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This course will explore historical, current, and anticipated future US security challenges in the Middle East, exploring how policy makers have understood and understand threats and their options to address them. We will analyze how the US sets goals for its regional actions, how its actions in the Middle East fit into a broader global strategy, and how different global contexts shape different US responses. This course will have a policy focus and writing assignments will develop the ability to write short, forceful, and effective memoranda.
PAI 715 | African Conflicts: Causes and Consequences | Michael Shurkin
This course will be an overview of security issues from African and global perspectives. The course will begin with a historical look at colonial powers in Africa, the dynamics of the Cold War and how it shaped the wars of decolonization and the establishment of African liberation movements. The course will then address the fate of the post-colonial states and the emergence of US security assistance after the end of the Cold War as well as the emergence of transnational threats in the region.
PAI 715| China's Challenge to the Global Order | Robert Daly
This master’s seminar focuses on contemporary challenges to the global order posed by China’s growing economic and political power. The course charts China’s reform and opening, its development and integration into the global economy, and the challenges created for Western economic and security institutions and alliances. Specific topic areas covered include China’s non-market status and trade conflict, competition for technological leadership, ICT governance and standard setting, the Belt and Road Initiative, and the implications of China’s South China Sea activity. The course will combine extensive background readings, lectures, and discussion. Students will benefit from frequent guest lectures and discussions with experts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
PAI 715 | Climate Change, Security, and Global Development | Melinda Kimble
This course will consider climate change as a “risk amplifier” and a national security challenge especially given its impact on food security, water access, and community displacement. Additionally, students will consider how great power competition and even the hard science of climate change may impact national security policy. Finally, students will examine how planetary changes require transforming the energy sector, redesigning our infrastructure, economic and political systems and how local, national, and international governance might respond to the profound changes ahead.
PAI 715 | From Fragility to Resilience: New Approaches to Global Development | Erol Yayboke & Sara Reckless
While some countries move up the development ladder on the way to greater economic growth and stability, others struggle with cyclical fragility and the negative repercussions that come with it. The path from fragility to resilience is rarely linear, requiring a mix of security, stabilization, humanitarian aid, and development assistance. This course will look at causes of fragility and examine the non-kinetic tools deployed in fragile states, especially their utility and effectiveness in specific country and regional cases. Primarily discussion-based, the course will also include regular guest speakers who are regional experts and/or practitioners.
PAI 715 | The Frontier of Finance: Digital Currencies, Security, & Development| Bejoy DasGupta
This course will focus on how the global financial revolution underway, the Fintech revolution, can help lead to sustained, inclusive and strong growth and enhance security, as elaborated in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The course will explore cutting edge themes at the intersection of finance, technology, policy, development, and security, as well as cross-border dimensions to include the challenges posed by Cryptocurrencies. It will not be narrowly focused on technology, and is appropriate for students pursuing development, economic and security fields.HST 700| A Usable Past: Policymakers and the Lessons of History | Jason Steinhauer
Can history really help us avoid the mistakes the past? This course offers a practical framework for how to integrate history into policymaking—and the perils, pitfalls and opportunities of doing so. From Congress to The White House, federal agencies to European Union member states, this course uses a series of modules, case studies and group exercises to understand how history has been, and can be, applied in meaningful ways to pressing policy questions; how to do so ethically and responsibly; and how to avoid pitfalls and shortcomings such as oversimplification, partisanship and misinformation and disinformation. Over the duration of the class, students will explore policymaking through a historical lens, engage in group reading and discussion exercises, and hear from an array of expert practitioners on how to formulate better national, regional and local policy agendas by utilizing historical thinking, historical sources, and historical research skills.
PAI 700/PSC 759| Challenges in Crisis and Disaster Management | Instructor TBD
Crises and disasters are unwelcome but also unavoidable features of modern society. They can emerge within any domain, may be of human or of natural origin, and can last anywhere from hours, to days, to months and beyond. While sometimes the crisis itself is the undoing of an organization or society, it is the way that we respond to crises that often makes the difference between catastrophe and resilience. This course will examine the dynamics and processes that occur as policymakers, public administrators, first responders, and citizens work to cope with crisis and disaster situations. We will identify the reasons why crises and disasters are so difficult to deal with as well as identify skills and practices that have proven to be effective in forecasting, preparing for, managing, communicating about, and learning from crises. A wide range of crises will be examined across the course including: humanitarian emergencies, terrorism, natural disasters, industrial accidents, financial crises, and foreign policy dilemmas. The workshop is dynamic, offering a combination of seminars, group exercises, and site visits. The course will be led by specialists and practitioners in the field.
PAI 700 | Current Policy Issues in US-Latin American Relations | Philip French
This seminar in Washington introduces students to the contemporary relationship between the U.S. and Latin America, offering the opportunity to discuss US policy in the region with current and former government officials, scholars, and non-governmental organization representatives. Beginning with an historical foundation from assigned readings, class lectures and discussions will focus on current policy issues: Is U.S. policy interventionist or neglectful? How are current populist trends different than those of the 20th century? How do U.S. narcotics, terrorism, trade and immigration policies shape relations with Mexico and Latin America’s perception of the U.S. under the current administration? What can/should the U.S. do to promote stability in Venezuela, or security and prosperity in Bolivia, Haiti, and Central America? What are China’s interests in the region, and how should the U.S. respond? Can the region escape the boom-and-bust cycle of commodity-based economies? Students will discuss and challenge common approaches and assumptions, address major themes and current events, and explore possible responses to social and political change.
PAI 708 | Issues in Public Diplomacy | Shawn Powers
This course will provide a deep dive into the origins of information statecraft and explore case studies to provide a detailed understanding of the scope, sophistication, and significance of the geopolitics of information. Building on key theoretical models, including markets for loyalties, networks, and game theory, this course will provide an analytic framework for understanding the range of information statecraft activities, as well as the key variables likely to influence the success or failure of a public diplomacy campaign or program. Monitoring and evaluation techniques and best practices will also be covered, as well as the foundations of digital analytics and metrics. Classes will feature occasional guest speakers from the State Department, the Department of Defense, and the NGO community. At the end of the course, students will be subject matter experts on public diplomacy and global media strategy, the information statecraft toolkit, and the significance of these tools and tactics in international affairs.
PAI 715 | Politics, Power, and Global Sport| Jeff Gonda
This seminar explores the intersections of sports, politics, and society in an international context. Combining examinations of contemporary topics and historical case studies, the course addresses the enduring and complex links between sport and major issues in global affairs including cultural diplomacy, nationalism, and human rights.
PAI 715 | Strategic Foresight for International Relations | James-Christian Blockwood
This course will provide graduate students with a structured approach to thinking about the future of the international environment. It is a foundation in qualitative foresight methodologies with direct application to national or organizational strategic planning. It also provides a tour du horizon of the global trends shaping the world 10-20 years into the future and beyond. Through real-world case studies and classroom exercises, the course exposes students to the practical application of foresight methodologies to policymaking and resource decision-making. These methodologies are routinely used by strategic planners in leading global intelligence organizations, national security ministries, multinational corporations, and non-governmental organizations. Strategic foresight is an under-appreciated “hard” international relations skillset, particularly useful in navigating the profound global transitions underway that affect risk and competitiveness for countries, companies, and individuals.
PAI 730 | Central Challenges in National Security Law and Policy | James Baker
Using case studies, this course examines critically the hardest U.S. national security law and policy challenges of the decades ahead. Cases range from decisions to intervene and what laws apply if the US intervenes in humanitarian crises, insurrections, or civil wars, and what laws should govern when we are involved; the Arab Spring; dealing with Iran and North Korea related to nuclear weapons; anticipating and controlling new technologies in warfare and surveillance; managing civil/military relations in protecting the homeland; countering the cyber threats to our infrastructure and cyber-attacks waged by nation states, such as China and Russia; managing public health as a national security issue; and resource depletion and global warming as a national security issue. Students will learn to integrate legal and policy analyses and will gain lessons in how policy is made and implemented with significant legal guidance.
PAI 771 | Public Management of Technological Development | Sean O'Keefe
This course provides a survey of major public policy influences on the formulation and implementation of commercial technology and innovation strategies including regulation, public financing, grants, and other support managed by public agencies. Students will consider drivers of productivity enhancement and improved service delivery as well as imperatives for innovation change as well as how public policy and public management practices can either facilitate or deter market incentives to achieve the objectives. For aspiring business managers and technical professionals in engineering or information systems, this course will provide a perspective of the applications of public policy and public management practices and will offer constructive avenues on how government actions on behalf of the public may be anticipated.African Conflicts: Causes and Consequences | Michael Shurkin
This course will be an overview of security issues from African and global perspectives. The course will begin with a historical look at colonial powers in Africa, the dynamics of the Cold War and how it shaped the wars of decolonization and the establishment of African liberation movements. The course will then address the fate of the post-colonial states and the emergence of US security assistance after the end of the Cold War as well as the emergence of transnational threats in the region.
PAI 715 | China's Challenge to the Global Order | Robert Daly
This master’s seminar focuses on contemporary challenges to the global order posed by China’s growing economic and political power. The course charts China’s reform and opening, its development and integration into the global economy, and the challenges created for Western economic and security institutions and alliances. Specific topic areas covered include China’s non-market status and trade conflict, competition for technological leadership, ICT governance and standard setting, the Belt and Road Initiative, and the implications of China’s South China Sea activity. The course will combine extensive background readings, lectures, and discussion. Students will benefit from frequent guest lectures and discussions with experts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
PAI 715 | Climate Change, Security, and Global Development | Melinda Kimble
This course will consider climate change as a “risk amplifier” and a national security challenge especially given its impact on food security, water access, and community displacement. Additionally, students will consider how great power competition and even the hard science of climate change may impact national security policy. Finally, students will examine how planetary changes require transforming the energy sector, redesigning our infrastructure, economic and political systems and how local, national, and international governance might respond to the profound changes ahead.
PAI 715 | From Fragility to Resilience: New Approaches to Global Development | Erol Yayboke & Sara Reckless
While some countries move up the development ladder on the way to greater economic growth and stability, others struggle with cyclical fragility and the negative repercussions that come with it. The path from fragility to resilience is rarely linear, requiring a mix of security, stabilization, humanitarian aid, and development assistance. This course will look at causes of fragility and examine the non-kinetic tools deployed in fragile states, especially their utility and effectiveness in specific country and regional cases. Primarily discussion-based, the course will also include regular guest speakers who are regional experts and/or practitioners.
PAI 715 | The Frontier of Finance: Digital Currencies, Security, & Development| Bejoy DasGupta
This course will focus on how the global financial revolution underway, the Fintech revolution, can help lead to sustained, inclusive and strong growth and enhance security, as elaborated in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The course will explore cutting edge themes at the intersection of finance, technology, policy, development, and security, as well as cross-border dimensions to include the challenges posed by Cryptocurrencies. It will not be narrowly focused on technology, and is appropriate for students pursuing development, economic and security fields.
PAI 715 | Politics, Power, and Global Sport| Jeff Gonda
This seminar explores the intersections of sports, politics, and society in an international context. Combining examinations of contemporary topics and historical case studies, the course addresses the enduring and complex links between sport and major issues in global affairs including cultural diplomacy, nationalism, and human rights.
PAI 715 | Strategic Foresight for International Relations | James-Christian Blockwood
This course will provide graduate students with a structured approach to thinking about the future of the international environment. It is a foundation in qualitative foresight methodologies with direct application to national or organizational strategic planning. It also provides a tour du horizon of the global trends shaping the world 10-20 years into the future and beyond. Through real-world case studies and classroom exercises, the course exposes students to the practical application of foresight methodologies to policymaking and resource decision-making. These methodologies are routinely used by strategic planners in leading global intelligence organizations, national security ministries, multinational corporations, and non-governmental organizations. Strategic foresight is an under-appreciated “hard” international relations skillset, particularly useful in navigating the profound global transitions underway that affect risk and competitiveness for countries, companies, and individuals.
PAI 715 | International Trade & Economic Negotiation | Paul Fekete and Bennett Caplan
This course looks at a variety of different types of negotiations concerning economic issues, including multilateral trade and investment negotiations, bi- and pluri- lateral trade negotiations, and negotiations aimed at the settlement of specific disputes. We will discuss the influence of domestic politics, and the role of international organizations and non-governmental stakeholders such as NGOs, labor, multinational corporations, and domestic interest groups. The course is particularly useful for those considering careers in international trade, business, markets and finance.
PAI 730 | Central Challenges in National Security Law and Policy | James Baker
Using case studies, this course examines critically the hardest U.S. national security law and policy challenges of the decades ahead. Cases range from decisions to intervene and what laws apply if the US intervenes in humanitarian crises, insurrections, or civil wars, and what laws should govern when we are involved; the Arab Spring; dealing with Iran and North Korea related to nuclear weapons; anticipating and controlling new technologies in warfare and surveillance; managing civil/military relations in protecting the homeland; countering the cyber threats to our infrastructure and cyber-attacks waged by nation states, such as China and Russia; managing public health as a national security issue; and resource depletion and global warming as a national security issue. Students will learn to integrate legal and policy analyses and will gain lessons in how policy is made and implemented with significant legal guidance.
PAI 771 | Public Management of Technological Development | Sean O'Keefe
This course provides a survey of major public policy influences on the formulation and implementation of commercial technology and innovation strategies including regulation, public financing, grants, and other support managed by public agencies. Students will consider drivers of productivity enhancement and improved service delivery as well as imperatives for innovation change as well as how public policy and public management practices can either facilitate or deter market incentives to achieve the objectives. For aspiring business managers and technical professionals in engineering or information systems, this course will provide a perspective of the applications of public policy and public management practices and will offer constructive avenues on how government actions on behalf of the public may be anticipated.
PSC 786 | Russian and Post-Soviet Politics | Brian Taylor
This course is a graduate-level survey of the major issues in contemporary politics in the post-Soviet region in general, and Russia in particular. The seminar will very briefly examine the pre-Soviet and Soviet period, but the primary focus of the course is on developments since 1991. Topics to be examined include the Soviet collapse and transition, the nature of Putinism as a political and economic system, and Russian foreign and security policy, including US-Russian relations and the Russo-Ukraine War. We will meet with multiple guests from the DC area community of Russia and Ukraine scholars and practitioners.
Hybrid / Online
PAI 738 | US Intelligence Community: Governance and Practice | Robert Murrett
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