POL1026

The United States is the most powerful country in the world. This means that how the United States behaves in the world is hugely important. As a result, we should all try to better understand U.S. foreign policy: why the U.S. behaves in the way it does, how the U.S. should behave, and how it has behaved in the past. These are the questions that this class tackles. For example, we'll ask: why does the United States play such an active role in world politics? Might this change in the future and has the United States always behaved in this way? Why is the United States so often at war despite being so militarily powerful and secure? What role has race and racism played in key episodes of U.S. foreign policy? Does the rise of China pose a threat to the United States and if so, what should the United States do about it? Why does the United States care so much about stopping other countries from acquiring nuclear weapons? Should addressing climate change be a key priority of U.S. foreign policy and how should it be addressed?