State Bulletin (weekly); Foreign Relations
of the United States
(diplomatic and other official papers); American Foreign Policy:
Current Documents; American Foreign Policy, 1950-55; U.S.
Treaties and Other International Agreements (since 1952).
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Other Documentary Collections
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Public Papers of the Presidents (includes speeches, press
conferences, etc.); The Pentagon Papers (Vietnam
policy; various editions); The Congressional Record (day-to-day
record of speeches and debates in the Congress); Hearings of House and
Senate committees.
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Recommended Newspapers and Journals
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New York Times, Washington
Post, Wall Street Journal, Los
Angeles Times (all on-line)
Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, International
Security (all quarterly)
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U.S.
Government Agencies and International Organizations on the Web
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(see the back of Spanier and Hook)
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