Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2021 - POL 349 D200

Selected Topics in International Relations (4)

NATO at the Crossroads

Class Number: 4862

Delivery Method: Remote

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 11 – Apr 16, 2021: Wed, 4:30–6:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Apr 22, 2021
    Thu, 11:59–11:59 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    Six lower division units in Political Science or permission of the department.

Description

COURSE DETAILS:

Course Description

This course is designed to provide an in-depth analysis of NATO’s regional policies. We will focus on the Eastern and Southern Flanks to evaluate the alliance’s cooperation efforts with non-member states and international organizations, and its crisis management to meet the new challenges in the contemporary regional security environment. The course is divided into two (unequal) parts to discuss the two key regions that present NATO with opportunities and challenges. We will focus on the Eastern flank (~60% of the course). This region is important because: 1) all the new members since 1999 and potential future members are all found here; 2) of NATO’s military intervention in Bosnia and Kosovo and its mission in these two countries; 3) Russia is contesting NATO’s presence and expansion; and 4) it’s a route of large scale migrations from the Middle East and Asia and a hub of transnational criminal activity.

After a brief course introduction to the origin of the NATO Alliance and how it has affected the behavior of states, we will discuss the organization’s Eastern expansion (former Communist states in Europe) and various cooperative programs such as the Partnership for Peace Program and Membership Action Plan (MAP). During this section, the anatomy and driving force of NATO enlargement are analyzed, as well as its consequences and relevance to its new members and applicant states. Then, we will examine NATO’s interventions in the Western Balkans and its post-conflict missions. We will conclude the study of the region by analyzing in-depth the challenges Russia poses to NATO in general, member states (from Albania to the Baltics), and Eastern Europe.

For the second part of the course, we will discuss and analyze NATO’s engagement to protect member states from the challenges arising in the South. NATO’s Southern flank faces the greatest dangers from transnational threats such as terrorism, drug gangs, human traffickers, large-scale migration, and weapons smugglers taking advantage of failed states or loosely governed areas in the Middle East and North Africa. We will examine these transnational threats facing NATO, including NATO’s intervention in Libya in 2011.

As a part of the course, students will run a wargame simulation of a Russian-Serbian hybrid intervention in Kosovo and NATO’s response to such an intervention.

Course Objectives

· Understand multidimensional threats from two regions (East and South) that influence the security of the Alliance and its members.

· Develop an advanced understanding of the processes of NATO enlargement in the East.

· Improve the knowledge and understanding of the potential new threats from non-state actors to the security of the Alliance.

· Explain NATO’s crisis management processes and tools in deterring and containing Russia.

· Identify various alternatives available to NATO to respond to a crisis by engaging in a wargame simulation.

· Analyze a regional security problem, to determine the issues at stake and the role of NATO in the management of conflicts.

· Learn about NATO’s interactions and cooperation with other international organizations (e.g. UN and EU) in the Western Balkans and the Mediterranean.

Learning Outcomes

In terms of skills, students should:

· Enhance the ability to think strategically and analyze critically core texts on NATO, strategic policymaking, and critical issues facing NATO

· Learn to carry out independent, in-depth research using a wide range of sources, appropriate referencing, and bibliographic methods

· Engage in meaningful class discussions/debates and demonstrate a level of proficiency/ familiarity with course material and contemporary issues related to NATO

· Learn to work effectively in diverse teams

· Demonstrate effective oral presentation skills

In terms of attitudes, students should develop in this course:

· critical attitudes, which are necessary for “life-long learning”

· an attitude of open-mindedness and self-critical reflection with a view to self-improvement

· sensibility towards the ethical dimensions of different aspects of the content of this course

· an open attitude towards inter-cultural teamwork

Grading

  • Participation/Discussion 15%
  • Policy Brief 10%
  • Exams (2) 50%
  • Wargame Simulation 25%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Various book chapters and policy papers will be uploaded to Canvas.

Department Undergraduate Notes:

The Department of Political Science strictly enforces a policy on plagiarism.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

TEACHING AT SFU IN SPRING 2021

Teaching at SFU in spring 2021 will be conducted primarily through remote methods. There will be in-person course components in a few exceptional cases where this is fundamental to the educational goals of the course. Such course components will be clearly identified at registration, as will course components that will be “live” (synchronous) vs. at your own pace (asynchronous). Enrollment acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes. To ensure you can access all course materials, we recommend you have access to a computer with a microphone and camera, and the internet. In some cases your instructor may use Zoom or other means requiring a camera and microphone to invigilate exams. If proctoring software will be used, this will be confirmed in the first week of class.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112).