Mar 28, 2024  
2018-19 Graduate Catalog 
    
2018-19 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

IP 520 International Security


The purpose of this course is to provide a thorough and in-depth analysis of international security issues, themes, theories and cases. We will examine security from three levels of analysis: the international system, state and domestic level politics and individual decision-makers. Within each level of analysis we will study various theories used to explain the sources of instability and stability in order to understand what drives state and actor behavior in terms of: foreign policy, war, cooperation, and expansion. We will also look at central themes in international security and a few cases where theories can be applied to help us understand crises, conflicts and instability. We will address questions like: what are the main threats to international security? How are these threats addressed or not by states and international actors? Why do states have, or not, nuclear weapons, and what role do international organizations and none-state actors play in security?