London

US foreign policy is at a pivotal moment because of dramatic domestic and geopolitical changes. At home, frustrations have mounted with the costs of the longstanding bipartisan, globalist foreign policy posture. Progressives urge for a focus on climate change as the world's most important security issue. The U.S. financial situation also casts doubt on the US ability to maintain its highly ambitious and militarized foreign policy. The second Trump administration, as well as a new generation of "America First" foreign policy advocates, suggests real potential for a new direction in US foreign policy. Outside the US, other trends are also raising the costs, risks, and viability of America's post-Cold War strategy. While Europe grows more dangerous due to Russian resurgence, America's European partners themselves are in the midst of a backlash to a center-left globalist foreign policy posture. And China's rise – and potential bid for regional hegemony in Asia – will make an expansive U.S. foreign policy posture increasingly expensive and dangerous.

This course examines the role of Europe in US grand strategy. In Part 1, we analyze the theoretical foundations, tools & instruments, and policy prescriptions of contending grand strategies. These include the longstanding globalist US strategy (liberal and conservative versions), as well as alternatives that include prioritization, restraint, and progressivism. Part 2 focuses on specific topics in European security and assesses how US policy toward Europe would differ according to the different grand strategies. Our class will be enhanced by excursions inside and outside London, and by guest lectures from UK-based scholars, analysts, and policy practitioners.