Government 250 - CASE STUDIES INTL RELATIONS

Relations among the major world powers - the U.S., Europe, China, Russia, Japan - have been relatively stable since the end of the Cold War but recently have turned more fractious, a result, in part, of growing assertiveness on the part of China and Russia.  How to respond to these states has become a major concern for American policymakers, with some favoring a more combative approach to one or another (or both) and some a more cooperative stance.  This course will analyze the stresses in contemporary great-power relations and asses contending options for addressing them, with a particular emphasis on potential flashpoints that could provoke crisis and conflict, such as Ukraine and the South China Sea.  Students will be expected to examine the big picture of great-power relations and to study one problem in considerable depth.