Formation of the Trans-Atlantic Alliance
BS 368 Fall/2007
Tuesday - Thursday, 14:00 – 15:30
Office Hours: Tuesday through Friday, when I am not teaching
class
Brian Kennedy
bkennedy@gmu.edu (I
check email frequently)
bpk@econ.tu.ac.th
01-442-7426 (cell phone)
02-929-0015 (home phone)
“The course analyses the development and recent issues of the political and economic alliances between Britain, Europe and the U.S.”
Course objectives:
To explain the intellectual, historical and cultural origins of the trans-atlantic alliance, and its subsequent evolution. Then, to apply those lessons to the current world, to see what has become of the alliance today, and in what directions we can reasonably expect it to evolve towards.
Course Overview:
This course, as originally conceived (in 1997), was to analyze the transatlantic alliance between America and Britain, as well as to explore the relations of both countries to NATO and the EU. This presumed a commonality of interests that may no longer exist. While institutionally the alliance system survives, many now question its health, and its future viability.
Most of the interesting questions about the alliance concern “big” questions; when can states use force against each other, what causes terrorism, when is unilateral action justified. As such, this course will spend little time on the mechanics of the alliance, instead it will focus on the intellectual, philosophical, and moral underpinnings of it. Though the course covers issues similar to an International Relations course, it does so from a very different perspective.
Students should note that many of these questions do not have generally agreed upon answers. As such, I will often be presenting several points of view. The course will be somewhat American-Centric, in part because America has become the dominant partner in the alliance vis-à-vis Britain, and in part because I am an American and am more familiar with that part of the alliance. However, I shall make every effort I can to expose students to all the different perspectives.
A certain degree of familiarity with America and Britain is assumed. Students who have not taken BS 463 Introduction to International Relations may still take the course, but understand that extra work will be necessary. BS 444 America and the Cold War would be a helpful course, but is not necessary. A certain amount of duplication between the courses is inevitable, but most of the material for this course will be different. A familiarity with current events is assumed.
Grading:
The course grade will depend upon 2 exams, and seven or eight quizzes, given out throughout the course. Grades are weighted as follows
Six Highest Quizzes (dates unannounced) 30%
Midterm Exam 30%
Final Exam 40 %
Quizzes will not be announced in advance, and each student’s lowest quiz score will be dropped. Quizzes are designed to ensure class attendance and readings, and to test basic knowledge of facts; they will not test knowledge of concepts or the ability to analyze. As such, the quizzes are quite easy. If you attend class, understand English, and take notes, and do the readings before class, you should be able to score very well on the quizzes. Quizzes on the readings will be given before I go over the readings in class; so read the articles. A sample quiz (based on the lecture from class one) will be passed out at the end of the first day of class.
The midterm and final exams will also test basic knowledge, but additionally will test how well students understand important concepts, and how well they can analyze the data given. They will explore class concepts in more depth. They will test knowledge in greater depth, and will also ask students to analyze problems. As such, they will be more difficult then quizzes. A sample exam will be passed out before the midterm.
Required Text:
Given how recent, and controversial, the content of much of this class is, there is no standard accepted text about the transatlantic alliance. Therefore, most of the course reading will be taken from various journal sources, recent books, and scholarly journals. The readings as such will be somewhat less then in other courses, but more difficult then you are used to. I will explain the context of readings before they are given, but be sure to leave yourself sufficient time for them. Many of the articles bear close reading, more then once.
The articles include the following:
Fukuyama, Francis “The End of History” 1989 The National Interest
Huntington, Samuel P. “The Clash of Civilizations” 1993 Foreign Affairs
Luttwack, Edward “Give War a Chance” 1999 Foreign Affairs
Zakaria, Fareed “The Politics of Rage: Why do they Hate Us? 2001, Newsweek
(optional) Ford, Peter “Why do they hate us? 2001 Christian Science Monitor
(optional) Lewis, Bernard “The Roots of Muslim Rage” 1990, “from Daggomans to Doggorels”
Podhoretz, Norman “World War IV: How it Started, What It Means, and Why We Have to Win 2004, Commentary
Kagan, Robert “European Weakness, American Power” 2003,
Dalrymple, Theodore Tough Love 1999
Reader,
she married him – Alas 1995
When
Islam Breaks Down 2004
The
Barbarians at the Gates of Paris 2002
The
Suicide Bombers Among Us 2005
Weigel, George “Europe’s Two Culture Wars” 2006 Commentary
All of the readings will be available from my desk at the BAS office, and with Joy downstairs at the copy center. Copies can be obtained from either location.
Detailed Course outline:
Part I. The Origins of the Transatlantic Alliance
Week 1: How to make an argument
The
world of the 1920’s, 30s and 40s
Part II. The intellectual foundation of the new world order
Week 2: The world after the fall of the Berlin Wall
Fukayamu
“the End of History”
Week 3: The Emerging Chaos
Huntington “the Clash of Civilizations”
Week 4: Problems of Grand Theories
Luttwack
“Give War a Chance”
Part III. 9/11 and the War on Terror
Week 5: Why do they hate us
The roots of Muslim rage, why do
they hate us, etc.
Week 6-7: The Bush Doctrine
Podhoretz
“world war IV”
Week 8: TBA
Week 9 Midterm Exam
Part IV: The alliance today
Week 10: The Strategic Culture Wars
Kagan,
Robert “European Weakness, American Power” 2003
Week 11: Huntington and Fukuyama Revisited
TBA
Week 12: Cultural Relativism, Imperialism, Confusion
Weigel, George “Europe’s Two Culture
Wars” 2006 Commentary
Week 13-14: The Ground Culture Wars
Dalrymple,
Theodore , Tough Love
Reader,
she married him – Alas
When
Islam Breaks Down
The
Barbarians at the Gates of Paris
The
Suicide Bombers Among Us
Week 15: Current thoughts (may be done earlier,
depending on what is going on in the world
Iran: A symposium (other articles possible, again depending on Events)
Final Exam TBA
Last Modified: August 25, 2007