Axis, Alignment, or Illusion? Understanding Authoritarian Cooperation in the 21st Century

5 credits · Undergraduate

This course examines one of the central strategic questions facing policymakers today: are China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea forming a durable geopolitical bloc capable of challenging the existing international order, or are analysts overstating a loose collection of opportunistic partnerships? Drawing on history, international relations theory, contemporary policy debates, and insights from practitioners across Washington, students will evaluate competing explanations for growing cooperation among these four states. The course explores the military, economic, technological, diplomatic, and informational dimensions of their relationships while assessing the limits, contradictions, and vulnerabilities that may constrain deeper coordination. Through lectures, guest speakers, case studies, and a culminating policy exercise, students will examine whether traditional concepts such as alliances, spheres of influence, and Cold War competition remain useful for understanding today's geopolitical environment. The course ultimately asks how the United States and its allies should respond to a world increasingly shaped by overlapping authoritarian partnerships and intensifying great-power competition. This course is offered in Washington, DC for students in the SIW Program Only.