105 Armory Office: 309 Dale Hall Tower
MWF 11:30-12:20 Office Hours: TuW 2:00-3:30
E-mail: briantaylor@ou.edu
Phone: 325-2023

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is an introduction to the foreign policy of the Russian Federation (Russia). The Russian Empire/the Soviet Union/Russia has been a major player in international politics for several centuries (and one with an annoying tendency to change the country's name periodically). International politics in the second half of the twentieth century was dominated by the Cold War competition between the Soviet Union and the United States. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia has faced the difficult task of accommodating itself to the loss of empire and its diminished power and status in the international system. This difficult transition has taken place against a backdrop of dramatic political and economic change at home.

The course is divided into three parts. In the first weeks of the course, we will discuss different theories used to explain foreign policy behavior -- theories that can be applied to all countries, including the United States and Russia. The second part is organized chronologically and covers the period up to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In this section we discuss Tsarist and Soviet foreign policy, with particular attention to the Cold War. The third part of the course is organized thematically and deals with some of the most important foreign policy challenges facing Russia today, and its relations with its neighbors and other important countries (including the US).

PREREQUISITES: PSc 1113 and Junior Standing.

READINGS

There are four required texts for this course, as well as a reading packet. The books, which are available from the usual outlets (University Bookstore Exchange, Sooner Textbooks, Boomer Textbooks, Ratcliffe Textbooks, etc.), are:

R. Craig Nation, Black Earth, Red Star (Cornell University Press, 1992).

Celeste A. Wallander (editor), The Sources of Russian Foreign Policy after the Cold War (Westview Press, 1996).

Robert Donaldson and Joseph Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia: Changing Systems, Enduring Interests (ME Sharpe, 1998).

Michael Mandelbaum (Editor), The New Russian Foreign Policy (Council on Foreign Relations, 1998).

The required course reader will be available for purchase at King Kopy, 108 E. Lindsey, on Wednesday, January 13.

The lectures and readings will be complementary, but the lectures will not simply repeat material from the readings. In other words, both readings and lectures are mandatory.
 

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

Regular attendance and participation in class is important. More than 3 unexcused absences will lower your attendance grade. Students should do the reading before class meets. There is a lot of reading in this class, so if you fall behind it will be very difficult to catch up. There will be several pop quizzes throughout the semester; these cannot be rescheduled. No extensions or make-ups will be allowed except for medical or family emergencies. Student absences are permitted in the case of religious holidays; you should see the instructor in advance. Grading for the class will be determined as follows:

Attendance, participation, and performance on quizzes 10%
Cold War Paper 20%
Policy Memo 20%
Midterm Exam 20%
Final Exam 30%
 

THE PAPER

The paper will be a brief (5-7 pg., double-spaced) examination of a specific Cold War crisis. The object of the paper will be to apply 2 of the theories of foreign policy from the first part of the course to a real-world event from the second part of the course. This is not an in-depth research paper. Students should be able to write this paper from material read in class and from the material available on 2 web-sites:

The Cold War International History Project http://cwihp.si.edu/default.htm
Particularly useful is their bulletin; this is also available at the library.

The CNN Cold War Special Web-Page
http://cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/

A useful set of links is also available at the Harvard Project on Cold War Studies web-page (http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hpcws/).

The completed paper is due March 22. Late papers will be graded down one full letter grade for each day that it is late. The paper is expected to be a scholarly paper, with all that the phrase entails: footnotes, bibliography, and a coherent structure. Papers must be typed or word-processed.

A list of topics, and more explicit instructions on sources and format, will be distributed in class at the beginning of Part II of the class.

THE POLICY MEMO

The second writing assignment will be a brief (3-5 pg, double-spaced) policy memo written to Russian President Boris Yeltsin from one of his advisers (i.e., you). The object of the memo will be to lay out for the President the issue, the relevant background, and a range of policy options, with recommendations. This assignment also should involve a minimum of research (and a maximum of creative thinking). Some research based on recent news developments may be helpful.

The completed memo is due April 26. Late memos will be graded down one full letter grade for each day that it is late.

A list of topics, and more explicit instructions on format, will be distributed in class at the beginning of Part III of the class.
 

ACCOMMODATION POLICY AND ACADEMIC HONESTY

Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible so we can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your educational opportunities.

Students are expected to read and abide by the Academic Misconduct Code, as printed in the Student Handbook. University rules against plagiarism will be enforced. The rules about plagiarism also apply to material found on the Internet. N.B.: I take this very seriously.
 

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

Midterm March 5

Paper March 22

Policy Memo April 26

Final May 5
 

COURSE SCHEDULE AND READINGS

N.B. Page numbers for articles from the reading packet refer to their page number in the original text.

PART I: INTRODUCTION AND THEORY: THE SOURCES OF FOREIGN POLICY

MON JAN 11: Introduction

WED JAN 13: The role of theory

FRI JAN 15: Realism
Readings:
Kenneth Waltz, "The Origins of War," excerpt from Man, The State, and War, pp. 8-18 (reader)
Hans Morgenthau, Politics Among Nations, pp. 3-13 (reader)

MON JAN 18: No class

WED JAN 20: Domestic Politics and Foreign Policy
Reading:
Joe Hagan, "Domestic Political Explanations in the Analysis of Foreign Policy," pp. 117-143 (reader)

FRI JAN 22: Bureaucratic Politics
Reading:
Morton Halperin and Arnold Kanter, "The Bureaucratic Perspective," pp. 397-425 (reader)

MON JAN 25: Individual Decision-Makers
Reading:
Jerel Rosati, "A Cognitive Approach to the Study of Foreign Policy," pp. 49-70 (reader)

WED JAN 27: Review of Theories
Reading:
Celeste Wallander, "The Sources of Russian Conduct," in Wallander, ed., Sources of Russian Foreign Policy, pp. 1-12
 

PART II: IMPERIAL RUSSIA AND THE SOVIET UNION

FRI JAN 29: Overview of Imperial Russian Foreign Policy
Reading:
Donaldson and Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia, pp. 1-17

MON FEB 1: Interpretations of Imperial Russian Foreign Policy
Readings:
Donaldson and Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia, pp. 17-22
Alfred Reiber, "Persistent Factors in Russian Foreign Policy," in Hugh Ragsdale, ed., Imperial Russian Foreign Policy, pp. 315-359 (reader)

WED FEB 3: World War I and The Russian Revolution
Readings:
Donaldson and Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia, pp. 23-39
Nation, Black Earth, Red Star, pp. 1-36
Lenin and Bukharin on the Brest-Litovsk Treaty, from A Documentary History of Communism, 4 pgs. (reader)

FRI FEB 5: The 1920s: Revolution or Status-Quo?
Readings:
Donaldson and Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia, pp. 39-44
Nation, Black Earth, Red Star, pp. 37-73

MON FEB 8: The 1930s: Stalin and the Approach of War
Readings:
Donaldson and Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia, pp. 45-52
Nation, Black Earth, Red Star, pp. 74-112
Stalin, "Those Who Fall Behind Get Beaten," February 1931, from A Documentary History of Communism, 3 pg. (reader)

WED FEB 10: World War II
Readings:
Donaldson and Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia, pp. 52-61
Nation, Black Earth, Red Star, pp. 113-157

FRI FEB 12: The Origins of the Cold War
Readings:
Donaldson and Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia, pp. 62-67
Nation, Black Earth, Red Star, pp. 158-201

MON FEB 15: The "X" Article and Containment
Reading:
X (George Kennan), The Sources of Soviet Conduct, Foreign Affairs, 1947 (reader)

WED FEB 17: New Evidence on the Origins of the Cold War
Readings:
Robert Tucker, "The Cold War in Stalin's Time," Diplomatic History, 1997, pp. 273-281
John Lewis Gaddis, "The Tragedy of Cold War History," Foreign Affairs, 1994, pp. 142-154 (reader)
Melyvn Leffler, "Inside Enemy Archives," Foreign Affairs, 1996, pp. 120-135 (reader)

FRI FEB 19: Khrushchev and "Peaceful Coexistence"
Readings:
Donaldson and Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia, pp. 67-81
Nation, Black Earth, Red Star, pp. 202-244
Khrushchev, "On Peaceful Coexistence," 1956, from A Documentary History of Communism, 4 pg. (reader)

MON FEB 22: The Cuban Missile Crisis
Readings:
Raymond Garthoff, "Some Observations on Using the Soviet Archives," Diplomatic History, 1997, pp. 243, 249-257
Khrushchev, "On the Cuban Missile Crisis," October 1962, from A Documentary History of Communism, 3 pg. (reader)

WED FEB 24: Brezhnev and Détente
Readings:
Donaldson and Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia, pp. 81-93
Nation, Black Earth, Red Star, pp. 245-284

FRI FEB 26: Gorbachev and the End of the Cold War
Readings:
Donaldson and Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia, pp. 93-107
Nation, Black Earth, Red Star, pp. 285-328
Gorbachev, "New Political Thinking," Perestroika, 1987, pp. 139-144 (reader)

MON MAR 1: Theory and the End of the Cold War
Reading:
Catch up!

WED MAR 3: Midterm Review

FRI MAR 5: MIDTERM

PART III: INDEPENDENT RUSSIA, 1992-1999

MON MAR 8: Setting the Stage
Reading:
Michael Mandelbaum, "Introduction," in Mandelbaum, The New Russian Foreign Policy, pp. 1-22

WED MAR 10: Russia's Strategic Situation
Readings:
Donaldson and Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia, pp. 108-111
Sherman Garnett, "Russia's Illusory Ambitions," Foreign Affairs, 1997, pp. 62-76 (reader)

FRI MAR 12: Russia's Foreign Policy Doctrine
Reading:
Donaldson and Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia, pp. 111-121
Leon Aron, "The Foreign Policy Doctrine of Postcommunist Russia and Its Domestic Context," in Mandelbaum, The New Russian Foreign Policy, pp. 23-63

MARCH 15-19: SPRING BREAK

MON MAR 22: PAPER DUE

MON MAR 22: Key Actors in the Foreign Policy Process
Reading:
Donaldson and Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia, pp. 121-154

WED MAR 24: Democratization and Foreign Policy
Reading:
Jack Snyder, "Democratization, War, and Nationalism in the Post-Communist States," in Wallander, ed., Sources of Russian Foreign Policy, pp. 21-40

FRI MAR 26: Democratization and Foreign Policy Reconsidered
Reading:
Michael McFaul, "A Precarious Peace," International Security, 1997, pp. 5-35 (reader)

MON MAR 29: Nationalism and National Interests
Reading:
Astrid Tuminez, "Russian Nationalism and the National Interest in Russian Foreign Policy," in Wallander, ed., The Sources of Russian Foreign Policy after the Cold War, pp. 41-68

WED MAR 31: National Identity and Foreign Policy
Reading:
James Richter, "Russian Foreign Policy and the Politics of National Identity," in Wallander, ed., The Sources of Russian Foreign Policy after the Cold War, pp. 69-93

FRI APR 2: Russian Identity and Diaspora Politics
Reading:
Ted Hopf, "Russian Identity and Foreign Policy in Estonia and Uzbekistan," in Wallander, ed., The Sources of Russian Foreign Policy after the Cold War, pp. 147-72

MON APR 5: Russian Policy in the "Near-Abroad"
Reading:
Donaldson and Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia, pp. 155-188

WED APR 7: Russian Policy in the Western "Near-Abroad"
Reading:
Sherman Garnett, "Europe's Crossroads," in Mandelbaum, The New Russian Foreign Policy, pp. 64-99

FRI APR 9: Russian Policy in the Southern "Near-Abroad"
Reading:
Rajan Menon, "After Empire," in Mandelbaum, The New Russian Foreign Policy, pp. 100-166

MON APR 12: Russia and the West
Reading:
Donaldson and Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia, pp. 189-232

WED APR 14: Russia and the West 2
Reading:
Coit Blacker, "Russia and the West," in Mandelbaum, The New Russian Foreign Policy, pp. 167-193

FRI APR 16: The Threat from the West?
Readings:
Bruce Porter, "Russia and Europe after the Cold War," in Wallander, ed., The Sources of Russian Foreign Policy after the Cold War, pp. 121-145
Selected op-eds on NATO Expansion (distributed in class)

MON APR 19: Nuclear Weapons
Reading:
Brian Taylor, Breaking the Disarmament Deadlock, 1998 (distributed in class)

WED APR 21: Russia and Asia
Readings:
Donaldson and Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia, pp. 233-254
Andrew Kuchins, "The Emerging Sino-Russian Strategic Partnership and Eurasian Security," PONARS Policy Memo, 1997, 5 pg. (reader)

FRI APR 23: Russia in the Middle East and the Third World
Reading:
Donaldson and Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia, pp. 254-282

MON APR 26: POLICY MEMO DUE

MON APR 26: Explaining Russian Foreign Policy: Theory and Evidence Revisited
Readings:
Donaldson and Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia, pp. 283-292
Celeste Wallander, "Ideas, Interests, and Institutions in Russian Foreign Policy," in Wallander, ed., The Sources of Russian Foreign Policy after the Cold War, pp. 207-218

WED APR 28: The Future of Russian Foreign Policy
Reading:
Catch up!

FRI APR 30: Final Exam Review

FINAL EXAM: WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 1:30-3:30