This course examines on the theories and empirical issues about security politics, especially focusing on the international level. It explores enduring and contemporary issues in international security, a field that is about the threat and use of force by states as well as non-state actors to achieve their political and military objectives.
Besides introducing the major theories in the field, it surveys policy decisions and tradeoffs among political, social, economic, military, legal, and ethical goals and values, studying the interactions between the states, organizations, institutions, and individuals in policy formulation, implementation, and outcomes.
The course has three major objectives: (1) to understand the major theoretical perspectives and paradigms in security studies, (2) to survey the mos salient substantive areas, questions and debates in the field ; (3) to apply theories and paradigms to contemporary problems of international security.