Political Science 552 (16767-2), Autumn 2003
Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Security Policy During and After the Cold War

Tuesday, Thursday, 3:30-5:18, Stillman Hall 100

John Mueller
Derby 2151
Mershon Center 220D
Department of Political Science
614-247-6007
614-292-2407 (fax)
bbbb@osu.edu
http://polisci.osu.edu/faculty/jmueller

Office hours:
Wednesday, 11:00-12:00, Mershon Center 220D (8th and Neil)
Thursday, 1:00-2:00, Derby 2151
Or by appointment at bbbb@osu.edu

The course will deal with national security and military policy issues as they have emerged and changed during and after the Cold War. The material will be presented roughly in chronological order beginning with the framing of the containment and deterrence policies at the end of World War II and concluding with an examination of national security policy issues confronting the United States and the world at the present time. Included will be discussions of such concerns as the Korean War, the Berlin and Cuban crises, Vietnam, the Iran hostage crisis, missile imbalances in Europe, the demise of the Cold War and of the Soviet Union, the unification of Europe, the Gulf War, ethnic conflict, economic sanctions, terrorism, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the proliferation of "weapons of mass destruction," and the rise of democracy and capitalism on a global basis. Of particular interest will be an assessment of broad historical trends as they have played out during the last half century.

The course will be in lecture format, with ample opportunity for questions and discussion. There will be considerable use of Powerpoint slides as well as documentary material on videotape.

Grading. There will be a midterm (October 30) and a final examination (December 11) as well as an optional 4 to 6 page paper (due December 2). If the student does not submit a paper, the midterm exam will count for 1/3 of the grade and the final exam will count 2/3. If the student does submit a paper, the midterm exam will count for 1/3 of the grade, the final exam will count 1/3, and the paper 1/3. The advantage of doing the paper is that it allows the student to focus on a topic of interest and it allows the grade to be partly based on something other than exams. The exams will be about half objective (short answer, identification, etc.) and half essay.  Copies of previous exams will be available on the course website.

Assigned books:

DiPrizio, Armed Humanitarians (Johns Hopkins University Press)
Simon, The Terrorist Trap (Indiana University Press)
Mueller, Quiet Cataclysm (will be available on PDF)
Johnson, Improbable Dangers (will be available on PDF)
Mueller, Retreat from Doomsday (will be available on PDF)

Note:  The Lundestad, East, West, North, South book will not be used in this class.