International Security

POLS 4610- Fall 2016

International Security

Dr. Shaimaa Magued

HUSS 2026

Ext. 1935

Sundays and Wdnesdays: 2-3:25 pm

Office hours: Sundays 12-2 and Wednesdays 3:30-4 pm or by appointment

This course focuses on international security, a subfield of International Relations, to provide you a broad and general overview about the different issues that influence world politics. It addresses international security through three main sections: the historical background of concepts related to security, theoretical approaches and major issues underlining international security in practice.

Course Content, Objectives and Duties (in class activities and readings)

CONTENT / OBJECTIVES / DUTIES
1. Introductory Class (Sept. 4th)
2. Historical Roots of the notions of war, peace, power and morality

Warin Ancient Greece (Sept. 7th)

Reading: Lebow, R. N. (2007). Thucydides and deterrence. Security Studies, 16(2), 163-188. doi:10.1080/09636410701399440

The notion of peace in the Christian thought: St. Augustine's (Sept. 18th)

Reading: Kaplan, R. D. (2013). Augustine's world. Foreign Policy, (203), 16.

The notion of power from an Islamic perspective: Ibn Khaldun's assabiyya (Sept. 21st)

Reading:Kayapınar, M. A. (2008). Ibn khaldun's concept of assabiyya: An alternative tool for understanding long-term politics. Asian Journal of Social Science, 36(3-4), 375-407. doi:10.1163/156853108X327010

Morality in International Affairs

Reading:Williams, B. (1923). State morality in international relations. The American Political Science Review, 17(1), 17-33. doi:10.2307/1943790 / -Develop a broad vision about the main concepts related to international security
-Define what is international security and learn about its relevance nowadays in the IR discipline and in practice
-Define the concepts of war, peace, power and morality
- Identify their historical and philosophical origins / - Read the syllabus carefully and listen to the instructor's explanation and elaboration on it
-Read and provide your comments on one of Thucydides's quotes to your colleagues and instructor
-Follow a powerpoint presentation about Thucydides's conception of war
-Based on what you understood from the lecture, discuss the concept of war in relation to a current issue of contention in the Middle East
-How does this lecture help you to better analyze the Israeli war on Gaza?
- Pick up an example of a peace treaty that seems the most relevant and important to you
- Listen to the instructor's lecture aboutSt. Augustine's views about peace
- Based on what you heard and read, discuss the treaty you picked up with your colleagues and instructor
- How does this lecture contribute to your understanding of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty?
- Analyse with your colleagues in a group of 4-5 Ibn Khaldun's vision of power
- Read selected extracts about the notion of power as conceived by Ibn Khaldun
- Criticize what you read with your group and share it with your colleagues and instructor
- How does Ibn Khaldun's conception of power helps you to better understand power dynamics in the UN Security Council?
- Present a short analysis of the reading within a group of 4 or 5
- Listen to a lecture about morality in international affairs
- Write down the most important ideas you grasped from the lecture and share it with your colleagues and instructor
-How is morality relevant to you in understanding the Turkish caravan to Gaza?
2. Different approaches towards security studies

Realism and International Security (Sept. 28th)

Reading: Glaser, C. (2013). Realism. In Alan Collins (ed.) Comtemporary Security Studies (third edition, pp.13-27). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Liberalism and International Security (Oct. 2nd)

Reading: Morgan, P. (2013). Liberalism. In Alan Collins (ed.) Comtemporary Security Studies (third edition, pp. 28-41). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Constructivism and International Security (Oct. 6th)

Reading:Agius, C. (2013). Social Constructivism. In Alan Collins (ed.) Comtemporary Security Studies (third edition, pp. 87-103). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Peace Studies (Oct. 9th)

Reading: Rogers, P. (2013). Peace Studies. In Alan Collins (ed.) Comtemporary Security Studies (third edition, pp. 54-65). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Critical Security Studies (Oct. 12th)

Reading: Mutimer, D. (2013). Critical Security Studies: A Schismatic History. In Alan Collins (ed.) Comtemporary Security Studies (third edition, pp. 67-86). Oxford: Oxford University Press. / - Compare between the different IR theories and approaches towards international security
-Clarify the influence of these schools/approaches on the evolution of the notion of war, peace, power and morality / -Give an example of an international crisis based on a personal experience or observation
- Listen to a lecture about Realism and its conception of security
- Write down an individual short note telling your opinion about one of the discussed realist views
-How does Realism contribute to your understanding of security dilemmain the Middle East?
- Pick up a quote and discuss it in a group and then share it with your colleagues and instructor
- Listen to a short documentary about liberalism
- Discuss with your colleagues and instructor the main ideas you listened to in the documentary
- To what extent you see that liberalism helps in approaching interstate conflicts (e.g. border issues between the Emirates/Bahrain and Iran?
- Provide a short analysis of Alexander Wendt's thoughts based on your reading
- Listen to a lecture about Constructivism
- Apply what you learnt on a case of your choice and present it to your colleagues
- How does constructivism help you in understanding the Second Gulf war in the 1990's
- Pick up a keyword that is the most relevant to security from your point of view and justify your choice to your colleagues and instructor
- Link between your chosen keyword and your reading through a discussion with the instructor
- Identify how war, peace, power and morality interrelate in this approach based on your reading and the discussion
- How would this approach contribute to your understanding of civil wars like the case of Yemen and/or Syria?
- Criticize a war or peace treaty event and share your views with your instructor and colleagues
- Listen to a lecture about critical security studies
- Analyze the same war or peace treaty event in light of what you read
- How do critical security studies help you in reconsidering issues like territorial integrity in the Egyptian foreign policy?

Just War Theory (Oct. 16th)

Reading: ElShtain, J. (1992). Epilogue: Continuing Implications of the Just War Tradition. Jean Bethke ElShtain (ed.), Just War Theory (pp. 323-333). New York: New York University Press.
Oct. 19th: Group Presentations applying one of these approaches on Turkey / - Discuss with your colleagues and instructor the main criteria of a just war based on your readings
- Listen to a lecture about the just war theory
- Based on the lecture, apply what you learnt on a case that does or doesn't represent a just war for you
- What new does the just war theory add to your understanding of the War of Palestine Liberation in 1948?
Each group of 4 or 5 will make a 15 min presentation applying any of these approaches on Turkey
3. Major Security Issues

The Decline of Nation-State (Oct. 23rd)

Reading:Pilbeam, B. (2015). New Wars, Globalization and failed states. Peter Hough, Shahin Malik, Andrew Moran and Bruce Pilbeam (eds.). International Security Studies. Theory and Practice (pp.104-119). New York: Routledge.

Non-state Actors and International Security (Oct. 26th)

Reading: Cilluffo, F., Cozzens, J. and Ranstorp, M. (2010). Foreign Fighters, Trends, Trajectories and Conflict Zones. George Washington University: Homeland Security Policy Institute.
Nov. 2nd: exam on the section related to IR approaches towards international security

Human Rights: Refugees and Illegal Migration (Nov. 6th)

Reading: Larking, E. (2014). Refugees and the myth of human rights: life outside the pale of the law. Vermont: Ashgate (pp. 137-151)

Security and Responsibility to Protect (Nov. 9th)

Reading: Roberts, A. (1999). NATO's Humanitarian War over Kosovo. Survival, vol. 41, no.3, pp.102-123.

Private Security Companies (Nov. 13th)

Reading: Pilbeam, B. (2015). The Rise of Private Military and Security Companies. Peter Hough, Shahin Malik, Andrew Moran and Bruce Pilbeam (eds.). International Security Studies. Theory and Practice (pp. 191-209). New York: Routledge.
Nov. 16th: Group presentations of a case study illustrating one of the major issues discussed in class

Nuclear Proliferation (Nov. 20th)

Reading: Moran, A. (2015). Nuclear Proliferation. Peter Hough, Shahin Malik, Andrew Moran and Bruce Pilbeam (eds.). International Security Studies. Theory and Practice (pp. 119-133). New York: Routledge.

Environmental Security (Nov. 23rd)

Reading: Hough, P. (2015). Environmental Security. In Peter Hough, Shahin Malik, Andrew Moran and Bruce Pilbeam (eds.). International Security Studies. Theory and Practice (pp. 211-255). New York: Routledge.

Regional Security (Nov. 27th)

Reading: Acharya, A. (2004). Regional Security Complexes in a Third World: Stability and Collaboration:

Gender issues (Nov. 30th)

Reading: Cohn, C. (2012). Women and Wars: Towards a Conceptual Framework. In Carol Cohn (ed.) Women and Wars: Contested Histories, Uncertain Futures (pp. 32-67), Hoboken: Wiley.

Political Economy and International Security (Dec. 4th)

Reading:
Palan, R. and Petersen, H. (2015). International Political Economy: Conceptual
Affinities and Substantive Differences with Security
Studies. In Bourbeau, Philip (Ed). Security Dialogue
Across Disciplines, Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
K. National Instabilities and International Security (Dec. 7th)
Reading:Mansfield, D. and Snyder, J. (2202). Incomplete Democratization and the Outbreak of Military Disputes, International Studies Quarterly, Vol. 46, pp. 529-549. / - Identify the main isues and security challenges on the international level
-Determine the interplay of war, peace, power and morality in the different international security challenges / - Mention an aspect that expresses the decline of nation-state based on the reading
- Listen to a lecture about the decline of nation-state
- Discuss what you heard in the lecture and read with your colleagues and instructor
-How does the decline of nation-state have an impact on security in Lebanon?
- Pick up an event or major security incident that illustrates in your point of view non-state actors' influence on security
- Watch a short video about a case of non-state actor
- Discuss the documentary with your colleagues and instructor based on your reading
- How do non-state actors contribute to the reformulation of states' foreign policy nowadays: the case of Turkey's foreign policy.
- Comment on a picture that will be displayed through powerpoint based on your reading
- Watch a documentary about refugees and illegal migration
- Make a simulation presenting the case of an illegal migrant/refugee asking for asylum VS. state of origin authority and state of reception
- How does the issue of refugees and illegal migration affect Euro-mediterranean relations?
- Pick up a note and mention what you know about the word written in the note based on your reading
- Listen to a lecture about security and responsibility to protect
- Based on your reading and the lecture, discuss a case illustrating responsibility to protect
- How do you relate the notion of responsibility to protect with the case of Syria?
- Provide comments on how private companies have an impact on international security based on your readings
- Read cases of privates companies
- Discuss how relevant these cases are for international security
- How would the issue of private companies relate to security based on your understanding of the US war on Iraq?
Apply one of the aforementionned topics on Egypt and present it in a group of 4-5
- Discuss with your colleagues and instructor the concept of nulcear proliferation based on your reading
- Listen to a lecture about Nuclear proliferation
- Make a simulation illustrating the different international actors' position towards the Iranian nuclear project
- To what extent does nuclear proliferation contribute to regional in/security in the Middle East, from your point of you based on the example of the Israeli nuclear project?
- Provide comments on the reading you had about environmental security
-Watch a documentary about environmental security
-Discuss the documentary based on your readings with your instructor and colleagues
-How does environmental security shape your perception about security in the Middle East?
-Based on your reading, explain the relation between regional and international security
-Listen to a lecture about regional security
- Pick up a case of regional conflict/cooperation scheme and discuss it within a group and then present it to your colleagues and instructor
-How does this concept help you in approaching the Arab energy embargo imposed on the West during the war of 1973?
- pick up a note giving an example of a gender issue and discuss it with colleagues and instructor based on your reading
- Listen to a lecture about gender issues in international security
- Work on the same examples within a groupand indicate their impact on international security
-How does gender issues influence ongoing conflicts in the Middle East like Syria/Yemen?
-Based on your readings, identify how political economy would relate to international security
- Read selected extracts about political economy and international security
-Discuss with your colleagues and instructor a case illustrating the impact of political economy on international security
-What is the relation between the WTO policies and international security?
- Based on your reading, what is the relationship between national instabilities and international security
- Watch a documentary about regimes transformation after the end of Cold War
-Discuss the documentary with your colleagues and instructor
-How would you relate between Arab spring and international security?
Dec. 11th: Group presentation on a case study illustrating one of the addressed issues of international security / Apply one of the topics discussed above on Saudi Arabia
Dec. 14th: Conclusion/recap

Dec. 17-22: Final exam

P.S.: you must register on Blackboard portal of the course where you will find: a copy of the syllabus, the readings and lecture slides in addition to urgent and non-urgent notices to the class.

ASSESSMENT

Mid-term exam (25%)

Three group presentations (25%)

One research paper (25%)due to Nov. 30th. It is expected to be around 2000-2500 words about a topic related to international security.

Final exam (25%)- The final exam will cover everything addressed by the lectures and the readings.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

-Students are expected to attend the classes, read the assigned material for each class and participate in activities and discussions.

-Students should be punctual (no late arrivals more than 10 minutes and no early leaves).

-Unjustified absence for more than 7 classes will lead to an F grade.

-Laptops and mobile phones are not allowed in class.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

-It is expected that all AUC students are familiar with the AUC code of practice on academic integrity which is available at:

-Please pay attention to the regulations on plagiarism, collaborative work and falsification of signatures. Any breach of the code of practice will be acted upon promptly and firmly resulting in at least zero marks for the research paper in question and possibly further actions.

ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND INTELLECTUAL INTERACTION

Feel free to express your opinion with regard to the class discussions, topics, materials and the instructor provided thatit is based on documented evidence, voiced out im a respectful manner and sensitive to differences in abilities, religion, ethnicities, gender and lifestyle.