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National Security Strategy

POLI 142J

Course materials, syllabi, and other resources.

| Course Mechanics | Lectures | Documents | Fun |

Course Mechanics

• Course Syllabus
• Schedule of Readings
• Midterm Examination: study guide, sample
• Final Examination: study guide, sample
• Essay: grading criteria, sample, and real world examples from the Policy Planning Staff and the CIA
• Course Grade Distributions: 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008,
• Course Evaluations: 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008
• Some pretty funny entries at ratemyprofessors.com
• Time-wasting but obligatory clips

The Lectures

I strongly advise you to come to class and take notes. I will provide you with (very helpful) lecture outlines in class. You will also find that reading on your own is one thing, and having someone point out the connections, place material in context, and draw contemporary comparisons is something else altogether. You will learn better by listening actively and then reading. Still, the following are fairly complete lectures. Do not print these until a few days after I give the corresponding lecture in class because I am quite likely to update these on the basis of feedback I receive.

Do not forget to consult the handy maps!

A. Coercive Diplomacy and Military Power
1. The Diplomacy of Strategic Coercion
2. Games and Information
3. Strategies in Extensive Form Games
4. Best Responses and Nash Equilibrium
5. Nash Equilibrium in Mixed Strategies
6. Credibile Moves and Perfect Equilibrium
7. Incomplete Information and Sequential Equilibrium
8. Revealing and Eliciting Information
9. Credible Commitments in Deterrence and Compellence

B. Evolution of US Strategic Doctrine
10. The Nature of the Soviet Union, 1917-1945
11. The Strategy of Containment
12. Sword and Shield, 1945-1950
13. Thermonuclear War and Nuclear Deterrence
14. Limited War and Korea, 1950-1953
15. The New Look, 1953-1960
16. Flexible Response, 1961-1968
17. The Cuban/Caribbean Missile Crisis, October 1962
18. The Vietnam War, 1954-1975
19. The Rise and Fall of Dètente, 1971-1980
20. Evil Empire, 1980-1991
21. New World Order, 1992-2000

C. Contemporary Topics
22. The U.S. Foreign Policy Process
23. The Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1916-1978
24. The Israeli Palestinian Conflict, 1964-2001

Documents and Supplementary Material

A few lists that you may need to refer to, plus a handful of helpful materials.

• Index of Documents
• Index of Maps
• National Security Aides
• Arms Control Agreements
• The Nuclear Club
• US National Security Strategy
• Moral Dilemmas

Decompression & Fun

• How war has happened through the ages, with excellent music by Kaizers Orchestra!
• One possible nuclear future