March 9 Background Reading

Saturday, March 9. 9:30 – 11 am.

IMPERFECT UNION: THE EUROZONE IN CRISIS

After World War II, the leaders of Europe established greater economic ties to help prevent future continental conflict. Now, more than half a century later, the EU faces the biggest financial crisis in its history, and the future of the Eurozone itself is under question. What’s preventing the world’s second largest economy — and America’s largest trading partner — from pulling itself out of recession?

Moderator: Dr. Lewis Mandell, Professor of Finance Emeritus at SUNY – Buffalo and Senior Fellow in the Aspen Institute’s Initiative on Financial Security in Washington, DC. In his 42 year academic career, Lew has held professorships at a number of leading universities, most recently the University of Washington where he held the Kermit Hanson Professorship in Finance and Business Economics.

SUGGESTED BACKGROUND READINGS

Is This the Year That the Eurocrisis Ends? Christian Science Monitor, January 7, 2013. The European Central Bank has moved to shore up the euro, investors are more confident, and European leaders are surprisingly upbeat. But critics warn that Europe is not out of the woods. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2013/0107/Is-this-the-year-that-the-eurocrisis-ends

Send in the Clowns: How Beppe Grillo and Silvio Berlusconi Threaten the Future of Italy and the Euro. The Economist, March 2, 2013. http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21572763-how-beppe-grillo-andsilvioberlusconi-threaten-future-italy-and-euro-send

The Eurozone Crisis Explained in 5 Simple Graphs. Christian Science Monitor. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2011/1202/The-eurozone-crisis-explained-in-5-simplegraphs/Debt-as-a-percentage-of-GDP

A Very Short History of the Crisis. The Economist, November 12, 2011. To understand the politics of the euro, it is necessary to look at its causes. http://www.economist.com/node/21536871

The Euro’s House Divided. Project Syndicate, March 1, 2013. The European Commission’s latest economic outlook paints a disheartening picture of a deep and persistent economic and social divide within the eurozone. Such a gulf within a monetary union cannot be sustained for very long. http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/theeurozone-s-persistent-regional-disparities-by-jeanpisani-ferry

The Crisis of Europe: How the Union Came Together and Why It’s Falling Apart. Foreign Affairs, September/October 2012. After World War II, Europe began a process of peaceful political unification unprecedented there and unmatched anywhere else. But the project began to go wrong in the early 1990s, when western European leaders started moving too quickly toward a flawed monetary union. Now, as Europe faces a still unresolved debt crisis, its drive toward unification has stalled — and unless fear or foresight gets it going again, the union could slide toward irrelevance. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/138010/timothy-garton-ash/the-crisis-of-europe. Free registration required.

EUObserver.com. This site provides a summary of European press on issues related to the European Union. http://euobserver.com.

March 2 Background Reading

SACRED COW: DEFENDING AMERICA ON A BUDGET
Saturday, March 2. 9:30 – 11 am.

For the first time in decades, the U.S. is tightening its belt on defense spending. While traditional threats like nuclear and great power conflicts do remain, the post-9/11 challenges of terrorism and counterinsurgency have led to a paradigm shift in the way we think about our national security. Emerging threats like cybersecurity and biowarfare also require new thinking. Do 21st century challenges now pose a greater threat to U.S. national security than traditional threats like nuclear war, naval supremacy and ability to fight ground wars?

Moderator: Laurance Kerr, retired U.S. diplomat and teacher. Larry was an Army officer from 1964 to 1974. Then, after a short stint as a stockbroker, he joined the U.S. State Department, where his postings included Mexico, Chile, Guatemala, and the Republic of Georgia. His teaching experience includes two stints as Diplomat in Residence at the University of the Americas in Puebla, Mexico, and three years in Washington DC where he was Associate Professor of History at the National Defense University (History of Empires, Strategic Thought) and Distinguished Lecturer at the Inter-American Defense College (History of Terrorism). As part of his “retirement” activities, Larry taught American Government and Economics at Northwest Yeshiva High School in 2007 and history at West Sound Academy from 2009 – 2012. He is past Chairman of the Board of Bainbridge Chorale and served on the board of Bainbridge Youth Services.

SUGGESTED BACKGROUND READINGS
Debt, Deficits, and the Defense Budget. Council on Foreign Relations, February 25, 2013. How would the budget sequester process work, and what impact will it have on defense spending?

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2013/02/debt-deficits-and-the-defense-budget.html.

Point/Counterpoint: Just How Safe is the Unites State?
1. Point: Clear and Present Safety. By Micah Zenko and Michael A. Cohen. Foreign Affairs, March/April 2012. U.S. officials and national security experts chronically exaggerate foreign threats, suggesting that the world is scarier and more dangerous than ever. But that is just not true. From the U.S. perspective, at least, the world today is remarkably secure, and Washington needs a foreign policy that reflects that reality. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/137279/micah-zenko-and-michael-a-cohen/clear-and-presentsafety?page=show. Free registration required.

2. Counterpoint: National Insecurity By Paul D. Miller. Response by Micah Zenko and Michael A. Cohen. Foreign Policy, July/August 2012 Given the threats it faces, from nuclear-armed autocracies to terrorists, the United States cannot afford to scale back its military, argues Paul Miller. Micah Zenko and Michael Cohen reply that the danger of these challenges is vastly exaggerated and that an overly militarized foreign policy has not made the country safer.
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/137698/paul-d-miller-micah-zenko-and-michael-acohen/national-insecurity Free registration required.

U.S. Defense Budget. Brookings Institute. Winter 2012-13. The U.S. defense budget has been a subject of increased scrutiny, as debate continues on what impact sequestration will have on the military and how to balance military needs while reducing the federal budget. Brookings experts examine the merits and pitfalls of defense budget reduction, and its impact on America’s foreign policy and defense strategy. http://www.brookings.edu/research/topics/u-s-defense-budget

America’s Pacific Logic. By Robert Kaplan. StratFOR.com. April 4, 2012. With the ending of U.S. military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States, rather than return to quasi-isolationism as it has done with deleterious effect after other ground wars in its history, is attempting to pivot its focus to the geographical heart of the global economy: the Indian and Pacific oceans. http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/americas-pacific-logic

Trends in U.S. Military Spending. U.S. Council on Foreign Relations. For those of you who like charts!
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/02/why-46-billion-in-pentagon-cuts-shouldnt-makeus-less-safe/273408/ and http://www.cfr.org/geoeconomics/trends-us-military-spending/p28855

February 23 Background Reading

RED LINE: IRAN, ISRAEL AND THE BOMB
Saturday, February 23. 9:30-11 a.m.

For nearly a decade, Iran’s quest for nuclear capabilities has topped global security concerns in Washington, Brussels and Tel Aviv. Why is a nuclear-armed Iran considered so dangerous to U.S. and Israeli interests, and what’s prevented Iran from reaching a deal year after year? Will the upcoming talks on February 26 between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the US, Britain, Russia, China, and France – plus Germany be any different?

Moderator: Kelly Erickson, Visiting Assistant Professor in Politics and Government at the University of Puget Sound. Kelly has taught courses on international relations, U.S. foreign policy and national security, the role of military force in international relations, the causes of war, terrorism and insurgency, international organization, and ethics and statecraft. His current research focuses on the effect the intersection of levels of multilateralism and alignment of strategic interests have on ally support for U.S. military interventions. Kelly moderated last year’s discussion on Exiting Iraq and Afghanistan.

SUGGESTED BACKGROUND READINGS
We Need to Talk to Iran, But How? Foreign Policy, February 7, 2012. Thirty-two years of sanctions and bluster haven’t worked. It’s time to try something different. Free registration required. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/02/07/we_need_to_talk_to_iran_but_how

Iran nuclear talks: Will they veer off course? Christian Science Monitor, February 14, 2012. Meeting in Washington, Secretary of State John Kerry and EU foreign-policy chief Catherine Ashton underscore their preference for a diplomatic solution to the Iran nuclear program. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign-Policy/2013/0214/Iran-nuclear-talks-Will-they-veer-off-course

Washington and Tehran’s Perpetual Search For The Upper Hand. The Daily Beast, February 7, 2013. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/07/washington-and-tehran-s-perpetual-search-for-the-upperhand.html

Iran’s nuclear program: 4 things you probably didn’t know. Christian Science Monitor, June 8, 2012. Do the US and Israel believe that Iran has a nuclear weapons program? Did President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad really promise to “wipe Israel off the map”? The answers may surprise you. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2012/0608/Iran-s-nuclear-program-4-things-you-probablydidn-
t-know/

The U.S. and Iran in Historical Perspective. Foreign Policy Research Institute. September 2009. A primer on the 34-year diplomatic estrangement between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

http://www.fpri.org/footnotes/1426.200909.bakhash.usiranhistorical.html

February 16 Background Reading

FEEDING THE DRAGON: CHINA IN AFRICA
9:30 – 11 am.

African economies are booming like never before, thanks in large part to China. The global giant is investing in infrastructure projects to help it tap into the continent’s resources – oil, minerals, and its huge agricultural potential. Critics charge China with cozying up to dictators and ignoring issues of human rights and transparency. Others fear that the U.S. is being left behind and its influence in Africa waning.

Moderator: Dr. Dongsheng Zang (Don S. Zang) is Associate Professor of Law and Director of Chinese Legal Studies at the University of Washington School of Law. His academic interests include international trade law and comparative study of Chinese law, with a focus on the role of law and state in response to crises arising from social transformation in China. He has also written and presented on environmental issues related to China’s development, including its environmental footprint in Africa. Dr. Zang holds an S.J.D. and LL.M. from Harvard Law School, in addition to degrees from Renmin University in Beijing and Beijing College of Economics.

Background Readings:

China and Africa: The Next Decade. David H. Shinn. Keynote speech at the February 1, 2013 conference on “China in Africa” at the Center for China U.S. Cooperation at the University of Denver. http://www.scribd.com/doc/123557623/China-and-Africa-The-Next-Decade

Could China overtake US as global trader? Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 2, 2012. A special report by the Associated Press examines China’s influence with its trading partners over three decades, and how business, politics, and daily life are changing with China’s rise as a global player. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2012/1202/Could-China-overtake-US-as-globaltrader

The Chinese in Africa: Trying to pull together. The Economist, April 20,2011. Africans are asking whether China is making their lunch or eating it. http://www.economist.com/node/18586448

Closing the China Gap. Guernica Magazine, Aug. 1, 2012. By Dambisa Moyo. China’s voracious appetite for resources isn’t something to be feared—it should be emulated. http://www.guernicamag.com/features/closing-the-china-gap/

Unleashing the U.S. Investor in Africa: A Critique of U.S. Policy Toward the Continent. The Heritage Foundation, Feb. 4, 2013. Peter C. Hansen, a Washington attorney who specializes in African investment law, argues for expanding U.S. bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and double tax treaties (DTTs) with countries in Sub Saharan Africa. The U.S. trails behind other countries, including China, that have significantly reduced the risk of African investment for companies from their countries. As a result of the U.S. failure to give this program sufficiently high priority, American companies are reluctant to invest in important countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Ethiopia. http://www.heritage.org/research/lecture/2013/02/unleashing-the-us-investor-in-africa

Foreign Policy Association recommended websites:
China Africa Project. http://www.chinaafricaproject.com/
Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. China’s official website. http://www.focac.org/eng/

February 2 Background Reading

February 2. 9:30 – 11 am.
JOINT STRIKE: NATO AND THE U.S. IN THE 21ST CENTURY

NATO enjoyed a surge in popularity following the quick success of its air campaign in Libya. The much needed boost in morale comes as NATO moves into its twelfth year in Afghanistan, fighting a war that many see as destined to fail. Can the NATO alliance – forged during the Cold War – ensure global stability in the 21st Century? And should the U.S. continue to foot most of the bill?

Moderator: Dr. Christopher Jones, Associate Professor at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington, where he teaches NATO/Warsaw pact relations; post-Cold War security issues; and political economy of post-Cold War era. He is also Co-Director of the UW’s Institute for Global and Regional Security Studies.

SUGGESTED READINGS

A Short History of NATO.

http://www.nato.int/history/nato-history.html.

NATO Patriot missiles arrive in Turkey to counter Syria risks. Reuters, January 21, 2013.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/21/us-syria-crisis-nato-idUSBRE90K0K820130121.

Keeping NATO Relevant. Carnegie Endowment Policy Outlook, April 2012. This article by Jamie Shea, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security, addresses how the alliance needs to
reshape its efforts as it moves away from the preoccupation with Afghanistan.

http://carnegieendowment.org/2012/04/19/keeping-nato-relevant/acl9#

Towards a ‘post-American’ alliance? NATO burden-sharing after Libya. International Affairs, March 2012. This article explores the meaning of a NATO in which the United States takes a lower profile and the related issue of how this might give rise to “a new transatlantic burden-sharing model.”

http://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/public/International%20Affairs/2012/88_2/88_2hallamsschreer.pdf.

In Our Own Image: The Sources of American Conduct in World Affairs, by David C. Hendrickson. The National Interest, No. 50 (Winter 1997). https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/hendrik.htm

After Combat, the Perils of Partnership: NATO and Afghanistan beyond 2014. NATO Defense College, July 2012. This research paper discusses NATO’s post-combat Afghan partnership. According to the author, Sten Rynning, NATO could still make a considerable contribution to Afghanistan’s long-term stabilization. Furthermore, NATO will not be alone in providing training and security assistance on the ground post-2014, investing money in Afghan forces or maintaining a political dialogue with the government. The author argues that it is important that NATO, in this wider context, considers ways to sharpen its partnership policy and public messaging. Download PDF file at

http://www.isn.ethz.ch/isn/Digital-Library/Publications/Detail/?lng=en&id=147777

January 26 Background Reading

Saturday, January 26. 9:30-11 a.m.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE: THE NEW EGYPT

The U.S. has enjoyed thirty years of relatively stable relations with both Israel and Egypt, thanks in large part to the peace plan outlined by the historic Camp David Accords. The harmony between the two rivals has provided a key element of stability in an otherwise turbulent Middle East. But Egypt’s bumpy transition from the autocratic rule of President Hosni Mubarak to its post-Arab Spring reality has put many on edge. What challenges does the new Egypt post for American policymakers and U.S. allies in the region?

SUGGESTED BACKGROUND READINGS

Shaping the New Egypt. Los Angeles Times, November 28, 2013. The United States should present Egyptian leaders with a set of choices. http://articles.latimes.com/2012/nov/28/opinion/la-oe-weber-egypt-policy-20121128

In Egypt, coalition of groups opposed to Islamists is fracturing. Washington Post, January 21, 2013. Egypt’s disparate opposition groups remain so divided that analysts and activists say they risk losing the last major decision-making body in the country to Islamists when the country votes in upcoming parliamentary elections. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/in-egypt-coalition-of-groups-opposed-to-islamists-is-fracturing/2013/01/21/68045076-5f34-11e2-b05a-605528f6b712_story.html

Morsi’s Mistake: The Error Behind the Uproar in Egypt. Foreign Affairs, December 2, 2012. Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood think of themselves as uniquely qualified to rebuild Egypt. Moreover, they believe that they were entrusted with doing so during this year’s election. Their miscalculation, though, was to think that the rest of Egypt felt the same way. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/138472/steven-a-cook/morsis-mistake. Free registration required.

Morsi’s Moment. Time Magazine, November 28, 2012. In recent weeks, he has been hailed as a peacemaker by the U.S. and Israel, a savior by the Palestinians, a statesman by much of the Arab world—and branded a tyrant by the tens of thousands who have jammed Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square since Nov. 22 to denounce him. Whether you think him a hero or a villain, the short, stocky Islamist with the professional air is navigating some of the world’s trickiest political waters. http://world.time.com/2012/11/28/morsis-moment/

Egypt’s Economic Winter. The Atlantic, December 18, 2013. Morsi’s power grab has made headlines, but the world’s most populous Arab country has even bigger problems on its hands. http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/12/egypts-economic-winter/266424/

Backgrounder: The Muslim Brotherhood. Council on Foreign Relations, December 3, 2012. http://www.cfr.org/africa/egypts-muslim-brotherhood/p23991

Egypt: Who holds the power? BBC, December 10, 2012. The Egyptian President, Mohammed Morsi, has ordered the military to maintain security and protect state institutions in the run-up to the referendum on the controversial draft constitution. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18779934

Brotherhood Struggles to Translate Power Into Policy in Egypt. New York Times, January 19, 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/world/middleeast/brotherhood-struggles-to-exert-political-power-in-egypt.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&ref=egypt

January 19 Background Reading

Saturday, January 19, 2013.  9:30-11 a.m.

THE HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION CALCULATION

The U.S., for better or worse, is often seen as the world’s policeman. But the question of when to intervene in other nations’ affairs with military force has long stymied American policymakers, from Afghanistan and Iraq to Libya and Syria. Why do we intervene in some conflicts and stand on the sidelines in others?

Moderator: David Harrison. Bainbridge Islander David Harrison is a lecturer at the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington. He currently teaches policy analysis and new program design in the Evans School’s Masters in Public Administration program. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. 

Suggested Background Readings

RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT: A SHORT HISTORY – JUST WHAT IS A JUST WAR? Foreign Policy, November 2012. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/10/11/responsibility_to_protect_a_short_history?page=0,0

NATO’s Victory in Libya: The Right Way to Run an Intervention. By Ivo H. Daalder and James G. Stavridis. Foreign Affairs, March/April 2012. NATO’s operation in Libya has rightly been praised for saving lives and ending a tyrannical regime, write the U.S. permanent representative to NATO and its supreme allied commander for Europe. But to replicate the success, member states must reinforce their political cohesion and improve the burden sharing that made the mission work. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/137073/ivo-h-daalder-and-james-g-stavridis/natos-victory-in-libya.

The war in Syria: Death from the skies. The Economist, September 15, 2012. The growing horror of the Syrian civil war has put military intervention back on the agenda. http://www.economist.com/node/21562922

Why We Have a Responsibility to Protect Syria. The Atlantic, January 26, 2012. Even though the military challenges might make it unfeasible, we should acknowledge the moral and historical cases for intervening. http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/01/why-we-have-a-responsibility-to-protect-syria/251908/

The Responsibility to Protect: Challenges and Opportunities in Light of the Libya Intervention. e- International Relations, November 2011. http://www.e-ir.info/wp-content/uploads/R2P.pdf

R2P Monitor. November 15, 2012. http://www.globalr2p.org/media/files/r2p_monitor_nov2012_final.pdf