PLIR 4440. Domestic Politics and American Foreign Policy

Fall 2014. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30-1:45 pm, Gibson 342

Mr. Lynch

Office hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 11am-12:15 pm (Gibson 397)

 

This course analyzes the relationship between U.S. domestic and U.S. foreign policy from several perspectives: conceptual, historical and topical. Students will be required to: (1) submit a formal research proposal, due on September 25^th; (2) write an in-class analytical essay on October 16th; (3) submit a 15-20 page research paper analyzing the relative influence of domestic factors on some aspect of U.S. foreign policy, due on December 12^th. In addition, each student will make a formal presentation on readings; regular, informed participation in class discussion is expected.

 

Work will be evaluated as follows:

            Formal research proposal:      20%

            In-class essay:                         20%

            Student participation:             20%

            Research paper:                      40%

 

I shall read one draft of your research paper and return it with comments (and without a grade) before final submission.

 

Students’ written work will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria: degree of command of presentations and readings; degree of incisiveness and coherence of analysis; soundness and originality of judgment; as well as facility of expression in written English.

 

 

Please note that the grade of “B” denotes “good” work.

 

 

Books Ordered for Purchase:

 

1. Richard van Alstyne, “The Rising American Empire”

2. Jon Western, “Selling Intervention and War: the Presidency, the Media, and the             American Public”

3. Melvin Small, “Democracy and Diplomacy”

4. Tony Smith, “Foreign Attachments: The Power of Ethnic Groups in the Making of                   American Foreign Policy”

5. Stephen M. Griffin, “Long Wars and the Constitution”

6. James Mann, “The Obamians: The Struggle Inside the Obama White House to Redefine American Power”

7. Peter Hay Gries, “The Politics of American Foreign Policy: How Ideology Divides Liberals & Conservatives over Foreign Affairs”

 

 

All other readings are available on Collab. Supreme Court cases may be found at: www.supremejustia.com. Just type in the name of the given case (e.g., Korematsu v. the United States).

 

 

Schedule of Classes

 

8/26. Introduction. Why this Course? Procedures.

 

8/28. Lecture: Historical Patterns.

Van Alstyne, 1-99; Small, 1-15.

 

9/2 & 9/4. The Constitutional Framework.

Yoo, “Prerogative: the 18^th Century Anglo-American Constitution and Foreign Affairs” (C); Warburg, “Conflict and Consensus” (C); Stevenson, “The Neutrality Declaration of 1793” (C); Walton, “The Early Years” (C); Henkin, “The Congress” (C); Corwin, “The National Executive Power” (C); Griffin, 11-59.

 

Supreme Court Cases: Bas v. Tingy (1800), concerning undeclared war; US v Curtiss-Wright (1936), concerning the partial extra-constitutionality of the national foreign affairs power.

 

9/9 & 9/11. The War Power.

Zakaria, “From Wealth to Power” (Collab, hereafter, “C”).

Griffin, 59-193. 

 

9/16 & 9/18. National Security and Individual Rights.

Griffin, 194-275.

 

Supreme Court Cases: Schenk v. US (1919), concerning restrictions on speech during wartime; Korematsu v. US (1944), concerning mass internment without due process during wartime; Hamdi v. Rumsfeld (2004) & Padilla v. Hanft (2006), concerning habeas corpus and due process in the context of the war on terror.

 

9/23 & 9/25. Public Opinion.

Gries, 1-29, 33-134, 235-262; Western, 1-25, 220-234.

Research proposal due on 9/25.

 

9/30 & 10/2. Interest Groups & the Electoral Cycle.

Smith, 47-129; Gries, 183-208; (C); Wiarda, “American Foreign Policy: Actors and Processes” (C); Quandt, “The Electoral Cycle” (C).

 

10/7 & 10/9. The Challenge of Globalism: Wilson and FDR.

Small, 26-79; John Milton Cooper, “Breaking the Heart of the World,” at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/wilson/filmmore/fr_cooper.html; “Woodrow Wilson and the League of Nations,” at: www.san.beck.org/GPJ21-LeagueofNations.html#4; Cole, “Roosevelt and the Isolationists,” pts 1-3 (C); Holsti, “The 1940 Destroyer Deal with Britain,” (C); review Griffin, 52-71.

 

10/14. Reading Break. No class.

 

10/16. Mid-term examination.

 

10/21 & 10/23. The Cold War.

Small, 80-140; Gries, 209-234; Stone, “The Cold War: the Scaremongers” (C); Allison & Zelikow, “The Essence of Decision,” 77-129 (C); Brussel, “The Cuban Missile Crisis” (C).

 

10/28 & 10/30. Vietnam: 1954, 1965, post-1968.

Small, 141-164; Western, 26-61, 94-132; Neustadt, ch. 13, “Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents (C); Snyder, ch. 7, “America’s Cold War Consensus,” 255-322 (C); Gelb and Betts, “The Irony of Vietnam: the System Worked,” pp. 96-143 (C); Mickelthwait & Woolridge, “The Right Nation: Conservative Power in America,” 63-93 (C).

 

11/4 & 11/6. Post-Cold War Effects.

Western, 133-174; Gries, 235-262; E.A. Hyer, “The US Response to the Tianamen Massacre: Congressional Values and Executive Interests” (C); Pitzl & Stewart, “The US Position on the Kyoto Protocol: Senate Ratification or Not?” (C); Deibel, “Death of a Treaty”  (C); Ausink, “Watershed in Rwanda: the Evolution of Clinton’s Humanitarian Policy” (C).

 

11/11 & 11/13. Domestic-Level Effects and the Terror Attacks of 9/11/01.

“The 9/11 Report,” chapters 2-6 at: http://www.9-11Commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf.

 

11/18 & 11/20. The Road to War in Iraq.

Western, 175-219; Betts, “The Political Support System for American Primacy” (C); Mann, “The Rise of the Vulcans,” 332-358 (C); “Rumsfeld’s War,” PBS Frontline video, at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/pentagon/view/; “The War Behind Closed Doors,” PBS Frontline Video, at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/iraq/view/.

 

11/25 & 12/2. The Obama Departure?

Mann, 76-301.

November 25 is the deadline to submit a draft research paper for a “free” critique. (Optional)

 

12/4. To be determined.

 

Final research paper is due on Friday, December 12, 5 pm.