Political
Science 369
US
National Security
Spring
2017
Bill
Newmann, Political Science program
Office
Hours: 318 Founders Hall; Tuesday and Thursday 12:30-1:45; and by appointment
e-mail: wnewmann@vcu.edu; POLI Dept. Phone:
828-2076
Newmann's
home page: with links to
other Newmann syllabi and other fun stuff.
Introduction
This course serves as an introduction into US national
security affairs. First, you may ask:
how is this different from a course on US foreign policy (an especially
important question if you have taken a course in US foreign policy)? National security studies take a different
approach to issues of how the US interacts with the rest of the world. While there are many differences (and you’ll
see them during the semester), the key difference is this: US national security
studies focus on the political-military aspects of defending US national interests
– issues such as the use of force, the
evolution of US force capability (from infantry to ships to planes to nuclear
weapons to ballistic missile defense to cyberweapons),
the strategies of deterrence and compellence, the transformation of national
security due to technology and globalization, and civil-military
relations. Foreign policy often focuses
on diplomacy and the evolution of relations between states; national security
leans a bit more toward an examination of the evolution of military capabilities
and its impact on US national interests within the arena of global
politics. Here is a quick outline of the
topics we’ll cover in the class:
·
Decision Making for National Security with particular focus
on the evolution of the interagency process (departments, the NSC process, and
the NSC staff)
·
The Department of Defense: civilian control of the military,
the role of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Combatant Commanders, and
civil-military relations
·
Defense Planning, Budgeting, Acquisition and the role of
Congress
·
The Use of Force and how it has evolved technologically and
strategically
·
Deterrence and Compellence (Concepts)
·
Total and Limited War
·
Classic and Modern Strategy: from Clausewitz to Mahan to
Brodie/Wohlstetter/Kaufmann/Schelling to the just developing strategic thought
related to cyberdeterrence and cyber war)
·
Evolution of US nuclear strategy (massive retaliation to
flexible response to assured destruction to limited nuclear war to the
prevailing strategy to national missile defense)
·
The first and second nuclear ages
·
Transformation of war (how globalization and technology has
influenced threats to the US and how the US responds to those threats)
·
Cyberwar, robotics, drones
·
Asymmetric threats and counterinsurgency
·
Future security challenges (demographic change, civil wars,
refugees, bad ideologies, over urbanization, nationalism, US education, food
security, water…)
We
will be discussing current events as they happen. So stay on top of the
situation. Read The New York Times or Washington
Post for the best coverage on a day by day basis and check out all the
websites I have listed below to learn more.
Links
that may be of interest
Links
to sources on nuclear
weapons, ballistic missiles, and missile defense
Links to Websites on
foreign policy and national security.
Texts:
You
need to read them; you don't need to buy them. The books are available at the
Virginia Book Company on Shafer Street at the VCU Bookstore. If anyone has
problems getting access to the texts, for any reason, let me know as soon as
possible so you don't get too far behind in the reading. I will be placing
readings on reserve if possible. As soon
as that’s done, I will let you know.
·
William W. Newmann. Managing National Security (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh
Press, 2003): On reserve at Cabell Library: UA23 .N5426 2003
·
Thomas
Schelling. Arms and Influence (New
Haven: Yale University Press. 2008); On reserve at Cabell Library: UA23 .S34 2008
·
Paul Bracken. The Second Nuclear Age (New York: St. Martin’s, 2013). On reserve at Cabell JZ5665 .B73
2012
·
P.W.
Singer and Allan Friedman. Cybersecurity
and Cyberwar: What Everyone Needs to Know (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014); On
reserve at Cabell Library: QA76.9.A25
S562 2014
·
National
Intelligence Council, Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Global Trends 2035: Paradoxes of Progress,
January 2017. https://www.dni.gov/files/images/globalTrends/documents/GT-Full-Report.pdf
If
you have any problems getting the readings for any reason, talk to me as soon
as possible so you don't get behind in the reading. A guideline for the
readings: I've tried to pick reading that are fair minded and balanced. That
doesn't mean that these books don't have a point of view. They might, but it is
a point of view based on knowledge and years of study and a point of view that
is reasoned and analytical. You do not have to agree with the authors. I may or
may not agree with them. The point is that you need to read critically. Don't
believe everything you read. Use your own logic and knowledge and insight to
decide what you think about the issues.
So feel free to questions or disagree with the ideas here and bring
those questions and disagreements to class, so we can talk about them. That will make the class more valuable for
everyone.
Grading
System: Grades will be determined
through the following:
|
January 26 |
5%
of the grade |
|
|
Exam
1 |
March
16 |
30%
of the grade |
|
Required Rough Draft Final Draft |
March 2 (Returned March 16) April 11 |
30%
of the grade |
|
Role-Playing
Simulation |
April
27, and May 2 |
5%
of the grade |
|
Exam
2 |
May
9, 8:00 AM in the same room. Note the time change!!!! |
30
% of the grade |
How
do you calculate your grade? Use the percentages from the above table. So, if you
received the following grades, you would calculate your grades in the following
manner:
I
give you this very detailed formula for a number of reasons. You should never
be unaware of what your class average is. You can calculate it at any point in
the semester. If your grade is not what you'd like it to be, you should know,
and you should come see me about it. Do not come to me after Exam 2 and say
that you're having trouble in the class. It's too late at that point. But any
time in the semester that you feel you are having trouble, or not doing as well
as you feel you should, come talk to me. During my office hours and by
appointment I am happy to talk to you about the class
Grading
scale: I use a typical scale: A = 90-100; B = 80-89; C = 70-79; D = 55-69.
Borderline grades are considered in the following manner.
·
If your grade is
69.5, 79.5, or 89.5 or higher, then you may be a candidate for a round up to
the higher grade (Notice those numbers in the sentence; do not ask for a higher
grade if your average is a 68 or 78 or 88 or lower; those are not borderline
averages).
·
You may become a
candidate if your grades are borderline and if your grades have been going up
during the semester.
·
That means that
if you are borderline, but your last exam is lower than the previous exams (you
are between a B and C, but your third exam is a C for example), you will
probably get the lower grade.
·
If you are
borderline, and your last exam is higher than the previous exams (you are
between a B and C, but your third exam is a B), you may get the higher grade.
·
Another factor I
consider is the typical grade you receive. Let’s say we have four grades for
the class and three are grades of B and one is a C (bad day) and your average
is a 79.6, you are a candidate for receiving a B. If you have four grades and three are grades
of C and one is a grade of B, you are probably not a candidate for the higher
grade
·
There is no extra
credit for this class. Please do not
ask.
March 24: Withdrawal Deadline
EXAMS
The exams will be short answer and essay exams. One week before the exam I will place a
review sheet on line, linked to this syllabus, below this paragraph. This
review sheet should be used as your study guide for the exam. The review sheet
will include some terms that are from the readings only, so that you can go
back and review those items from the readings. Once you have the review sheet,
feel free to ask me questions about the terms. This is the best way to study
for the exam. If you understand the terms on the review sheet, you can define
each one and see how each one relates to the larger concepts and issues we've
discussed in class, you should do just fine on the exam.
Research
Paper and Class Role-Playing Simulation
Follow
the link
for detailed instructions. Read these
instructions now. Read them later. Read them again and again. The short version
is:
·
Over two class
periods at the end of the term the class will simulate the national security
decision making process. Each of you
will be assigned the role of a US governmental official with responsibilities
for some aspect of US national security (officials in the Defense Department or
National Security Council Staff or Intelligence Community, for example)
·
You will be given
a national security problem to solve and guidance about what perspective you
should focus upon. For example, the
problem this semester is the civil war in Syria and intelligence that suggests
Iran is preparing to intervene with ground forces to keep President Assad in
power (fictional, but based on real possibilities).
·
You will write a
1-2 page executive summary presenting options for how to deal with the issue
(from the perspective of the role you have been assigned; for example, if you
are the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations, you will
focus on multilateral options for solving the problem; if you are the Director
of CIA’s Office of Terrorism Analysis, your research will focus on the
counterterrorism implications of any US options to Iranian intervention.
·
Required
Rough Draft: Due: March 2 (it will be returned to you with comments on March
16, so you can work on the final draft)
·
Final Draft Due:
April 11
·
Both rough and final drafts are due in hard copy at
the beginning of class on the day indicated; there are late penalties for both
the rough and final drafts. The deduction is 10 points for each day late for
both the rough and final drafts (there is a maximum of a 50 point deduction for
the rough draft that is five days late or not turned in).
·
Paper Topics will
be chosen in consultation with me. This is detailed in the research
instructions and I will explain in class.
·
Role-Playing
Simulation Assignments (will be
linked here once they are made)
·
Once the research
is done and I have made comments on both drafts of your paper, we’ll begin the
role-playing simulation: a three day in class exercise where you will develop a
draft Presidential Directive spelling out the options for US policy in case of
an Iranian intervention in Syria. I will
prepare a detailed agenda for these sessions.
Essentially, you will gather together in several interagency committees
and negotiate to come up with a draft that includes all your perspectives,
evaluates the pros and cons of various US options, develops a government-wide
consensus, or spells out where consensus could not be achieved and why.
·
Every aspect of
this will be guided by a draft Presidential Review Directive where I will spell
out what questions I want answered in the Presidential Directive (and in your
papers). Once you’re assigned a role, you will have a specific research task.
That research task will be spelled out explicitly in the Presidential
Directive.
v The
PRD 37 is here (once it is updated)
·
All the details
will be in the paper instructions, linked to the syllabus.
·
The result of
your simulation: NSC
Meeting Minutes
Attendance and Class Behavior
First,
I will be passing out an attendance sheet each class period. I have noticed the past few semesters that
some students feel class attendance is optional. They feel that way until they get back their
first exam then they want to do extra credit to get their grade back up. The simple answer is this: be there the first
time. Second, you may use computers in
class to take notes. However, that is
all you should be doing with your computer – taking notes. If you surf the web, check your facebook page or play Angry Birds etc,
you will be disrupting other students in the class. They can see your computer. This qualifies as the type of class behavior
that can result in your removal from the class.
COURSE AND
READING SCHEDULE
The
dates in the following reading schedule reflect what readings you should have
finished by the start of class that week.
Week
1: January 16-20 Introduction and Decision Making
·
No Readings
Week 2: January 23-27 The
National Security Interagency Process I
·
Newmann, Chapters 1-3
·
Map
Quiz: January 26
Week 3: January 30-February 3 The National Security Interagency Process II
·
Schelling, Chapter 1-2
Week 4: February 6-10 The Use of Force I
·
Schelling, Chapters 3-4
Week 5: February 13-17 The Use of Force II:
·
Schelling, Chapters 5-6
Week 6: February 20-24 The First Nuclear Age I
·
Newmann, Chapter 4-6
Week 7: February 27-March 3 The First
Nuclear Age II
·
Rough Draft due
in hard copy at the beginning of class March 2
·
Bracken, Chapters 1-2
Spring Break: March 5-12
Week 8: March 13-17
·
Exam 1: March
16 (Rough Drafts Returned)
·
Bracken, Chapter 3 (for first exam)
Week
9: March 20-24 From the First Nuclear Age to the
Second
·
Bracken, Chapters 4-7
March 24
Withdrawal date
Week
10: March 27-31 The Second
Nuclear Age: Proliferation Dangers
·
Bracken Chapters 8-10, and Conclusion and Afterword
·
National
Intelligence Council, Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Global Trends 2035: Paradoxes of Progress,
January 2017. pp. vi-xi, 1-28.
Week 11: April 3-7: The Future I: Non-State
Actors: When States Lose the Monopoly on Force
·
National
Intelligence Council, Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Global Trends 2035: Paradoxes of Progress,
January 2017. pp. 29-128.
Week 12: April 10-14 The Future II:
People Power and the Economic Factor
·
Global Trends 2035: Paradoxes of Progress, January 2017. pp.
129-226.
· Final Draft due in hard copy at the beginning of class April 11
Week 13: April 17-21 The
Future III: Cyberwar, The Drone Age, Robotics, and The Future
·
Singer and Friedman, pp. 1-84
Week 14: April 24-28
Future IV and Simulation
·
Role-Playing
Simulation Session 1: April 27
·
Singer and Friedman, pp. 85-185
Week 15: May 2 Simulation
·
Role-Playing
Simulation Session 2
·
Singer and Friedman, pp. 185-258
Exam
2: May 9, 8:00 AM same room
(Please note the time change).
Where
can you find information on international affairs?
This is the questions students always ask me: “Where do I find
good information on international affairs. I’m looking for something unbiased
and something that doesn’t always look at the world through American eyes (as
in how do these developments affect the
Here’s
the short answer:
For day by day coverage of events in the world:
On a weekly basis:
The
Economist: www.economist.com. This is a Britain-based weekly which covers
world politics and world business. There
really is nothing else like it in the comprehensive nature of its coverage. You can also buy it on the newsstand, but the
web is free. It covers world politics
very well.
Long Term Views of Crisis and Conflict:
International Crisis Group: www.crisisweb.org.
This is the International Crisis Group, a non-profit organization that
studies, analyzes, and makes recommendations about how to resolve various
crises in the world. There is nothing
better for the in-depth examination of current world events and the dilemmas of
problem solving and peace making. It has
reports (30-50 pages), briefings (10-30), and a weekly briefing (Crisis Watch),
which you can get on the web site or sign up for e-mail delivery.
VCU Policies
VCU
Email Policy
Email is considered an official method
for communication at VCU because it delivers information in a convenient,
timely, cost-effective, and environmentally aware manner. Students are expected
to check their official VCU email on a frequent and consistent basis in order
to remain informed of university-related communications. The university
recommends checking email daily. Students are responsible for the consequences
of not reading, in a timely fashion, university-related communications sent to
their official VCU student email account. This policy ensures that all students
have access to this important form of communication. It ensures students can be
reached through a standardized channel by faculty and other staff of the
university as needed. Mail sent to the VCU email address may include
notification of university-related actions, including disciplinary action.
Please read the policy in its entirety: http://www.ts.vcu.edu/kb/3407.html.
VCU
Honor System: Upholding Academic Integrity
The VCU Honor System policy describes
the responsibilities of students, faculty and administration in upholding
academic integrity, while at the same time respecting the rights of individuals
to the due process offered by administrative hearings and appeals. According to
this policy, "Members of the academic community are required to conduct
themselves in accordance with the highest standards of academic honesty and
integrity." In addition, "All members of the VCU community are
presumed to have an understanding of the VCU Honor System and are required to:
More information can be found at in the
VCU policy library at
http://www.assurance.vcu.edu/Policy%20Library/Honor%20System.pdf.
Student
Conduct in the Classroom
According to the Faculty Guide to
Student Conduct in Instructional Settings
(http://www.assurance.vcu.edu/Policy%20Library/Faculty%20Guide%20to%20Student%20Conduct%20in%20Instructional%20Settings.pdf),
“The university is a community of learners. Students,
as well as faculty, have a responsibility for creating and maintaining an
environment that supports effective instruction. In order for faculty members
(including graduate teaching assistants) to provide and students to receive
effective instruction in classrooms, laboratories, studios, online courses, and
other learning areas, the university expects students to conduct themselves in
an orderly and cooperative manner." Among other things, cell phones and
beepers should be turned off while in the classroom. The Student Code of
Conduct also prohibits the possession of or carrying of any weapon. For more
information see http://register.dls.virginia.gov/details.aspx?id=3436.
Students
with Disabilities
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, require that
VCU provide "academic adjustments" or "reasonable
accommodations" to any student who has a physical or mental impairment
that substantially limits a major life activity. To receive accommodations,
students must request them by contacting the Disability Support Services Office
on the Monroe Park Campus (828-2253) or the Division for Academic Success on
the MCV campus (828-9782). Please also visit the Disability Support Services
website at www.students.vcu.edu/dss and/or the Division for Academic Success
website at healthsciences.vcu.edu/DAS/ for additional information.
Any student who has a disability that
requires an accommodation should schedule a meeting with the instructor at the
student's earliest convenience. Additionally, if coursework requires the
student to work in a lab environment, the student should advise the instructor
or a department chairperson of any concerns that the student may have regarding
safety issues related to a disability. Students should follow this procedure
for all courses in the academic semester.
Statement
on Military Short-Term Training or Deployment
If military students receive orders for
short-term training or for deployment/mobilization, they should inform and
present their orders to Military Student Services and to their professor(s).
For further information on policies and procedures contact Military Services at
828-5993 or access the corresponding policies.
Excused
Absences for Students Representing the University
Students who represent the university
(athletes and others) do not choose their schedules. Student athletes are
required to attend games and/or meets. All student athletes should provide
their schedules to their instructors at the beginning of the semester. The
Intercollegiate Athletic Council strongly encourages faculty to treat missed
classes or exams (because of a scheduling conflict) as excused absences and
urges faculty to work with the students to make up the work or exam.
Campus
Emergency Information
What to Know and Do to Be Prepared for
Emergencies at VCU:
Important
Dates
You can view important dates for the Fall 2014 semester in the university calendar
(http://academiccalendars.vcu.edu/ac_fullViewAll.asp?term=Fall+2014).
VCU
Mobile
The VCU Mobile application is a
valuable tool to get the latest VCU information on the go. The application
contains helpful information including the VCU directory, events, course
schedules, campus maps, athletics and general VCU news, emergency information,
library resources, Blackboard and more. To download the application on your
smart phone or for more information, please visit http://m.vcu.edu.
Class
Registration Required for Attendance
Students may attend only those classes
for which they have registered. Faculty may not add students to class rosters
or Blackboard. Therefore, if students are attending a class for which they have
not registered, they must stop attending.
Withdrawal
from Classes
Before withdrawing from classes,
students should consult their instructor as well as other appropriate
university offices. Withdrawing from classes may negatively impact a student’s
financial aid award and his or her semester charges. To discuss financial aid
and the student bill, visit the Student Services Center at 1015 Floyd Avenue
(Harris Hall) and/or contact your financial aid counselor regarding the impact
on your financial aid. Contact information for the University Financial Aid
Office is available at http://www.enrollment.vcu.edu/finaid/contact-us/.
Student
Financial Responsibility
Students assume the responsibility of
full payment of tuition and fees generated from their registration and all
charges for housing and dining services, and other applicable miscellaneous
charges. Students are ultimately responsible for any unpaid balance on their
account as a result of the University Financial Aid Office or their third party
sponsor canceling or reducing their award(s).