Description:
This
course provides an overview of key topics and concepts in national security
studies. The lectures and readings are designed to answer the following
questions: What are the root causes of war? When, if ever, is war justified?
How do recent changes in military technology and doctrine affect the way that
war is fought? How can wars be prevented or at least limited? Do nuclear
weapons make war less likely? The course will also answer a number of questions
relating to international terrorism, the Bush Doctrine, and the Global War on
Terror (GWOT). Why have terrorists repeatedly targeted US citizens and property
over the last three decades? How have US presidents prior to 9/11 responded to
terrorism? What is the Bush administration’s national security policy after
9/11? Does the Bush doctrine represent a radical departure from previous
policies? Why did the US
invade Iraq?
Was the war in Iraq
a distraction from the war on terror, or is it central to the Bush
administration’s grand strategy? The course will also examine a number of
current issues including national missile defense, peacekeeping, and regional
security in Europe, Asia,
and the Middle East.
Course Syllabus (pdf format)
Prerequisites: PS 7 or PS 121