Natl Sec Pol: Strat/Dec Making

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

The wave of change and transition overtaking the global strategic environment remains breathtaking. This environment and these changes are exponentially accelerated and impacted by the diffusion of highly consequential technologies and the resultant de-centralization of the control of information. As a result, this strategic environment presents unique challenges in defining what is meant by “national security” and determining what are suitable national security policies. The challenges for the U.S. are acute given its unique role in the world; a new Administration will importantly take new approaches to shape and implement its vision for U.S. national security. We can expect continuing re-examination of the post-World War II domestic security reflected in the current configuration of U.S. government Departments and Agencies. With respect to the U.S., its leadership – and actions – since 1991 raises profound questions about the current global order and what is a realistic role for the U.S. in the future. The post-Cold War world remains more sharply defined by multi-polarity and a re-examination of the strength of the nation-state model (and the underlying multi-lateral governance frameworks in place since the end of World War II) than at any other time since 1990. This context makes understanding long-standing (and stressed) fundamentals, mechanics, and workings of the current U.S. interagency system vital for national security professionals. Implementing and operationalizing national security policy now and in the future will be further complicated by knowing how to define what is truly a national security challenge to the U.S. and how to prioritize efforts to address those challenges. Contemporary examples of such challenges are plentiful: the Russian invasion of Ukraine; Chinese accelerating ambitions vis-à-vis Taiwan, expansion in the South China Sea and its increasing power projection and competition with the U.S.; countering Iranian “malign” influence and continued pursuit of a nuclear weapon; the intractable conflict between Israelis and Palestinians; Sunni extremist non-state actors (Al Qaeda, Al Shabbab, and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Syria); continuing political and ethnic instability across Africa; and the proliferation of capabilities with application to artificial intelligence, cyberweapons and weapons of mass destruction. With the above in mind, this course will focus on: (i) defining national security, understanding the theoretical underpinnings of national security, and reviewing the United States’ national security framework and processes; (ii) examining key national security issues over the past seventy years, reviewing the decision making processes in developing policies to address these issues, and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of those policies; and (iii) applying the course review of national security policy making processes and substantive national security areas of concern (historical and contemporary) into a written and practical exercise context. This course will place both bureaucratic mechanics and substantive issues into an operational framework that will enable students to understand and appreciate their implications for U.S. and international security, as well having the students consider tangibles ends, ways and means to address this evolving national security landscape.