PSCI1401 - International Security

This lecture course introduces students to the subfield of international security or strategic studies. In order to grasp the usefulness of the theoretical ideas presented in readings and lectures, abstract concepts are linked with a study of the national security policies states have adopted in the decades following World War II. Topics include current debates about nuclear proliferation, terrorism, the Iraq war, Europe's changing international role, the rise of China, Asian "flashpoints" (Korea, the Taiwan Strait), and US secruity policy for the 21st century - considering some of the main strategic alternatives to the US as well as their implications for the types of forces deployed (the impact of the "revolution in military affairs," the future of missile defense, and the economic burden to be shouldered).