DA3882_Syllabus.doc

Deterrence, Coercion, and Crisis Management:

The Use of Force in the International System SO 3882, Summer Quarter MW, Root Hall 228, 1000-1150

Office hours by appointment Root Hall, Room 221

Course Objectives: This course is designed to assess the conditions under which military power is used in the international system. It examines theoretical approaches to, and empirical cases of, the threat or use of force. The course develops and critically examines the rational-actor model as a baseline tool for analyzing the use of force in the system. It then proceeds to introduce cognitive limitations to rationality, group decision dynamics, bureaucratic politics, and normative constraints. Chronologically, the course begins with the Cold War origins of deterrence thought and then carries the debate over to the post-9/11 environment. By the end of the course, students will understand the material at a conceptual level and be able to apply these constructs to current national security issues.

Course Structure and Assignments: The course will be run as a seminar. Students will be graded on class participation and their written work. Students are expected to have the readings done on the assigned day and be able to discuss them in detail. Each student will also be required to contribute comments and questions on each of the readings on the SAKAI discussion board. Further, each student will be tasked with beginning and managing one of these online discussions. Finally, there will be two significant written assignments of 6-8 pages each (note due dates below).

Readings: There are two books for purchase and the rest of the readings will be made available as pdf documents on the SAKAI website.

· Freedman, Lawrence. 2004. Deterrence. Washington DC: Polity Press.

· Paul, Morgan, and Wirtz (eds). 2009. Complex Deterrence: Strategy in the Global Age. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (Referred to as “PMW” below) Course Schedule:

Class 1 (July 2): (no readings) Course Introduction – Goals and Expectations Class 2 (July 3): (Mingst, Thucydides, Carr) Core Theories I: Idealism and Realism Class 3 (July 9): (Keohane and Nye, Doyle) Core Theories II: Liberalism and Marxism Class 4 (July 11): (Art, PMW 2) Basic Concepts of Deterrence Class 5 (July 16): (Kaplan – note: this reading is split into 2 pdfs) The Cold War, Nuclear Weapons, RAND, and the Emergence of Modern Deterrence Theory Class 6 (July 18): (Freedman Ch 1-3, and Schelling – note: this reading is split into 2 pdfs) Early Giants in the Field of Deterrence Studies Class 7 (July 23): (Fearon) Formal Rational Actor Models Class 8 (July 25): (PMW 3, skim Berejikian) Cognitive Deviations: Bounded Rationality and Prospect Theory Class 9 (July 30): (Allison and Halperin) The Impact of Bureaucratic Politics and Organization Theory Class 10 (August 1): (Hart) Groupthink and the Issue of Collective Decision Making

Class 11 (August 6): (Diest, Bueno de Mesquita) International Conflict and Domestic Political Constraints

Class 12 (August 8): (PMW 13, skim Jervis) The Impact of Military Technology Class 13 (August 13): (Freedman Ch 4, Crawford) Norms, Constructivism, and Deterrence Class 14 (August 15): (Legro) Deterrence and Escalation within a Conflict Class 15 (August 20): (PMW 10, Lake) Asymmetry and Rogue States I: Iraq, 2003 Class 16 (August 22): (PMW 6, Lindsey and Takeyh, Waltz, Posen et al.) Asymmetry and Rogue States II: A Nuclear Iran?

Class 17 (August 27): (PMW 4-5) Deterring Non-State Actors Class 18 (August 29): (Davis and Jenkins) Deterring Non-State Actors (continued) LABOR DAY (SEPTEMBER 3) – no class

Class 19 (September 5): (Freedman Ch 6, Gray) Preemption and Prevention Class 20 (September 10): Course Wrap-up Paper #2 is due close of business September 14 -1-