Kommentar |
When describing the role of the United States of America in world politics, students of IR often use labels such as “benevolent” or “benign” hegemon; world police; global security provider or destabilizer. Whatever catch word is used, one cannot circumvent the USA when analyzing global politics due to its resources to influence and impact (for good or for bad) other regions. The goal of this course is to introduce to US foreign and security policy. In order to provide students with an overview, the seminar is structured around three pillars: First, students will learn about the actors that “make” foreign policy in the USA. We will look closer at the President, the Congress (Senate + House), the Supreme Court, and (some) federal states. The second pillar will focus on the policy areas such as security and defense, economy (and trade), climate. The last pillar is formed by theoretical approaches. The aim is to combine empirical insight with IR theories and Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA). |