The end of the Cold War revived talk of building a “new world order,” and recent American military engagements overseas have given this talk new urgency. We begin the course with a survey of what Walter Russell Mead identifies as America’s four main schools of thought about world order and foreign policy—the Hamiltonian, Wilsonian, Jeffersonian, and Jacksonian. We will then test this analytical framework against the controversy over the invasion and occupation of Iraq, to see if it in any way illuminates the reasoning of the major actors involved. Among the views that will be considered are those of leading Neoconservatives and Protestant evangelicals, and on the other hand, those of leading mainline Protestants and foreign policy “realists.” In the second half of the course, we will examine the controversial thesis of Samuel Huntington that world order is being remade along civilizational lines (the “clash of civilizations” thesis). Finally, in the “third half” of the course, we will (a) distinguish between liberalism and democracy, (b) survey recent American efforts at supporting liberalism and democracy overseas, and (c) use this background to analyze the unfolding efforts of the Bush administration to foster a stable, liberal democratic regime in Iraq.

Required texts

The required texts are available at the Bookstore. They consist of the following books:

• Walter Russell Mead, Special Providence: American Foreign Policy and How it Changed the World; Routledge (September 2002); ISBN: 0415935369
• Samuel Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order; Simon & Schuster (January, 1998); ISBN: 0684844419
• Thomas Carothers, Aiding Democracy Abroad; Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (December 1999); ISBN: 0870031694

Other readings

A reading packet is available for purchase at the History Department for $10. These readings are required. A second reading packet may be organized and placed on sale later in the semester, covering topics in the second half of the course. Free handouts of supplementary readings may also be distributed.

Course Requirements and Grading

Course credit will be based on class participation (10%), two short papers (25%, 25%) and a final, medium-length paper (40%). There will be no final exam in this course.

Participation: Class time will be devoted primarily to discussion of the readings. It makes no sense to come to class if you haven’t done the readings: you will get very little out of the discussion, and others will get nothing out of you. You do not get credit for showing up; you get credit for speaking up. On the other hand, the classroom is not a competitive arena. If you make one reasonably thoughtful comment each class, you get full credit for the day. Come with a question or comment in mind. Also, I’ll occasionally ask a “no-brainer” question. If you’ve nothing else to say for the day, or are simply shy, at least take advantage of these. We’ll all thank you for it, as it will help us keep discussion at a steady pace. Above all, be sensitive to the classroom dynamic, for which we are all responsible. Don’t take over the discussion; disagree respectfully; keep your comments on topic; try to refer to your classmates by name when referencing a point they have made (this helps keep things civil—reminding us that there is a person behind every opinion).

Papers: Papers will be divided into a style component (worth one third) and a content component (worth two thirds). Papers will vary in length from four to ten pages, depending upon the assignment.

Extension policy: Paper due dates are announced, and paper topics handed out, far in advance of the deadline. If you budget your time and start your paper early, you should have no trouble getting your paper in on time, even if you fall ill. There are no deadline extensions in this course, with exception made only for hospitalization or death in one’s immediate family, to be confirmed through an email from one’s academic advisor. There are no extensions for illness, extracurricular activities, other schoolwork, or anything else. However, I do accept late papers, although in fairness to your fellow students, they will be marked down one third of a grade for each day late, with the first 24 hour period commencing immediately after the deadline. I will not think less of you for handing in a late paper. I realize that sometimes other things must take priority. If taking an extra day will allow you to write a much better paper, by all means take the extra day. It will more than make up for the third of a letter grade deducted. If, in order to avoid accumulating penalties, you need to turn in a paper on a weekend, call me and we will arrange a drop off at my home. A rewrite will not reverse a late paper penalty.

Quizzes and outlines: So long as everyone continues to do the reading and discussions remain lively, no recourse to quizzes or outlines of the reading will be made. But if the class is flagging, they may be instituted and will be factored into final course grades.

Syllabus

Unless otherwise noted, all readings not drawn from Mead, Huntington, or Carothers can be found in the course reading packet. In a few cases, the packet readings are out of order, so search around a bit before you contact me for clarification. “TBA” = “To Be Arranged”

1/20: Course Introduction
1/22: Barber, “Jihad vs. McWorld”; Anne-Marie Slaughter, “The Real New World Order”; Minxin Pei, “The Paradoxes of American Nationalism”; Kelly and Kaplan, Represented Communities (excerpt)

1/27: Mead, 3-98
1/29: Mead, 99-131; Thomas Friedman, “A Manifesto for the Fast World”

2/3: Mead, 132-173; Woodrow Wilson speeches: “America as a World Power”; “The Young Men’s Christian Association”; “Peace Without Victory”; “War Message”
2/5: Mead, 174-217; Bryan, “Imperialism” (handout)

2/10: Mead, 218-263; illustration, TBA?
2/12: Mead, 264-338

2/17: Murphy, “Neoconservative Clout Seen in U.S. Iraq policy”; Gerson, The Neoconservative Vision, 4-8, 16-20; Steinfels, “What Neoconservatives Believe”; Irving Kristol, “The Neoconservative Persuasion”
2/19: W. Kristol and R. Kagan, “Toward a Neo-Reaganite Foreign Policy”; Project for a New American Century (readings and references); Mead on neocons; Neocon “spheres of influence”; Boot on neocons; Dreyfuss on Chalabi; K. and B. Christison, “The Bush Administration’s Dual Loyalties”

2/24: Protestant Evangelicals on Israel, Iraq, and war (handout)
2/26: The Opposition: Mainline churches; foreign policy “realists” (handout)

3/2: Huntington, 19-78
3/4: Huntington, 81-121

Spring Break

3/16: Huntington, 125-179
3/18: Huntington, 183-245

3/23: Huntington, 246-298
3/25: Huntington, 301-321; Siedentop, “Liberalism, the Christian Connection”

3/30: Zakaria, “Illiberal Democracy”; Ciepley, “Taking the Ethnic out of Multiethnic Democracy”
4/1: Carothers, 3-64

4/6: Carothers, 65-122
4/8: Carothers, 123-177

4/13: Carothers, 177-231
4/15: Carothers, 231-280

4/20: Carothers, 281-352 [revised. Bernard Lewis, The Crisis of Islam (selections)]
4/22: Tried to get Hull’s recommended on Yemini-Al-Qaeda connections. Instead, readings on Iraqi Society: Sluglett and Sluglett, “The Transformation of Land Tenure and Rural Social Structure in Central and Southern Iraq”; Charles Tripp, A History of Iraq (selections)

4/27: Fuller, “Islamist Politics in Iraq after Saddam Hussein”; Classroom reports on Al-Jazeera, on an Egyptian paper, and on a Pakistani paper (www.dawn.com)
4/29: Conclusion: What is a Wilsonian to do?

5/3: Final paper due