MVZ435 Grand Strategy

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2009
Extent and Intensity
2/0. 10 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Bradley Thayer, Ph.D. (lecturer), PhDr. Petr Suchý, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Petr Suchý, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Timetable
Mon 16. 3. 12:00–13:30 U42, Tue 17. 3. 10:00–11:40 U42, Wed 18. 3. 10:00–11:40 U42, Thu 19. 3. 14:00–15:40 U42, Fri 20. 3. 10:00–11:40 U42, Mon 23. 3. 12:00–13:30 U42, Tue 24. 3. 10:00–11:40 U42, Wed 25. 3. 10:00–11:40 U42, Thu 26. 3. 14:00–15:40 U42, Fri 27. 3. 10:00–11:40 U42
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 35 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/35, only registered: 0/35
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Grand strategy defines the interests of a state, the threats to those interests, and the policies and military forces needed to minimize the danger posed by those threats. Grand strategy is an important topic in international politics because if a state has clearly defined interests and the means to protect them, the chance of war may be reduced or heightened. The aim of this course is to examine the grand strategies of great powers to determine what the relationship is between a great power’s grand strategy and stability in international politics. Particular attention will be paid to the factors that affect grand strategy; the grand strategy of the major European powers in World Wars II; and the competing arguments over United States grand strategy in the post-Cold War world. At the end of the course, students will be able to orient better in the theoretical as well as practical aspects of grand strategy. They will also improve their analytical and writing skills.
Syllabus
  • Part One: Introduction to Grand Strategy and the Major Factors That Affect It Session One March 16: Introduction to Grand Strategy Session Two March 17: State Interests and Threats, and Systemic Influences on Grand Strategy Thomas Christensen and Jack Snyder, “Chain Gangs and Passed Bucks,” International Organization, Vol. 44, No. 2 (Spring 1990), pp. 137-168. Session Three March 18: Unit-Level Influences on Grand Strategy Robert Jervis, The Meaning of the Nuclear Revolution: Statecraft and the Prospect of Armageddon (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1989), pp. 1-45. Part Two: Comparative Grand Strategies Session Four March 19: Grand Strategy in World War II: Germany and the United States Wilhelm Deist, “The Road to Ideological War,” in Williamson Murray, MacGregor Knox, and Alvin Bernstein, eds., The Making of Strategy: Rulers, States, and War (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994), pp. 352-392. Eliot Cohen, “The Strategy of Innocence?,” in Murray, et al., eds., The Making of Strategy, pp. 428-465. Part Three: The Grand Strategy of the United States Session Five March 20: U.S. Grand Strategy in the Post-Cold War World_The Case for Primacy Bradley Thayer’s chapters from Christopher Layne, Bradley A. Thayer, American Empire: A Debate (New York: Routledge, 2007), pp. 1-50, 103-119. Session Six March 23: U.S. Grand Strategy in the Post-Cold War World_The Case for Primacy Continued Bradley A. Thayer, “In Defense of Primacy,” The National Interest, No. 86 (November/December 2006), pp. 32-37. Session Seven March 24: U.S. Grand Strategy in the Post-Cold War World_The Cases for Alternative Grand Strategies, Isolationism and Offshore Balancing Christopher Layne’s chapters from American Empire, pp. 51-102, 121-137. Session Eight March 25: U.S. Grand Strategy in the Post-Cold War World – How Long Will Primacy Last? Stephen M. Walt, “Keeping the World ‘Off-Balance’: Self-Restrain and U.S. Foreign Policy,” in G. John Ikenberry, ed., America Unrivaled: The Future of the Balance of Power, (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2002), pp. 121-154. Session Nine March 26: Evaluating the Grand Strategic Choice of the United States No assigned reading. Session Ten March 27: Papers Due and Final Examination
Literature
  • Eliot Cohen, “The Strategy of Innocence?,” in Murray, et al., eds., The Making of Strategy, pp. 428-465.
  • Robert Jervis, The Meaning of the Nuclear Revolution: Statecraft and the Prospect of Armageddon (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1989), pp. 1-45.
  • Bradley A. Thayer, “In Defense of Primacy,” The National Interest, No. 86 (November/December 2006), pp. 32-37.
  • Wilhelm Deist, “The Road to Ideological War,” in Williamson Murray, MacGregor Knox, and Alvin Bernstein, eds., The Making of Strategy: Rulers, States, and War (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994), pp. 352-392.
  • Thomas Christensen and Jack Snyder, “Chain Gangs and Passed Bucks,” International Organization, Vol. 44, No. 2 (Spring 1990), pp. 137-168.
Assessment methods
The course language is English. An examination will be given in class on Friday, March 27. This will count for 50% of the student’s grade. In addition, a 3-page paper is due on Friday, March 27. The topic of the paper will be provided in class on March 16th. The paper will also count for 50% of the student’s grade.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught only once.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2011, Spring 2013, Spring 2015, Spring 2017, Spring 2019.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2009, recent)
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