SDG Detail

GLBL 750 American Power in the Twenty-First Century: Lessons in Diplomacy

Postgraduate course

Project description

This seminar examines the clash and conflict of theory and ideology with the reality of implementing U.S. foreign policy in an age of disaggregation; in other words, what do U.S. Administrations set out to do in the world, and what constraints and unforeseen externalities do they encounter? The course takes a case study and interdisciplinary approach to understanding national security from the perspective of practitioners, examining failed and failing states, public diplomacy, the role of Congress, the impact of domestic policy and public opinion on the conduct of foreign policy, the implications of partnerships and alliances, the challenge of authoritarian populism, rising sectarianism and violent extremism, climate change, capacity building, and global development. Students hear from guest speakers and focus on a series of case studies from the perspective of those who make and implement U.S. foreign policy, and those who have tried to theorize about it.