PS 0500 (2017 Spring)

PS 0500: Introduction to World Politics
William Spaniel
Spring 2017
Lecture: Tu/Th 3:00-3:50 Langley A221
Recitation: As Scheduled
Office Hours: Tu 12:45-2:45 Posvar 4446
Email: williamspaniel@gmail.com
Syllabus
YouTube Playlist
Problem Set #1, Problem Set #2, Data Analysis #1, Data Analysis #2

International relations is the study of how states interact with each other. This course builds a working knowledge of our field, introducing the background, theoretical, and empirical tools necessary to understand international relations today. Students will learn about important findings in a variety of subfields, including war, international political economy, institutions, and nuclear proliferation. To do so, the course emphasizes readings from original research material rather than from a textbook. Further, students will solve problem sets and analyze common international relations datasets to obtain a working understanding of the discipline’s methodological foundations.

Announcements
The experiment (which is worth 1% of your overall grade) is now live. To take it, click here. Note that your participation earns you the 1%. You are not going for “right” or “wrong” answers, and there is no need to study for it in advance.

Topic 12: Intervention
Slides: Here

Readings: The Critical Barrier to Civil War Settlement, Pitfalls and Prospects in the Peacekeeping Literature

Lectures: Where Does Terrorism Fester?, Commitment Problems, Exploitation and Civil War Settlements, The Critical Barrier to Civil War Settlement

Topic 11: Terrorism
Slides: Here

Readings: The Strategies of Terrorism, Democracy, Foreign Policy, and Terrorism

Lectures: The Definition of Terrorism, Are Terrorists Rational?, The Frequency of Terrorism, The Profile of a Terrorist, Understanding Suicide Terrorism, Provocation and Terrorism

Topic 10: Nuclear Weapons
Slides: Here

Readings: Why Do States Build Nuclear Weapons? Three Models in Search of a Bomb, Winning with the Bomb

Lectures: Who Has Nuclear Weapons?, Mutually Assured Destruction, Is War Obsolete?, Nuclear Pessimism, Why Not Proliferate?, Covert Nuclear Programs, The Iraq War

Topic 9: The United Nations
Slides: Here

Readings: How Much Is a Seat on the Security Council Worth? Foreign Aid and Bribery at the United Nations

Lectures: The Organization, Veto Power, Insincere Voting, Bribery, Rally ‘Round the Flag Effects, Ideology in the General Assembly

Topic 8: International Institutions
Announcement: The second exam will be held on April 20, the date of the final regularly scheduled lecture. We will not meet on the university-scheduled final exam date.

Readings: The Rational Design of International Institutions, Controlling Institutions, Chapter 1

Slides: Here

Fun with Institutions: Fishing Nets, College Football Helmets

Lectures: Goods, Monitoring Institutions, Collective Action Problems, Hegemonic Provision of Public Goods, Issue Linkage

Topic 7: Economic Sanctions
Readings: Do Economic Sanctions Destabilize Leaders?, The Microfoundations of Economic Sanctions

Slides: Here

Lectures: Economic Sanctions Basics, Selection Problems, The TIES Database, Costly Signaling, Leaders and Sanctions

Topic 6: Leaders
Readings: International Conflict and the Tenure of Leaders: Is War Still Ex Post Inefficient?, Regime Type, the Fate of Leaders, and War

Slides: Here

Lecture: Principal-Agent Problems, Diversionary War, Gambling for Resurrection, Democratic Accountability, Leader Retirement, Fighting for Survival and Peace through Instability, Bargaining and Leaders, Pandering, Leaders and Uncertainty

Topic 5: The Democratic Peace Theory
Reading: The Logic of Political Survival (Chapter 1)

Slides: Here