Jon Instructor: Western Tele: 538-2659 [e-mail] IR 319
107 Skinner Office Hrs: By appointment
U.S. Foreign Policy, Human Rights and Democracy
Is the United States committed to promoting democracy and human rights abroad or just advancing its own strategic and domestic corporate interests? What influence does the U.S. have on the development of democracy around the world, and on the emergence of--and compliance with--international human rights conventions, protocols, and laws? This seminar begins with an historical overview of American democracy and human rights rhetoric and policies, and seeks to uncover the range of political, economic, cultural, and geostrategic motivations underlying U.S. behavior. We will then examine American foreign policy responses to contemporary human rights and democracy issues as they relate to women, regional and civil violence, state-sponsored violence andrepression, development, globalization, and environmental degradation and resource scarcity. Throughout the semester we will examine how these policies have influenced events in Latin America, East Asia, Eastern Europe, and sub-Saharan and southern Africa. This course fulfills the requirement for an advanced seminar in Political Science. Course Requirements: Grading will be based on class participation (10%), weekly reflection papers (20%); one 5-7 page writing assignment (20%) and a final research project (50%). 1. Class participation (10%) For class participation, you will be expected to contribute to class discussion regularly throughout the semester. This means demonstrating your familiarity with and understanding of the class readings during each session. 2. Reflection papers. (20%) Each week you will be required to prepare and be prepared to discuss your reflections on the readings. You will write a one page summary of the week's readings which include the major thesis of each reading, the evidence presented, and your thoughts about the persuasiveness/validity of each reading. You should also discuss how the readings tie together and talk to each other. I will collect the reflection papers at the end of each session. 3. 4. One 5 7 page writing assignment. (20%) I will provide details of this assignment in early February. The research project. (50%) The research project has two separate components: 1. A 15 page research paper. I would like you to analyze a particular example/case study of U.S. human rights and/or democracy policy toward a particular country or region. The paper should include the following: 1. a clear analysis of the particular human rights and/or democracy issues with respect to the country/(ies) in question -- including a description of the problems, the major contributing factors to the problems, the major actors and their interests; a description and analysis of the U.S. policy responses, including an analysis of the rationale and political dynamics of policy selection, and an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the U.S. policy; and, a presentation and analysis of feasible and practical policy options and recommendations to improve the U.S. response.
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be sure to argue why your policy recommendations will improve the situation.
Each student also will be required to make two separate presentations: 1. 2. Each student will present her/his research findings to the class near the end of the semester. Each student will receive and review one other student's draft paper in early April. You will then serve as the discussant and moderator of that student's class presentation. I will provide more detailed instructions prior to the presentations
Deadlines: February 19: All research topics must be approved by the instructor. February 26: Short writing assignment due April 9: Draft of research paper to be circulated to instructor and to classmates. No exceptions. April 30 and May 7: Presentation and discussion of draft research papers May 13: Research Papers due. No exceptions.
Readings: Many of the readings for the course can be found in books that are available for purchase at the Jeffery Amherst Bookshop and College Store. These books are also on reserve at the library. There is a course pack available at the Political Science Department office. I have created separate web pages and links for most of the other readings. If you go to the on-line version of the syllabus you will find links to all of these readings. My web site is: http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~jwestern/jwestern.htm Books to Purchase from Odyssey Bookstore: Jack Donnelly, International Human Rights Tony Smith, America's Mission Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner, The Global Divergence of Democracy Thomas Carothers, Aiding Democracy Abroad: The Learning Curve
Jan 29: Introduction: Questions: What are human rights? What is democracy? Can the U.S. be the beacon for democracy? Does America's domestic track record affect its ability to promote democracy abroad? For consideration later in the semester, do contradictions in U.S. foreign policy undermine America's reputation abroad? How does one measure America's reputation? Universal Declaration of Human Rights, http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html The Declaration of Independence at http://wiretap.spies.com/Gopher/Gov/US-History/decind.txt
Supplement to Introduction: Read excerpts from President Monroe's seventh annual address to Congress, December 2, 1823: The Monroe Doctrine xPaul Wellman, Death on the Prairie (Lincoln, NE: Univ. of Neb. Press, 1987), chapter 6 in Reader; The Trail of Tears; excerpts from Private John G. Burnett, Cherokee Indian Removal, 1838 39; Feb. 5: Overview of Strategic Choices for the United States? Questions: How would you characterize the priorities of American foreign policy? Do you think the United States has been motivated principally by geostrategic interests, economic interests, or a broad set of values and beliefs? What is the National Interest and where do human rights and democracy fit in? Why is everyone trying to define the National Interest?
Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner, The Global Divergence of Democracies, pp. ix - 92 Jack Donnelly, International Human Rights, chapters 1 and 2; Tony Smith, America's Mission, chapter 1; xBruce Jentleson, ed., Perspectives on American Foreign Policy, chapter 1 (handout); Joseph S. Nye, Jr. "Redefining the National Interest" Foreign Affairs, July/August 1999, pp. 22 35. Condoleezza Rice, "Promoting the National Interest," Foreign Affairs, Jan/Feb, 2000, Vol. 79, no. 1.
Feb. 12: The Emergence of American Global Leadership in the 20th Century: Questions: Is it fair to speak of the United States policy as monolithic and linear in its evolution? What are the sources of American foreign policy? Did the United States develop into an imperial power? Why or why not? Why do any American leaders speak about democracy and human rights? Does the reconstruction of Germany and Japan and American leadership in the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights demonstrate America's commitment to democracy and human rights?
Tony Smith, America's Mission, chapters 2 6.
Browse documents on "Anti-Imperialism in the United States, 1898 - 1935". Visit sections called "Literature," "Essays," and "Platforms" and read lots of documents. xKeck and Sikkink, "Historical Precursors to Modern Transnational Advocacy Networks," in Activists Beyond Borders (Ithaca, NY: Cornell Univ. Press, 1999), chapter 2 in Reader. xJan Herman Burgers, "The Road to San Francisco: The Revival of the Human Rights Idea in the Twentieth Century," Human Rights Quarterly 14 (1992) in Reader. Eleneaor Roosevelt "Making Human Rights Come Alive" http://www.udhr.org/history/frbioer.htm "Statement on Draft Covenant on Human Rights" http://www.udhr.org/history/frbioer.htm "U.N. Deliberations on Draft Convention on the Political Rights of Women" http://www.udhr.org/ history/frbioer.htm
Feb. 19: Coping with the Cold War: Questions: was What the Cold War was it a fight for democracy and human rights? Was President Eisenhower committed to democracy and human rights? What was the CIA's role in Guatemala? Why did the Senate oppose the Genocide Convention and the Human Rights Covenants and what does this tell us about American foreign policy? Tony Smith, America's Mission, chapter 7 8; American Cold War Containment Policy Document: NSC-68 xJoseph M. Jones, "The Golden Age," excerpted from Bruce Jentleson, ed., Perspectives on American Foreign Policy, in Reader; xNatalie Hevener Kaufman, Human Rights Treaties and the Senate: A History of Opposition (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1990) chapters 2 and 3 (in Reader.) xRichard H. Immerman, The CIA in Guatemala: The Foreign Policy of Intervention (Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1982), chapters 5 and 7 in Reader. Tim Wiener, "CIA in 1950's Drew Up List of Guatemalan Leaders to Be Assassinated," New York Times, May 28, 1997; Tim Weiner, "CIA Role in Guatemala Told in Files of Times Publisher," New York Times, June 7, 1997
Feb 26: Congress Resurgent, and the Carter Era
(SHORT ESSAY DUE!)
Questions: How did Congress influence the evolution of American human rights policies? Why did Congress get more involved? Was Jimmy Carter really a champion of human rights? What arguments could you make in support of the argument that Carter was a human rights champion/ what argument could you make against such a claim? Did U.S. human rights and democracy policies shift fundamentally in the 1970s? Tony Smith, America's Mission, chapter 9 and 10;
Jack Donnelly, International Human Rights, chapter 4 - 5; xJohn P. Salzberg, "A View from the Hill: U.S. Legislation and Human Rights," in David Newsom, ed., The Diplomacy of Human Rights (New York: University Press of America, 1986), pp. 13 20. xDonald M. Fraser, "Human Rights and the United States Foreign Policy: The Congressional Perspective," Cyrus Vance, Human Rights Policy," and Jimmy Carter, "Humane Purposes in Foreign Policy," all in Barry M. Rubin and Elizabeth P. Spriro, Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy in Reader; U.S. Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, Staff Report: Covert Action in Chile 1963 1973, 94th Congress, 1st Session, 1975. xMargaret Keck and Kathryn Sikkink, Activists Beyond Borders, chapter 3 in Reader.
March 5: Reagan and Central America DEADLINE)
(FINAL RESEARCH PROJECT APPROVAL
Questions: Do you agree or disagree with the claim that Reagan was highly committed to the pursuit of democracy? Were U.S. policies toward Latin America and South Africa in the 1980s successful? What are the strengths and weaknesses of Chomsky's arguments? Tony Smith, America's Mission, chapter 10; xJoshua Muravchik, "The Nicaragua Debate," Foreign Affairs, Vol. 65, no. 2 (Winter 1986/87) in Reader; xRoy Gutman, "America's Diplomatic Charade," Foreign Policy, No. 56, Fall 1985 in Reader; xTamar Jacoby, "Reagan's Turnaround on Human Rights," Foreign Affairs, Vol. 64, no. 5 (Summer 1986) in Reader; xJames Peck, ed., The Chomsky Reader, essays by Noam Chomsky on "Intervention in Vietnam and Central America: Parallels and Differences"; and "Nicaragua," pp. 315 338 and 351 361 in Reader; Susan Burgerman, "Implementation of United States Human Rights Policy: El Salvador and Guatemala"
March 12: Post-Cold War -- Democracy Triumphant? Questions: What is the post-Cold War U.S. policy on the promotion of democracy? Is this the centerpiece of American foreign policy? How successful has the United States been in the past decade on promoting democracy? What are the various legal, moral and political issues confronting the United States as it actively tries to promote democracy? Tony Smith, America's Mission, chapter 11. Strobe Talbott, "Democracy and the National Interest," Foreign Affairs, Vol. 75, no. 6, (Nov/Dec. 1996) Larry J. Diamond and Marc Plattner, Global Divergence of Democracies, (selected chapters). Thomas Carothers, Aiding Democracy Abroad: The Learning Curve
March 19: Spring Break
March 26: No Class
April 2: American Human Rights PolicyToday
Questions: What are the major human rights issues of concern to the United States today? Are these consistent with the views of major human rights organizations? Can the U.S. be the biggest exporter of weapons and still be a champion of human rights? Explain your view? Human Rights Watch World Report 2001, read all sections on United States, Arms, Children Rights, and Women's Rights; CDI Show Transcript: "Human Rights: Universal and Supreme?" http://www.cdi.org/adm/1314/transcript.html Joe Stork, Human Rights Watch "In Fo...