Listed in: Political Science, as POSC-214
Pavel Machala (Section 01)
[G, IL] My goal in this course is to examine the geopolitics which lies at the intersection of international relations and foreign policy. But what is geopolitics and why is it as often berated as it is embraced by American politicians and policy elites alike? Over the past two centuries, what part has geopolitics played in the currents of world politics and in the conduct of American foreign policy? What role has geopolitics played in the post-Cold War era, after the demise of the Soviet Union and the ostensible triumph of liberal capitalism? Although my approach is broadly historical, the main focus of the course will be on the post-Cold War period during which the U.S. has become the preponderant global actor. This is also a period which has been characterized by growing tension between two sets of political power dynamics: one is dominated by a territorial logic of power that has as its basis the direct control of specific territory, people and resources; the other is dominated by a more diffuse logic of power that derives from the command of “de-territorialized” global political, economic, technological and cultural forces which emanate from states as well as stateless groups with a global and transnational reach. In an attempt to better understand world politics in the age of America’s preponderance, the course will ultimately examine how American presidents have understood and navigated between these two sets of political power dynamics in articulating and conducting foreign policy, and how the American public and elites have facilitated or complicated this task.
Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Machala.
If Overenrolled: Preference given to Freshman and Sophomores then Political Science majors
Cost: $27.00 ?
Section 01
W 02:00 PM - 04:30 PM BARR 102
| ISBN | Title | Publisher | Author(s) | Comment | Book Store | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Providence | Routledge (2002) | Walter Russell Mead | Amherst Books | TBD |
These books are available locally at Amherst Books.