Certificate in International Affairs

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Counterinsurgency: Practical Implementation and Future Applications

James Creighton / Chief Operating Officer, EastWest Institute The purpose of this class is to teach students the principles counterinsurgency operations as they are demonstrated in historical case studies; applied during recent operations; and projected in contemporary challenges.  Students will analyze counterinsurgency operations and understand the complex government, development and security considerations involved with defeating an insurgency and helping a legitimate government earn the respect of its people. The class will analyze past counterinsurgency efforts and apply the lessons to potential current and future situations. The class will use case study reviews, personal experience, lectures, oral presentations, written requirements and practical exercises in order to emphasize and reinforce lessons learned in counterinsurgency operations, analyze operational techniques, understand how to mitigate challenges and develop each student’s understanding of counterinsurgency operations.  At the end of the course, students will have analyzed counterinsurgency operations and will be able to recognize effective operations, develop plans to mitigate challenges and understand how to maximize the impact of the lives and national treasure committed to the effort.

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Democratic Decline and the New Authoritarianism

Elisabeth Zerofsky, The New Yorker “Illiberal democracy” is the catchphrase of the moment, as illiberal politics appear to be winning elections and delivering radical changes with increasing frequency around the world, from Poland and Hungary, to Israel and India, Brazil, Turkey, and of course, the United States. In this course we’ll explore “democratic backsliding” from a global perspective, what is meant by the term, what it looks like, and why it seems to be happening so widely right now. We’ll look at factors contributing to the rise of the far right, sources of support for illiberal politics, and whether this politics offers real solutions to actual problems. Some critics argue that the concept itself of “illiberal democracy” is an oxymoron. But therein lie some of the difficulties facing liberal societies: where and how do we draw a distinction between legitimate disputes among parties within a democratic community, and behaviors that damage, and potentially destroy, the system itself? Readings for this course will be interdisciplinary, drawing on critical texts on democratic erosion, from Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky, and Ivan Krastev and Stephen Holmes, as well as recent theoretical writings on democracy, its vulnerabilities, and limits, from Patrick Deneen and Roger Scruton, and journalistic works, such as those by Anne Applebaum and Isabel Wilkerson. We will examine case studies, and students will complete a final assignment that may be devoted to one such case study, an essay or journalistic piece, or another writing project to be determined with the instructor. An underlying line of inquiry in this class will be to consider whether (or not) we may be entering into a “post-liberal” era, and what that might mean for the future of the democratic institutions – the media, civil society, schools and universities, museums, the courts – within which many of us will seek to make our careers and our public lives.

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Ethics for a Connected World

Joel Rosenthal / President, Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs Thucydides punctuates his history of the Peloponnesian war with the quote of the Athenian generals, ‘The strong do what they will, the weak do what they must.’ In the twentieth century, this sentiment is echoed by the great realists, Hans Morganthau and Henry Kissinger, who argued that power and interest were the guideposts for foreign policy. What values guide us as we make choices about the use of force, resolving conflict, promoting human rights, encouraging democracy and participating in international organizations. This course will examine competing claims of morality, reason and power in contemporary international relations.

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Foreign Policy in the Time of the Internet

Elmira Bayrasli, Director, BGIA Foreign policy is among the things that the Internet has revolutionized. No longer is diplomacy confined to oak-paneled rooms and gilded corridors. This change, as New York Times reporter Mark Landler noted, “happened so fast that it left the foreign policy establishment gasping to catch up.” This course examines how foreign policy and international affairs are being shaped in the age of the Internet. The class is framed around the concepts of power and world order.

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Gender and the Politics of National Security

Chris McIntosh, Professor of Political Studies at Bard College This course will introduce students to major theories and issues concerning gender and international security affairs.  We will begin by examining the interdisciplinary literature on gender theory and applying its insights to international politics.  What does it mean to conduct a “gendered analysis” of global affairs?  How do gendered discourses produce our understanding of what is and is not understood as a national security problem?  Why has traditional security studies failed to incorporate gender into its analysis?  Then, we apply these theoretical frameworks to important security issues such as, the cultural effects of nuclear weapons, the targeting of civilians during armed conflict, sexual violence in war, torture and the war on terrorism, nationalism and the state, human security and development, and post-conflict societies, to name a few.  Throughout, the gendered nature of security issues will be explored from multi-disciplinary perspectives drawn from anthropology, sociology, philosophy, politics and rhetoric in order to highlight the complex interconnections among states, societies and individuals. Historical and contemporary case studies will be drawn from a number of countries across the globe.  In reexamining key concepts in the study of international politics—namely, sovereignty, the state and insecurity—this course has two goals.  First, to expose how gendered discourses of security that focus on the state render invisible a multitude of threats to individual security.  Second, to question the role of the state as a security provider by highlighting the insecurities individuals and societies experience as a consequence of state-centered national security policy.  

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Globalization, Finance, and Marginalization

Aniruddha Mitra, Professor, Bard College The object of this course is to explore the impact of globalization and the associated transformation of national economic policies on human rights, with special emphasis on the empowerment of women, the rights of labor, and the protection of ethnic minorities. In particular, we shall focus on the human rights impact of three key transnational flows that together comprise the economic face of globalization, namely, the movement of commodities across national boundaries or international trade; the movement of capital across borders in the form of foreign direct investment, portfolio investment, and remittances; and finally, the movement of human beings across national boundaries or international migration. For each of these flows, we shall interrogate the neoliberal notion that globalization will necessarily empower the marginalized, basing our exploration on both theoretical insights drawn from multiple disciplines and documented evidence.

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Health, Justice, and Epidemiology in a Connected World

Gabriel Perron, Bard College, Associate Professor of Biology The field of epidemiology has helped to shed new light on important public health crises that have shaped societies over the past century. Using real-life case studies, students will learn how epidemiologists identify the root causes of epidemics, even when these may be initially veiled by social constructs and long-standing prejudices. Examples may include the ongoing HIV/AIDS pandemic, which exposed discrimination based on race and sexual orientation in mainstream medical practices; and the 2011 E. coli global outbreak, which revealed the weaknesses and the inequalities of our food safety network. Students will also explore the need for more robust global strategies to act in the best interest of all human health in an increasingly connected world. In the process, students will learn how to access publicly available datasets and how to use simple statistical tools, which can also be applied to other quantitative fields and practices.

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Here and There: Writing on International Affairs

Adam Shatz, US Editor, The London Review of Books International reporting and writing has never been more urgent, yet it has seldom been more difficult. To report from “abroad” often means sitting at one’s desk speaking to someone on Zoom, which means that, for the foreseeable future, the evocation of place has run up against insurmountable obstacles—not to mention what it feels like to be in someone’s presence and to observe their behavior up close, another venerable feature of magazine writing. We have to use our imaginations, and therefore our words, in new ways. Perhaps in these obstacles lies an opportunity for rethinking what writing about other places might involve.
 
My title alludes to a documentary film that Jean-Luc Godard made in the aftermath of King Hussein’s expulsion of the Palestinian resistance in 1970: the events of Black September. Godard had visited the Palestinian camps in Jordan before their destruction and was planning to return to film them. Instead he made a film reflecting on the relationship between “here” (his home in Paris, but also the West), and “there” (the devastation he’d watched from his television screen, but also the “Third World”). “Here and there” is in no way the sole subject of the class. We will explore a multiplicity of subjects (the world, however interconnected, is also rich and various, after all). But the question of our relationship to our subject matter—matters of perspective, power, the cultural assumptions we bring, often unconsciously—is something we’ll keep in mind throughout our discussions. We always travel with ourselves, no matter where we go. 
           
This class is designed to introduce you to a vibrant array of international nonfiction writing: reporting, reflection, commentary, essays. (The reporting, I should add, won’t be the kind of daily news journalism that breaks stories, but rather long-form work, often of a more literary sensibility.) Some of the selections are classics, such as John Hersey’s report from Hiroshima, which appeared in the New Yorker in 1946, and James Baldwin’s “Equal in Paris,” from his 1955 book Notes of a Native Son. Most, however, are more recent examples of literary journalism that seek to depict and examine the shape of contemporary politics and society. All of them stand out for the seriousness with which they explore the subject at hand. You may have your quarrels with their arguments, and that’s a good thing: our class should be a place for open—but polite, and never personal—debate.

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Human Rights and the Economy

Peter Rosenblum / Professor of International Law and Human Rights, Bard College For decades, the human rights movement has embraced the 'indivisibility' of rights, recognizing that civil and political rights are equal and inextricably bound to economic and social rights. But economic issues in human rights remain contentious. Some scholars have accused the human rights movement of giving cover to the depredations of neoliberal globalization. Others, assail human rights for favoring a minimalist sufficiency over true economic equality. In any event, it is clear that the human rights movement has had a hard time figuring out how to 'do' economic and social rights. Nevertheless, the last decade has seen a burgeoning of creative and meaningful work that attacks economic harms and deploys economic research. This class will explore the complex interconnection of human rights and the economy. In addition to the theoretical and historical debates, the class will explore recent developments in relation to issues like health care, access to medicine, criminalization of poverty, monetizing of criminal justice, labor rights and the attack on inequality itself. For the exploration of current developments, the class will critically examine the work of activist organizations together with their researchers.

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Intelligence, Risk, and Decision Making

Giles Alston, Senior Associate, Oxford Analytica This course is essentially about the relationship between information, analysis, risk and decision makers. On one level, this means that it is about something you do yourself all the time -- but we will be looking specifically at how analysis is produced for those who work in both the public and the private sectors and face critical political, investment, or even humanitarian decisions. Concentrating on three crucial components – collection, analysis and communications – the goal is understand processes behind the production of good analysis and the ways in which it can be conveyed to decision makers. At the same time as studying some of the instances in which intelligence analysis has resulted in success -- and, because it tends to be more revealing, those where it has not -- we will be trying out some of the techniques involved in professional analysis, including writing, presentations, and team work, and looking at analysts working in the government, financial, and non-profit sectors. The intention is to offer an appreciation of what professional analysts do in an intelligence and political risk context, and how their work can feed into the conduct of international relations and international business.

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Issues in Global Public Health

Scott Rosenstein, Global Health Special Advisor, Eurasia Group; Dr. Theresa P. Castillo, Director of Women and Children’s Health Programs, HealthRight International This course provides a general overview of determinants of health in the developing world and principles within the field of global public health. It will include a review of some current and historical public health problems, such as tuberculosis, malaria, AIDS, small pox, maternal and infant mortality and reproductive health and rights, and the approaches used to understand and address them. Students will also examine the roles of a range of international organizations involved in global public health efforts, including local and international non-governmental organizations, multilateral agencies such as the WHO, UNAIDS, bilateral organizations like the CDC and USAID, governments and donor organizations. The course aims to convey an understanding of the complexity of health problems in developing countries, the impact of health on social and economic development, the contributions of various disciplines and analytical perspectives in decision-making about public health priorities, and the range of players that contribute to developing and implementing the programs to address them. The course will be structured primarily around a series of case studies of public health policies and practices around which there has been controversy or debate about the appropriate course of action. The case studies will include a major focus on HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health, and will examine such issues as quarantine, testing of new technologies on vulnerable populations, commitment of resources to treatment versus prevention, and the influence of conflicting "moralities" on public health program approaches. These debates will examine the tensions that sometimes arise between efforts to ensure public health and safety, while promoting health equity and rights. It will incorporate perspectives of stakeholders in the developing world, as well as scientists, policy makers and activists. The analysis and readings will draw from various disciplines, including epidemiology and medical anthropology.

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Multilateralism in Crisis? How International Institutions Can Better Manage Global Problems

Minh-Thu Pham, Lecturer, Princeton University For over 75 years, the United Nations, other international institutions, and their member governments have sought ways to maintain peace and security, manage global crises, defend human rights, advance justice, and support social and economic development. In more recent years, new actors including civil society, philanthropy, and the private sector have been engaged to bring new perspectives, broaden outreach, and improve program implementation. But recent crises have tested the ability of these institutions to manage change and develop solutions. The global coronavirus pandemic, climate change, inequality and injustice, the decline of democracies, rapid technological change, rising food and commodity prices, and increased refugee and migration flows—these global challenges require global solutions. Yet many wonder whether the United Nations and international institutions are up to the task. Amid the strain that these challenges already posed on global institutions and support for global cooperation, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has raised fundamental questions about their existence and continued legitimacy. This course aims to equip students with a better understanding of when and why global institutions work and what it takes to make global policy effective. We will examine the roles, responsibilities, and effectiveness of international institutions in helping to manage global crises, and how the Biden Administration, UN officials, or other decision-makers should respond. We will study successes and failures of multilateralism, whether the system is working the way it was designed to, and the role that governments, civil society, and others play in its effectiveness. At a time of increasing political division—both within societies and between powerful governments—what are our options for developing collective responses that are effective and uphold our values?

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National Security and Human Rights: Mass Surveillance, Torture, and Discrimination in the Post-9/11 Era

Jamil Dakwar, Director of American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) Human Rights Program The purpose of this course is to explore the spectrum of state responses to acts and threats of terrorism and understand the impact of counter-terrorism laws, policies, and practices on human rights. States frequently invoke national security concerns as a justification for policies that violate human rights. The course will explore how these concerns are framed, and to what end, as well as the ways in which counter-terrorism policies can threaten specific human rights, including but not limited to: the right to life; freedom from torture and arbitrary detention; the right to a fair trial; freedoms of association and expression; right to privacy, and the right to non-discrimination. At the conclusion of the course, students will have a deeper understanding of international law obligations that states must fully comply with while addressing national security concerns.

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Researching International Affairs: Models, Problems, and Approaches

James Ketterer / Director, International Academic Initiatives, Center for Civic Engagement & Senior Fellow, Institute of International Liberal Education, Bard College The central goal of this course is to enable students to both construct sound research designs and to have the ability to critique the research designs of others - and to apply those methods to topics of key concern in international affairs,including human rights, democratization, alliances, conflict, etc. This course will introduce a variety of methodological tools required for carrying out research in the field of international affairs and to the ongoing debates about methods and social science. This is not a lecture course. It is designed to be a methods workshop in which we will be reading about a variety of issues important to social science research, discussing them, applying them to real-world situations, constructing your own research designs, and critiquing those of your peers. In addition, we will also examine real-world examples in the Middle East, Africa and other regions.

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Technology, Security, and the Future of War

Lionel Beehner This course examines how technology is reshaping the international security environment and the future of war. With the advent of the information age,and with new technologies such as AI or the role of machines or unmanned drones transforming military doctrine and norms on the use of force, theories of international politics are struggling to keep up with the pace of innovation and technological change. Using an interdisciplinary approach that combines history, theory, and practice, this course aims to advance students’ conceptual understanding of how technologies influence national security decision-making and military innovation. From the invention of the crossbow to the AK-47 to the rollout of 5G, what role do technologies play in leaders’ decisions over the use of force?  In an era of information and cyberwarfare, how are new technologies reshaping (or undermining) traditional strategies of deterrence? What are the risks and challenges of the current information age and how are they different from previous ones, like the industrial era of the Concert of Europe or the nuclear age of the Cold War? Finally, in what ways are bio, nano and other non-digital technologies shaping peace, security, and the future of war?

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The Development of the United Nations System

Ambassador Joseph Melrose / Former Acting United States Representative for Management and Reform at the United Nations; former United States Ambassador to Sierra Leone This course introduces students to the United Nations (UN) and its historical role in maintaining international peace and security. It will begin by looking at the origins, history and evolution of the organization, and of the UN system more broadly. Starting with an analysis of the founding of the League of Nations, its work during the inter-war period and the reasons for its eventual failure, the course will then trace the evolution of the League of Nations into the United Nations. We will study the UN Charter and its provisions for the maintenance of peace and security, and will compare and contrast the UN’s charter with that of its predecessor. An examination of the UN’s organizational structure and the evolution and key functions of its main organs will follow, and we will also touch upon the work of its agencies and their relevance for global security. The course will then turn to a comprehensive analysis of the UN’s efforts to maintain international peace and security over the course of the past six decades, and will focus on the UN’s work in the following areas: disarmament; the peaceful settlement of disputes and conflict prevention; peacekeeping operations; sanctions; peace enforcement; humanitarian intervention; post-conflict peacebuilding; territorial administration; and terrorism. To conclude, we will turn to UN reform and investigate whether the UN can be reformed effectively. The course will address a broad range of theoretical and practical questions, including the following: Whose interests does the UN really serve? What is the UN’s record on conflict prevention, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding? What is the nature of the UN-US relationship, and why has it been strained over the years?

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Towards Dismantling Global Racism

Benjamin Abtan, Founder and CEO of Toward Antiracism Now Since the killing of George Floyd in May 2020, a reckoning on racism has been taking place, in the US and around the world. In America, the role of racism is primarily examined with a focus on the enduring effects of slavery, and rarely is it explored within a larger global context, despite its international roots. It should come as no surprise that one cannot fully understand how racism operates nor dismantle it without examining its global nature, getting to know the origins it has in diverse cultures and how it impacts various communities and societies around the world. Countless companies, institutions, communities, NGOs and foundations have pledged to become antiracist and dismantle racism, but there is no quick fix nor ready-to-be-used toolbox that would have been acquired by previously-trained practitioners to provide short-term results on racial equity. This course examines the nature and impacts of racism with a global approach. Building on the experiences of resilient post-conflict local communities around the world and on the theories and practices of Transitional Justice, we will explore tools and frameworks to innovate and efficiently dismantle racism in organizations, communities and societies. Adopting a comparative approach, we will study materials and examples of successful antiracist initiatives coming from Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Asia and the Americas, and mobilize diverse academic fields: political sciences, history, genocide studies, psychology, sociology, literature and cinema. We will articulate our understanding of racial domination and develop approaches to dismantle it with the other forms of oppression.

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Trends in Terrorism and Counterterrorism

Tom Parker / Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force Adviser on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism, Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, United Nations The purpose of this course is to chart the rise of international terrorism and examine State responses to this ever-evolving threat. The course is divided into three self-contained units addressing the origins of international terrorism, the growth and evolution of Islamic terrorism and State responses to terrorist threats. Seminars will consider case studies drawn from Western Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. At the conclusion of the course it is hoped that students will have a deeper understanding of the circumstances that motivate dedicated terrorist groups and the means and methods available to States seeking to contain or defeat them.