Credits: 3
This seminar will cover the main historical patterns in American foreign policy making (AFP) from the Barbary Wars in 1801, to the contemporary currents in the 21 century, including American military and diplomatic history, and current practice in U.S. FP statecraft. In this seminar we focus on external as well as internal causal influences on American foreign policy making. We will strike a balance between theoretical and process-oriented literature on one hand, and substantive and interpretive readings. We will examine rational state actor, neoclassical realist, bureaucratic/ organizational, and institutional models. We will look at leadership styles, government decisionmakers, organization ,political parties, private interest, lobbying groups, and public opinion. We analyze the various interests, constraints, and limitations within which each actor operates, the nature of the interactions between different actors, and the process within which differences are resolved.
