Spring 2023 - POL 349 D200
Selected Topics in International Relations (4)
Class Number: 6851
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Jan 4 – Apr 11, 2023: Wed, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
Burnaby -
Exam Times + Location:
Apr 16, 2023
Sun, 5:00–5:00 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Elis Vllasi
evllasi@sfu.ca
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Prerequisites:
Six lower division units in Political Science or permission of the department.
Description
COURSE DETAILS:
Selected Topic: NATO at the Crossroads: The Eastern and Southern Flanks
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.
Grading
- Participation/Discussion 25%
- Exams (2) 50%
- Wargame Simulation 25%
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
Various book chapters and policy papers will be uploaded to Canvas.
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
Department Undergraduate Notes:
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
SFU’s Academic Integrity website 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