BOSTON UNIVERSITY – Study Abroad
BU Washington Academic Center – Spring 2013
CAS HI 281/ PO/IR 356
American Governance: Foreign Affairs, Politics, & Presidents
(focus on the 20th Century and modern-day presidency)
Instructor:
Walter S. Montaño
(mobile) 202-352-7260; [email protected]; [email protected];
Office Hours: By appointment, or before class (5:30-7:00 p.m.)
The course meets Wednesday evenings from 7:00 - 9:30 p.m.
Course Objectives:
This is a four-credit course meeting once a week, two-three hours per session, aiming to
provide an overview of American presidents in the 20-21st centuries and how they made
important decisions while crafting U.S. foreign policy. The course will cover specific
presidential campaigns worth noting, as well as the individuals who helped construct the
modern-day American foreign policy establishment. How politics relates to U.S. foreign
affairs is very important to understand, therefore, concepts such as isolationism, Manifest
Destiny, American ‘imperialism’ vs. isolationism, and national self-interest will be covered.
The waning days of the current war on terror (specifically in Afghanistan and most recently
in Iraq) will be discussed in great detail (in comparison to Vietnam) throughout the semester
making the course material more relevant.
We will attempt to come to terms with the following: 1) who and what has shaped U.S.
foreign policy, in other words, the primary players throughout history who have molded U.S.
international relations; 2) understanding how an ever-growing presidency has affected our
standing in the world; 3) how much power a president truly possesses; and, 4) what one can
learn from the accomplishments and mistakes of presidents past. Other topics the course
will dissect are the media’s impact on the presidency, and presidential elections surrounding
the Office over the years. Foreign Affairs, Politics, & Presidents in the 20th Century will
aim to address many such questions in addition to an array of controversial subjects in U.S.
foreign policy in the last century (the use of the atom bomb, drones, pre-emptive invasions,
etc.). Time permitting, the course will include a guest speaker, a local field trip or two, and
conclude with a thorough analysis of the Obama administration and its potential legacy in
foreign affairs. Though we will refer to Obama’s first, and now second, term often.
Course Requirements:
Regular attendance is required as is diligent preparation for class sessions. Students will be
expected to attend all class sessions (unless you have cleared it first with the
instructor), participate in class discussions, complete all readings, and submit
assignments on time. The class has two mandatory writing assignments consisting of a
short book review (5-7 pages) and a take-home mid-term. The book review will focus on
fairly recent scholarship regarding a presidential administration or foreign policy challenge in
the 20th (or 21st) century. Students will present their reviews to the class in a 10-15-minute
presentation/discussion. An in-class Final Exam will take place on the final day (1 May).
Final grades will be assessed as follows:
Book Review and presentation (25%)
Class participation (25%)
Take-Home Mid-term Exam (25%)
In-Class Final Exam (25%)
Required Readings for the Course:
- John L. Gaddis, The Cold War: A New History (Penguin Books, 2006)
- Lewis L. Gould & Richard Norton Smith, The Modern American Presidency (2009)
- Stephen Graubard, The Presidents: The Transformation of the American Presidency from
Theodore Roosevelt to Barack Obama (2010)
- Marvin & Deborah Kalb. Haunting Legacy – Vietnam & the American Presidency from
Ford to Obama (2011)
- Andrew J. Polsky. Elusive Victories – The American Presidency at War (2012)
- Other readings provided by the instructor (consisting of articles & book excerpts)
Other Recommended Reading
- Gordon Barrass. The Great Cold War – A Journey Through the Hall of Mirrors (2009)
- Robert Dallek, Franklin D. Roosevelt & American Foreign Policy, 1932-45 (1995)
- Burton W. & Anita Folsom. FDR Goes to War (2011)
- John L. Gaddis, Strategies of Containment (2005)
- David Halberstam, The Best & the Brightest (1973)
- Melvyn Leffler, For the Soul of Mankind: The US, Soviet Union & the Cold War (2007)
- Akan Malici & Stephen Walker. U.S. Presidents & Foreign Policy Mistakes (2011)
- James Mann. The Obamians – The Struggle Inside the White House to Redefine American
Power (2012).
Course Outline:
I.
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Introduction: The Impact of the Presidency on the American Mindset. How
has the Office grown since George Washington’s time? Is the office too powerful?
Who stands out in American memory today as the unofficial founder of
American foreign affairs? What is the American Foreign Policy Tradition?
II.
Wednesday, 30 January
The Origins of American Diplomacy as seen in Jefferson’s time. The 19th
Century -- American Moralism and Manifest Destiny. William McKinley’s
surprising presidency and the U.S.’s first rise to global prominence.
Please be sure to read: Gould (McKinley) + assigned article(s)
2
III.
Wednesday, 6 February
The ever-changing Office of the President – The lasting impact of Theodore
Roosevelt and his energetic office. American Imperialism…Making the
hemisphere/world safe for ‘democracy’? Taft’s Dubious Administration.
Distribute List of Books for Book Reviews
Read: Gould (T. Roosevelt, Taft) + Graubard (T.R.) + assigned
article(s)
IV.
Wednesday, 13 February
The ‘revolutionary’ election of 1912. The U.S. vs. Mexico. The legacy of
World War I, the League of Nations, and Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Points. The
impact of a president in absentia.
Select which book you will review (Due Wednesday, 3 April)
Read: Gould (Wilson) + Graubard (Taft, Wilson) + Polsky (Wilson)
FIELD TRIP (in lieu of class on 20 February)
@ 11 a.m. on Saturday, 16 February –
at the Woodrow Wilson House
(In Washington’s Dupont Circle – 2340 S Street, N.W.)
V.
Wednesday, 27 February
Back to ‘Normalcy’ and Back to Isolationism: the 1920s and the Great
Depression in the midst of laissez-faire presidents. The Dawn of the Hoover
Era. The Critical Election of 1932. FDR: The Savior and the New Deal.
Read: Gould (Harding, Coolidge, Hoover); Graubard (Harding,
Coolidge, Hoover)
VI.
Wednesday, 6 March
World War II: An Exercise in Craftsmanship and the Art of Persuasion. The
War and the use of Television, Radio, and the Media. FDR’s Magisterial
Legacy… setting all the precedents.
Take-Home Midterms Distributed (Due in ONE week!)
Read: Gould, Graubard, and Polsky (FDR); assigned articles
** Spring Break!! **
3
VII.
Wednesday, 20 March
An Iron Curtain draped across a divided world. The subsequent Cold War and
Containment policies: The Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan, and NSC-68.
The War in Korea. Truman’s fateful decision: the atomic bomb and Nuclear Culture.
The Election of 1952.
Midterms Due!
Read: Gould and Graubard (Truman); Gaddis (chapter 1); assigned
articles
VIII. Wednesday, 27 March
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s New Look Policy. America’s early involvement
in the Middle East & the intensifying rivalry with the Soviet Union. The vice
presidency leaves its mark at last. The 1960 Election.
Read: Gould (Eisenhower, Kennedy); Graubard (Eisenhower,
Kennedy); Gaddis (2 & 3); + assigned articles
IX.
Wednesday, 3 April
Cuba, JFK, & a near-paralyzing Missile Crisis. The Death of a President & Its
Effect on the American Psyche. The 1964 Election. The Quagmire of Vietnam:
Lured into Indochina -- Lyndon Johnson’s rise & fall. The 1968 presidential
campaign and the Civil Unrest in America. The New Nixon.
Book reviews Due! Presentations begin
Read: Gould, Graubard, and Polsky (Johnson, Nixon); Gaddis (4)
X.
Wednesday, 10 April
Richard Nixon’s foreign policy: Vietnam, Cambodia, Chile, China, the
Middle East and Détente. Vietnamization and the Nixon Doctrine. The
Nightmare of Watergate. U.S. policy in the Middle East: a survey. The Ford
Presidency: A Healer or Divider? The “Malaise” of the ’70s: President
Carter and the U.S. in declension. Carter Doctrine and Camp David
Accords. Read: Gould and Graubard (Nixon, Ford, Carter); Gaddis
(5,6); Kalb (1-3)
XI.
Wednesday, 17 April
Reagan vs. the Soviet Union: Détente’s Demise. An Evil Empire or Declining
Power? The Reagan Doctrine and Reaganomics. Small wars revisited
(Grenada, Libya, Lebanon…Panama, Somalia…);
Bush I and the First Gulf War.
Read: Gould and Graubard (Reagan, Bush I) Polsky (4-5); + assigned
articles
4
XII.
Thursday, 24 April
Clinton vs. Bush vs. Perot in the 1992 Election.The Clinton deployments…the
Middle East… and the approaching terrorism.Bush II: A New American
Foreign Policy of Preemption? Afghanistan 2001-09 and Operation Iraqi Freedom
2003-09. The Global War on Terror. The impact of U.S. foreign policy on
world affairs in the 21st Century. The 2008 presidential election. The Obama
administration and the new precedents in US foreign policy. Re-evaluation
of the current Obama administration and foreign policy issues in the election
of 2012; Review by Geographic regions – hot-button issues/concerns.
Read: Gould and Graubard (Clinton, W. Bush, Obama); Polsky (6-10)
+ assigned articles
XIII. Wednesday, 1 May -- In-Class Final Exam
General Topics to Consider for your Book Review
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American Exceptionalism/American Empire
The Atomic Bomb
The Cold War
The World Wars
U.S-Latin American relations
U.S.-East Asia relations
U.S.-Middle East relations
U.S.-Europe relations
Congress vs. the Executive
Diplomacy
First Ladies
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Covert Operations/Intel.
19th Century U.S. f.p.
Presidential Power/War
Presidency vs. the press
The Vice Presidency
any Individual pres. admin.
The Modern Presidency
Elections and politics
Culture and the presidency
The Passive Presidency
War on Terrorism