IS 324 - International Order After the Cold War

Lecture Hours: 3
Lab Hours: 0
Credit Hours: 3

This course traces the evolution of international order from the fall of the Soviet Union to the present day. It assesses often-contested concepts that undergird changing patterns of order, including liberal internationalism, American unipolarity, and the sovereignty of the nation-state. Particular attention is given to case studies of disruptive events that threaten stability and established narratives, including Brexit and domestic American political developments, the rise of a digital economy powered by globalized innovations such as cryptocurrency, the posited return of peer competitors and multipolarity, and the imperiled status of international norms prohibiting territorial conquest, chemical weapons use, and nuclear proliferation.