The US in the World

(4 Credits)

This course examines the history of US foreign relations in global context, primarily from the 1890s to the present. It aims to provide historical understanding of the US position in today’s global arena, including debates around the nature of and challenges to US international ‘leadership’ or ‘hegemony.’ Themes include: the long-term ascendancy of the US as a global power; domestic sources of US power; the development of state apparatus and other institutions concerned with foreign policy and national security; the role of individual leaders; the uses of American power, including the role of military force, cultural influence and the shaping of international institutions; interventionism, war, and peacemaking; and the political and economic consequences of US foreign policy for the United States and other regions. The Cold War and its legacy receive substantial attention. The “global war on terror,” from 2001 to the present, will be discussed in broader historical perspective.