Power & Progress in International Relations

To understand the current geopolitical competition between liberal democratic states and other global forces, we will try to integrate the insights from the realist logic of struggle for domination and security,the logic of power, with the logic of political development and modernization, the logic of progress. Historical and contemporary themes will include the origins of the modern states system, the rise of nationalism and democratization, the management of the global market economy, decolonization, human rights activism, changing norms for the use of force, and multiple paths to modernity. Prerequisite: Students should have taken (or be simultaneously taking) POLS V1601, Introduction to International Politics, or have the permission of the instructor.