American Foreign and Security Policy and Transatlantic Relations

Abstract

This seminar explores the political relations between the United States and Europe. A variety of theories that bear on the causes and consequences of American and European security policy will be applied to explain and evaluate past and present policies. The requirements for the course include participation in class discussions, response papers, and one research paper.

Objective

The aim of the course is to promote a critical engagement with a wide range of empirical, historical, and theoretical literature and to apply the theoretical material to contemporary developments in transatlantic relations. By the end of the course students should understand the major theories that help to deepen the understanding of the institutional structure and processes of foreign and security policy-making, be able to explain and evaluate past and present United States and European foreign policies, and to formulate academically informed opinions about contemporary security issues and policy.

Content

This course explores the history and the current state of political relations between the United States and Europe, while at the same time analyzing US as well as European foreign policy approaches. Throughout the Cold War, the relationship between the United States and (Western) Europe was the bedrock of international stability, security and prosperity. After the end of the Cold War, this relationship has undergone changes, along with the whole system of international relations. No other transatlantic crisis has been as divisive as the one that accompanied the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. As a consequence, some scholars proclaimed the death of Nato, called an end to Atlanticism, or even saw the United States and Europe as being on a path to geopolitical rivalry. We will examine the validity of these claims, the causes of the current problems and possible ways of overcoming them. The course provides the essential historical and political background of US and EU foreign policy making and the transatlantic relationship. Each section features a review of the main theoretical works in the field and an examination of important empirical cases. Students will be expected to read the required texts, think critically about them, and discuss them in class. A combination of lecture, discussion, and student presentations will be used to cover the course material.

Resources