Syllabus

(1) January 14: The Terrorists

Required Reading:

• Founding Statement of Al Qaeda
• "While America Slept", Peter L. Bergen (for some reason, the pdf won't open on a click. Download it to your computer (right click-PC/ctrl click-Mac) and go from there.
• "Terrorism and the Law", Abraham Sofaer
• "Might or Right", Abraham Sofaer

Recommended Reading:

• "Hate Club", Michael Elliott
• "The Dimensions of Terrorism and Counterterrorism", Paul Pillar
• "The Gospel According to Osama bin Laden", Reuel Marc Gerecht
• Organization Men: Anatomy of a Terrorist Attack", Brian M. Jenkins
• "The Lone Gunmen", Ehud Spriznak

(2) January 22: U.S. Interests in the Arab and Islamic World

Required Reading:

• "The Pakistani Pivot", Dennis Kux
• "The Sentry's Solitude", Fouad Ajami (also in HTML)

Recommended Reading:

• "The Pressures on Pakistan", Anatol Lieven (also, HTML version)
• "Pakistan's Constitution Avenue", Thomas L. Friedman (NYT registration required, it's free)
• "Commandeering the Palistinian Cause: Bin Laden's Belated Concern", Samuel Berger and Mona Sutphen
• "The Roots of an Afghan Nation." Thomas W. Simons Jr.
• "A War to End the Terrorist Era." Thomas W. Simons Jr.

(3) January 28: Islamic Extremism, and the Beliefs of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban

Required Reading:

• "On the Modernity, Historical Specificity, and International Context of Political Islam", Joel Beinin and Joe Stork
• "Traditional Muslim Attitudes to Political Power", Edward Mortimer

Recommended Reading:

• "Terrorism: Theirs and Ours", from Geopolitics Review

(4) February 4: Emergency Crisis Response: The Decision Making Process in the Weeks following September 11th

Required Reading:

• "A New NSC For a New Administration", Ivo H. Daalder and I.M. Destler.  Brookings Institution Policy Brief #68. Nov 2000.
• "Progression of a Nightmare" by Marc Sandalow, September 17 2001.
• "The Advisers" from The New York Times September 23 2001.
• "The Foreign Policy Team" from The New York Times December 23 2001.

Recommended Reading:

• "The Diplomatic & Economic Bureaucracies" (excerpts) James M. McCormick.  American Foreign Policy & Process, Third Edition. F.E. Peacock Publishers, Inc.: 1998. Chapter 9, pp. 376-402.
• "The Military and Intelligence Bureaucracies" (excerpts) James M. McCormick.  American Foreign Policy & Process, Third Edition. F.E. Peacock Publishers, Inc.: 1998. Chapter 10, pp. 423-450.
• "The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs" Bradley H. Paterson Jr.  The White House Staff: Inside the West Wing and Beyond. The Brookings Institution: 2000. Chapter 3, pp. 49-75.
• "President Scrambles in Face of Biggest Test" by Marc Sandalow, September 12 2001.
• "Sharpening the Sabers" by Marc Sandalow, September 13 2001.
• "War Footing" by Marc Sandalow, September 13 2001.
• "President Asks Congress for Sweeping War Powers" by Marc Sandalow, September 14 2001.
• "Bush's Advisers Split" from The New York Times September 20 2001.
• "Planning for Terror but Failing to Act" from The New York Times September 30 2001.

(5) February 11: Great Power Relations in a New International System

Required Reading:

• "U.S.-Russia Relations After 9/11", Michael McFaul
• "Small Mercies: China & America After 9/11", David Lampton
• "The End of Nato?", Thomas Friedman (also in HTML)

Recommended Reading:

• "Who Is With Us - And Against Us", J. Michael Waller
• "A Half-Democratic Russia Will Always Be A Half-Ally to the U.S.", Michael Mcfaul and Nokolai Zlobin
• "The Asian Challenge: The Unanticipated Consequences of the War in India, Pakistan, China, and Japan", James Mann
• "China's New Role As U.S. Ally Greeted With Relief And Dismay", Henry Chu (also in HTML)

(6) February 19: Nation-Building, Interventionism and Democracy

Required Reading:

• "Making East Timor Work: The United States as Junior Partner", Robert Orr
• White Paper: "Rebuilding Afghanistan: the U.S. Role" (HTML)

(7) February 25: New Challenges for Defense

Required Reading:

• "Preparing for the Next Attack", William Perry
• "Justice Deformed: War and the Constitution", Editorial from The New York Times
• "Martial Justice, Full and Fair", Alberto Gonzales
• "The Futility of Homeland Defense", David Carr

Recommended Reading:

(none at this time),

(8) March 4: Effects of 9/11 On America's National Character

Required Reading:

• "The Home Front: American Society Responds to the New War", Alan Wolfe
• "Suddenly, Americans Trust Uncle Sam", Alexander Stille
• "Living With a 9/11 State of Mind", Terence Monmaney

Recommended Reading:

• Collected Thoughts on 9/11, from The New Yorker