Courses

Using a series of case studies that jump off the front page, this course grapples with the hardest U.S. national security challenges of the decade ahead. They range from decisions about when to intervene in civil wars or participate in regime change, to preventing nuclear terrorism, the Arab Spring, preventing Iran from getting the bomb and pressuring North Korea to surrender its weapons. The course delves deeply into the problem of dealing with Afghanistan and Pakistan, and coping with the rise of China-while the endless cycle of leaks and press analysis complicates the process of developing sound policy and strategy. Students will learn to devise strategies and write strategic options memos as part of the policymaking process, all while balancing the need to communicate to major constituencies to sustain public support, while coping with a world where a pervasive press makes secrecy a luxury of the past.
Note: Offered jointly with the Kennedy School as IGA-211. Meets at the Kennedy School.