Syllabus
A detailed syllabus will be posted shortly. Thank you for your patience.
Annotation
Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has been the world’s lone dominant power, a position that has long defined its foreign policy and national interests. Today, the durability of American primacy and its role in world affairs is subject to widespread debate among policymakers and practitioners. The implosion of US and global financial markets and prolonged military engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan introduced new limitations to America’s use of hard and soft power outlets instrumental to US foreign policy objectives. Likewise, the international system is undergoing changes in power distribution due to the rise of China, India, Brazil and Russia. Furthermore, we now live in an era of evolving security threats that no longer emanate from a single source due to globalization, weapons proliferation, the rise of non-state actors and the dangers presented by failed states. The confluence of these developments suggests the establishment of a new policy paradigm, the third since the end of the Cold War, in the form of a multipolar world that challenges the US’ capacity to exercise influence and power in the international system.