Topics in International Relations: International Security
PSC 3550
Fall 2013
MW 3:00 – 4:15
Physical Science Ctr 359
Jonathan Monten
455 W. Lindsey St.
jmonten@ou.edu
Office Hours: Wed. 11-1
Course Description
This course examines topics in the study of international security, with a particular focus on
contemporary security problems facing the United States. The course is organized into two parts.
The first section looks at different theoretical perspectives for understanding and explaining the
politics of international security, with a focus on the balance of power, international institutions,
and international norms. The second section looks at a number of international security issues in
contemporary U.S. foreign policy. In this section, students will be required to deliver a group
presentation in one in-class debate. Students will learn to critically evaluate the major theories
employed in the study of international security, and how to apply them to important problems in
contemporary U.S. foreign policy.
Course Requirements
Grading for this course breaks down as follows. Further information on the midterm and final
exams will be given as the semester proceeds.
Midterm Exam:
Class Participation:
Group Project:
Take Home Final Exam:
30%
10%
20%
40%
University Policies
Please note the following University policies:
A. Students with Disabilities:
The University of Oklahoma is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all
students with disabilities. Any student in this course who has a disability that may
prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities should contact the
instructor personally as soon as possible to discuss accommodations necessary to ensure
full participation and facilitate your educational opportunities. Students with disabilities
must be registered with the Office of Disability Services prior to receiving
accommodations in this course. The Office of Disability Services is located in Goddard
Health Center, 620 Elm Ave., Suite 166, Norman, OK 73019. Voice 405/325-3852, TDD
405/325-4173, Fax 405/235-4491, Email drc@ou.edu.
B. Religious Holidays:
It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious
observances and to provide without penalty for the rescheduling of examinations and
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additional required class work that may fall on religious holidays. Please see the
instructor immediately if you will need to miss class any time during this semester.
C. Academic Misconduct
See http://www.ou.edu/integrity for information on student rights with regards to
academic misconduct.
Schedule of Readings
August 19: Course Introduction
August 21: No Class Meeting

Jeffry A. Frieden, David A. Lake, and Kenneth A. Schultz, “What Shaped Our World: A
Historical Introduction,” World Politics: Interests, Interactions, Institutions (W.W.
Norton, 2013), pp. 2-37.

Jeffry A. Frieden, David A. Lake, and Kenneth A. Schultz, “Understanding Interests,
Interactions, and Institutions,” World Politics: Interests, Interactions, Institutions (W.W.
Norton, 2013), pp. 38-73.

Jack Snyder, “One World, Rival Theories,” Foreign Policy (November 2004), pp. 53-62.
August 26 - 28: Realism and the Balance Power

Hans Morgenthau, “Six Principles of Political Realism,” in Robert Jervis and Robert Art,
eds., International Politics (Pearson, 2013), pp. 14-22.

John Mearsheimer, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (W.W. Norton, 2001), chapters
1-2.

Robert Jervis, “Offense, Defense, and the Security Dilemma,” in Robert Jervis and
Robert Art, eds., International Politics (Pearson, 2013), pp. 90-110.
September 2: No Class Meeting
September 4: Case Study: Is American Foreign Policy Realist?

Daniel Drezner, “The Realist Tradition in American Public Opinion,” Perspectives on
Politics (March 2008), pp. 51-70.
September 9 - 11: Liberalism and International Institutions

Kenneth Oye, “The Conditions for Cooperation in World Politics,” in Robert Jervis and
Robert Art, eds., International Politics (Pearson, 2013), pp. 76-89.

John Mearsheimer, "The False Promise of International Institutions," International
Security (Winter 1994/1995), pp. 5-49.
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
Robert Keohane and Lisa Martin, “The Promise of Institutionalist Theory,” International
Security (Summer 1995), pp. 39-51.

Jeffry A. Frieden, David A. Lake, and Kenneth A. Schultz, “What Is International Law?”
World Politics: Interests, Interactions, Institutions (W.W. Norton, 2013), pp. 425-434.

Jeffry A. Frieden, David A. Lake, and Kenneth A. Schultz, “Collective Security: Why
Can’t the United Nations Keep the Peace?” World Politics (W.W. Norton, 2013), pp.
188-210.
September 16 - 18: Liberalism and the Democratic Peace

Michael W. Doyle, “Kant, Liberal Legacies, and Foreign Affairs,” in Robert Jervis and
Robert Art, eds., International Politics (Pearson, 2013), pp. 111-125.

Bruce Russett, “Why Democratic Peace?” in Michael E. Brown, Sean M. Lynn-Jones,
and Steven E. Miller, eds., Debating the Democratic Peace (MIT Press, 1999), pp. 82115.

Sebastian Rosato, "The Flawed Logic of Democratic Peace Theory," American Political
Science Review (Fall 2003), pp. 585-602.

Edward D. Mansfield and Jack Snyder, “Democratization and the Danger of War,”
International Security (Summer 1995), pp. 5-38.
September 23 - 25: Constructivism

Ian Hurd, “Constructivism,” in Christian Reus-Smith and Duncan Snidal, eds., The
Oxford Handbook of International Relations (Oxford University Press, 2008), chapter 17.

Martha Finnemore and Kathryn Sikkink, “International Norm Dynamics and Political
Change,” International Organization (Fall 1998), pp. 887-917.

Ian Hurd, “Legitimacy in International Politics,” in Robert Jervis and Robert Art, eds.,
International Politics (Pearson, 2013), pp. 73-75.

Margaret Keck and Kathryn Sikkink, “Transnational Activist Networks,” in Robert Jervis
and Robert Art, eds., International Politics (Pearson, 2013), pp. 456-462.

Nina Tannenwald, “The Nuclear Taboo: The United States and the Normative Basis for
Nuclear Non-Use,” International Organization (Summer 1999), pp. 433-468.

Jeffry A. Frieden, David A. Lake, and Kenneth A. Schultz, “What Are International
Norms?” World Politics: Interests, Interactions, Institutions (W.W. Norton, 2013), pp.
434-451.
Sept. 30 – Oct. 2: Power, Coercion, and the Bargaining Theory of War

Joseph Nye, Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics (New York: Public
Affairs, 2004), chapter 1.
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
Robert Art, “The Four Functions of Force,” in Robert Jervis and Robert Art, eds.,
International Politics (Pearson, 2013), pp. 164-171.

Thomas Schelling, “The Diplomacy of Violence,” in Robert Jervis and Robert Art, eds.,
International Politics (Pearson, 2013), pp. 172-185.

Jeffry A. Frieden, David A. Lake, and Kenneth A. Schultz, “Why Are There Wars?”
World Politics: Interests, Interactions, Institutions (W.W. Norton, 2013), pp. 80-123.
Oct. 7 – Oct. 9: Intra-State Conflict

The World Bank, “The Shape of Violence Today,” in Robert Jervis and Robert Art, eds.,
International Politics (Pearson, 2013), pp. 232-238.

Robert Pape, “The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism,” American Political Science
Review (August 2003), pp. 343-361.

Andrew Kydd and Barbara Walter, “The Strategies of Terrorism,” International Security
(Summer 2006), pp. 49-80.
October 14: Midterm Review Session
October 16: Midterm
October 21: Securitization Theory (Guest Lecture)
October 23: No Class Meeting
Oct. 28 – Oct. 30: Class Debate Topic 1: The Rise of China

William Wohlforth, “The Stability of a Unipolar World,” International Security (Summer
1999), pp. 5–41.

John Ikenberry, America Unrivaled: The Future of the Balance of Power (Cornell
University Press, 2002), pp. 1-28.

John Mearsheimer, "China's Unpeaceful Rise," Current History (April 2006), pp. 160162.

Aaron Friedberg, “The Future of U.S. China Relations: Is Conflict Inevitable?”
International Security (Fall 2005), pp. 7-45.

Robert Pape, “Empire Falls,” The National Interest (January/February 2009), pp. 21-34.
Nov. 4 – Nov. 6: Class Debate Topic 2: Nuclear Proliferation

Scott Sagan, “Why Do States Build Nuclear Weapons? Three Models in Search of a
Bomb,” International Security (Winter 1996), pp. 54-86.
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
John Mueller, “The Essential Irrelevance of Nuclear Weapons: Stability in the Postwar
World,” International Security 13 (1988): 55-79.

Kier A. Lieber and Daryl G. Press, “The Nukes We Need: Preserving the American
Deterrent,” Foreign Affairs 88 (2009): 39-51.

Kenneth Waltz, “Why Iran Should Get the Bomb,” Foreign Affairs (July/August 2002).
Nov. 11 – Nov. 13: Class Debate Topic 3: Humanitarian Intervention

Jon Western and Joshua Goldstein, “Humanitarian Intervention Comes of Age,” Foreign
Affairs (November/December 2011).

Benjamin Valentino, “The True Costs of Humanitarian Intervention,” Foreign Affairs
(November/December 2011).

Minxin Pei and Sarah Kasper, “Lessons from the Past: The American Record on NationBuilding,” Carnegie Policy Brief No. 24 (April 2003).

Larry Diamond, “What Went Wrong in Iraq,” Foreign Affairs (September/October 2004).

Samantha Power, “Bystanders to Genocide,” The Atlantic (September 2001).
Nov. 18 – Nov. 20: Class Debate Topic 4: The International Criminal Court

Antonia Handler Chayes, “How American Treaty Behavior Threatens National Security,”
International Security 33 (Summer 2008): 45-81.

Eric Posner, “Outside the Law,” Foreign Policy, October 25, 2011.

Willliam Wohlforth and Stephen G. Brooks "International Relations Theory and the Case
Against Unilateralism," Perspectives on Politics 3 (September 2005).

Beth Simmons and Allison Danner, “Credible Commitments and the International
Criminal Court,” International Organization (April 2010), pp. 225-256.
November 25: Class Debate Topic 5: International Terrorism

The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist
Attacks Upon the United States (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2004), executive
summary.

Marc Sageman, "The Next Generation of Terror," Foreign Policy (March/April 2008).

Bruce Hoffman, "The Myth of Grass-Roots Terrorism," Foreign Affairs (May/June
2008).

John Mueller, “Is There Still a Terrorist Threat? The Myth of the Omnipresent Enemy,”
Foreign Affairs (September/October 2006).
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November 27: No Class Meeting
December 2: Final Exam Handed Out
December 9: Final Exam Due
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