International Studies

The objective of this course is to establish a theoretical grid of analysis to prepare for the study of the origins of conflict. By analyzing actors' interests, actions, or policies through the application of international relations theory, students are able to understand the motivations and intentions of the parties to the conflict. The course then attempts to test theories within the framework of case studies and answer research questions through methodological research.

Nuclear weapons pose an enduring challenge to international security and stability. In this class, students examine the nuclear strategies of different nuclear weapons states, ranging from small states to the most powerful states in the international system. Students study basic theories about how nuclear weapons affect international conflict, and why nuclear weapons states adopt different strategies. Delving inside the state, the course examines how perception and bias affects how decision-makers seek to operationalize these strategies. This interactive class is organized around three thematic clusters: the nuclear revolution, national nuclear strategies and, crisis stability. In studying these issues, students use theoretical and empirical approaches as well as simulations and applied analyses. Students understand practitioner perspectives in analyzing how states seek to tackle the risks of a nuclear arms race in Europe. The course also explores the dynamics of crisis escalation through a simulation exercise based on a nuclear crisis in northern Norway in 1995.

This research-led course enables students to answer vital questions about the role of diplomacy in inter-state conflicts, and to formulate practical policy advice by examining the diplomacy of inter-state conflict in-depth. The course studies concrete cases – comprising both historical case studies of inter-state conflict and present-day rivalries (e.g. NATO-Russia, USA-Iran, Israel-Palestine) – in order to understand (a) the geostrategic, political, economic, symbolic, and psychological dynamics that enable or constrain diplomatic solutions and (b) the scope conditions for the successful application of non-coercive diplomatic strategies. Throughout the course, students pay particular attention to the ways in which diplomacy can contribute to the management, de-escalation, and transformation of inter-state conflict. In doing so, the focus is on what is arguably the trickiest diplomatic process of them all: the diplomacy of first steps also known as “ice breaking”. After years, sometimes decades, of intense rivalry, how can enemies initiate a process of diplomatic engagement? Often, formidable obstacles exist to breaking the ice between adversaries, including the strategic risk of getting exploited by your adversary, domestic resistance (divided party politics, bureaucratic opposition, civil society resistance) and psychological pathologies (misperception, enduring enemy images). Nonetheless, spectacular successes of engagement – including the rapprochements between France and Germany after World War II, Egypt and Israel in the 1970s, and the Soviet Union and the USA at the end of the Cold War – provide a glimmer of hope. Upon successful completion of the course, students are able to: examine and critically evaluate the role that diplomacy plays in world politics; analyze key diplomatic options of conflict management, de-escalation and transformation; compare and contrast cases of diplomatic engagement past and present; formulate policy proposals for the diplomatic solution of enduring rivalries.

Many societal problems transcend the borders of the nation-state. Economic developments and trade, crime and terrorism, refugees, climate change, human trafficking, natural disasters, international monetary and financial crises, inequality, are not confined to national territory. To cope with these matters, nation-states have partially delegated competencies to supranational bodies. The number of supranational institutions, laws, rules and norms has, accordingly, tremendously increased over time. As a result, we face a diverse and complex institutional landscape of global governance that has profound influence on the day-to-day life of citizens. This course offers a broad introduction to the theory and practice of global governance. It does so by analyzing the main institutional processes of global governance and, subsequently, by zooming in on selected global issues, such as recent cases of international security, humanitarian and financial crises, the refugee crisis and gender inequality. The following questions are addressed: when do states delegate authority to supranational institutions and why; how do these acts of delegation affect the distribution of power and influence; who is pulling which strings; what repercussions does the complex global institutional landscape have for essential values of (good) governance such as democratic legitimacy and accountability; is global governance truly and evenly global, or are these processes increasingly dividing the powerful and rich from the marginalized and poor?

The course examines international relations theories, which describe, explain, and predict international affairs. The course focuses on the core and the standard canon of International Relations theory (IRT), as well as the political interactions of states. The purpose of IRT is to support the analysis of international, but mostly political, events. Therefore, the course links theoretical work with the application of theory to the investigation of the international political world. Assessment: Midterm (15%), Final (15%), Participation (30%), Essays (40%).

This course introduces students to the study of the dynamic interaction between the pursuit of wealth and the pursuit of power in the global economy. The course presents the key concepts and theories of IPE, and how these can be used to understand pressing empirical and economic policy questions facing policymakers and citizens in the 21st century.

 

This course examines the international architecture for peace – its structures, functions, and possibilities, as well as its limitations (in-built or other), focusing on the UN as the primary vehicle through which the international community's aspirations for peace are put in place. The various forms of intervention to break the cycle of war and peace (by the UN and others) are examined in detail, such as conflict prevention and mediation, peacekeeping, peacebuilding, humanitarian aid, development cooperation, human rights advocacy, and international justice. In every case, both the dominant doctrine and practice, as well as their critiques, are interrogated. By so doing, the course sheds light on the international politics of peace. Grounding itself in both academic and practitioner/policy literature, the course also draws heavily from the lecturer's extensive direct experience as a UN staff in various peace operations. Real-world examples of the issues discussed are provided throughout.

This course examines how multinational enterprises strategize and operate in global competition. Major topics include the International Business Environment (e.g., the differences in economic, political, legal, and cultural environments); International Business Strategy (e.g., international expansion strategy, entry mode choices, cross-border strategic alliances, and mergers & acquisitions); and International Business Management (e.g., design, structure and control of international operations; and foreign subsidiary management). The emphasis of the course is on the application of contextual knowledge about international business and strategic management theories as tailored to the Asia Pacific, to analyze and make decisions faced by companies operating in the Asia Pacific region.