Political Science 552
M/W, 3:30 – 5:18 pm
Bolz Hall 0311
AUTUMN 2011
Security Policy during
and after the Cold War
Tim Luecke
Office: Derby Hall 3078
luecke.7@osu.edu
Office Hours:
Mondays, 2 – 3 pm
or by appointment
Course Description
The goal of this class is to expose students to the history and theory of U.S.
national security policies since the end of World War II. The course begins with
a short introduction to the three main paradigms in the field of International
Relations; realism, liberalism, and constructivism. With these three theoretical
perspectives in hand, we then investigate how America has defined its national
security interests since 1945 and how U.S. foreign policy has been employed to
pursue these interests. The first half of this section is organized chronologically
and devoted to an analysis of U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War, with a
special emphasis on the theory and practice of nuclear deterrence. The section
ends with a discussion of the causes and the meaning of the end of the Cold War.
During the last third of the class, we discuss the range of contemporary security
problems that the United States faces today. This section is organized thematically
and includes topics, such as human rights, international terrorism, the potential
threat of China, and the threat of global climate change.
Course Goals
— Make you become familiar with political events and problems around the world
and provide you with the conceptual tools to develop an informed position
about them.
— Help you develop argumentative skills by defending your claims through the
use of logical arguments. At the end of the class, you should be able to argue
both sides of an issue.
— Enable you to build a set of critical reading and writing skills, which will help
you to distill the main points of a text and enable you to develop a coherent and
well-argued thesis in writing.
Course Requirements
Students are expected to attend every class session and to have done all the
assigned readings before coming to class. In addition, we will begin every
Wednesday session with a short discussion of current developments in
international politics. To that end, you should get into the habit of reading the
international/world section of a major respected media source (including The
Washington Post, London Times, International Herald Tribune, The Economist,
Newsweek, New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, LA Times, etc). Many
of these are available online for free, though occasionally registration is required.
Televised news focuses a great deal on local stories and is therefore not as useful for
this class; please do not rely on CNN , Fox News, MSNBC , or other broadcast news
as the main source of your information.
2 ⁄ 6
AUTUMN 2011
Security Policy during
and after the Cold War
Grading
Grades will be based on the following three components: 1) class participation,
2) a mid-term and final examination to test comprehension of concepts and ideas
covered in the readings and in class, and 3) a final five-page paper. For the final
paper I will ask you to discuss one contemporary security problem that is facing
the United States in light of the theories and histories discussed in class and to
formulate a set of recommendations for how the United States should address this
issue. More information on the procedures for the paper will be given in class.
GR ADING SCHEDULE
Participation
Midterm
Final Exam
Final Paper
20 %
25 %
25 %
30 %
Other Policies
EX AMS
— Exams must be taken when scheduled, except in the case of documented
medical or family emergency. Exams must be made up within one week.
— No books, notes, or other aids will be permitted.
PAPER ASSIGNMENT
— Your papers are due at the beginning of class on the assigned due date. Late
papers will be penalized 1/3 of a letter grade per day they are late, turning a B,
for example, into a B-.
— Please do not email papers to me without prior approval — except under
extraordinary circumstances, I only accept hard copies.
Required Texts
There are two required textbooks for this class. Both have been ordered through
Barnes & Noble on campus, but should also be available on the internet.
Gaddis, Lewis (2005). Strategies of Containment: A Critical Appraisal
of American National Security Policy during the Cold War. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
DiPrizio, Robert (2002). Armed Humanitarians: U.S. Interventions from
Northern Iraq to Kosovo. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
All other readings are available online at Carmen. All readings posted on Carmen
are required reading, see https://carmen.osu.edu.
3 ⁄ 6
AUTUMN 2011
Security Policy during
and after the Cold War
Course Schedule
WEEK 1 9/21 Overview of Class
No Readings
WEEK 2 9/26
A (Very) Short Introduction to the Field of IR
Introduction to Theory & International Relations
Walt, Stephen (1998). International Relations: One
World Many Theories, Foreign Policy, 110: 29-46
9/28Three Paradigms of International Relations:
Realism and Liberalism
Mearsheimer, John (1990). Back to the Future:
Instability in Europe After the Cold War,
International Security, 15 (1): 5-56
Burchill, Scott (2005). Liberalism, in Scott
Burchill, et al., Theories of International
Relations, 3rd ed. New York: Palgrave, pp. 55-83
10/3
Three Paradigms continued: Constructivism
Wendt, Alexander (1995). Constructing
International Politics, International Security,
20(1), 71-81
Ruggie, John Gerard (1997). The Past as
Prologue?: Interests, Identity, and American Foreign
Policy, International Security, 21 (4): 89-125
10/5
Security Policy during the Cold War
World War II, its Aftermath, and
U.S. National Security
Leffler, Melvyn (1984). The American
Conception of National Security and the Beginnings
of the Cold War, 1945-1948, American Historical
Review, 89 (2): 346-381
WEEK 3 10/10
The early Cold War and the Policy of Containment
Gaddis, pp. 24-86
X (1947). The Sources of Soviet Conduct,
Foreign Affairs, 25 (4): 566-582
10/12
Korea, NSC-68, and Nuclear Deterrence
Gaddis, pp. 87-124
Schelling, Thomas (1966). Arms and Influence,
Chapters 1 and 2. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press
WEEK 4
4 ⁄ 6
AUTUMN 2011
Security Policy during
and after the Cold War
Course Schedule
(continued)
10/17
Nuclear Deterrence II,
Eisenhower and the New Look
Gaddis, pp. 125-196
Schelling, Thomas (1966). Arms and Influence,
Chapter 3. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press
10/19
Nuclear Deterrence III: The Cuban Missile Crisis
MOV IE : Thirteen Days
Gaddis, pp. 197-271
WEEK 5
WEEK 6
10/24
10/26
MIDTER M EX AM
No Readings
Vietnam and Détente (1969-1976)
Gaddis, pp. 272-341
10/31
Afghanistan and the Renewal of the Cold War
MOV IE : Charlie Wilson’s War
Gaddis, pp. 342-381
11/2
The End of the Cold War
Wolforth, William C. (1994-1995). Realism and
the End of the Cold War, International Security
19 (3): 91-129
Stein, Janice Gross (1994). Political Learning by
Doing: Gorbachev as Uncommitted Thinker and
Motivated Learner, International Organization,
48 (2): 155-183
WEEK 7
11/7
The End of History or the Clash of Civilization?
Fukuyama, Francis (1989). The End of History? The National Interest
Huntington, Samuel P. (1993). The Clash of
Civilizations?, Foreign Affairs, 72 (3): 22-49
11/9
U.S. Grand Strategy after the Cold War: Unipolarity?
Krauthammer, Charles (1990/91). The Unipolar
Moment, Foreign Affairs, 70 (1): 23-33
Posen, Barry R. and Andrew L. Ross (1996/97).
Competing Visions for U.S. Grand Strategy,
International Security, 21 (3): 5-53
WEEK 8
5 ⁄ 6
AUTUMN 2011
Security Policy during
and after the Cold War
Course Schedule
(continued)
11/14
The Problem of Failed States
Failed and Failing States: The Case of Pakistan,
in Donald M. Snow, ed. (2010) Cases in
International Relations. New York: Longman
DiPrizio, Introduction, Chapters 3 and 6
11/16
The Problem of Genocide
DiPrizio, Chapters 4, 6, 7
WEEK 9
11/21
International Terrorism
Cronin, Audrey Kurth (2002). Behind the
Curve: Globalization and International Terrorism,
International Security, 27 (3): 30-58
Gordon, Philip H. (2007). Can the War on Terror
Be Won?, Foreign Affairs, Nov/Dec: 1-6
11/23
Rising Powers: The Case of China
Johnston, Alastair I. (2003). Is China a Status-Quo
Power? International Security, 27 (4): 5-56
Lynch, Marc (2002). Why Engage? China and the
Logic of Communicative Engagement, European
Journal of International Relations, 8 (2): 187-230
WEEK 10
11/28 WMD Proliferation
Proliferation: The Case of North Korea, in Donald
M. Snow, ed. (2010) Cases in International
Relations. New York: Longman.
Pivotal States: Confronting and Accommodating
Iran, in Donald M. Snow, ed. (2010) Cases in
International Relations. New York: Longman
11/30
Resource Scarcity and Global Warming
FINAL PAPERS DUE IN CLASS
Hardin, Garret (1968). Tragedy of the Commons,
Science 162 (13): 1243-1248
Resource Scarcity: Oil, the Lubricant That Corrodes,
in Donald M. Snow, ed. (2010) Cases in
International Relations. New York: Longman
Global Warming: Facing the Problem after
Copenhagen, in Donald M. Snow, ed. (2010) Cases
in International Relations. New York: Longman
WEEK 11
WEEK 12
12/8
Final Examination, 3:30-5:18 pm
6 ⁄ 6
AUTUMN 2011
Security Policy during
and after the Cold War
Academic Misconduct
I expect all of the work you do in this course to be your own. Any cases of cheating
or plagiarism will be reported to the university’s Committee on Academic
Misconduct, which investigates or establishes procedures for the investigation
of all reported cases of student academic misconduct. The term ‘academic
misconduct’ includes all forms of wrongdoing wherever committed; illustrated by,
but not limited to, cases of plagiarism and dishonest practices in connection with
examinations. For additional information, see the Code of Student Conduct at
http://studentaffairs.osu.edu/info_for_students/csc.asp.
Disability Services
If you need an accommodation based on a disability, contact me to arrange an
appointment as soon as possible. I rely on the Office for Disability Services for
assistance in developing accommodation strategies. It is located in 150 Pomerene
Hall, 1760 Neil Avenue. Telephone: 292-3307, TDD 292-0901, or online at
http://www.ods.ohio-state.edu.