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National Security Strategy

POLI 142J

Course materials, syllabi, and other resources.

| Course Mechanics | Lectures | Documents | Fun |

Course Mechanics

The Lectures

I strongly advise you to come to class and take notes. I will provide you with (very helpful) lecture outlines in class. You will also find that reading on your own is one thing, and having someone point out the connections, place material in context, and draw contemporary comparisons is something else altogether. You will learn better by listening actively and then reading. Still, the following are fairly complete lectures. Do not print these until a few days after I give the corresponding lecture in class because I am quite likely to update these on the basis of feedback I receive.

Do not forget to consult the handy maps!

    A. Coercive Diplomacy and Military Power
  1. The Diplomacy of Strategic Coercion
  2. Games and Information
  3. Strategies in Extensive Form Games
  4. Best Responses and Nash Equilibrium
  5. Nash Equilibrium in Mixed Strategies
  6. Credibile Moves and Perfect Equilibrium
  7. Incomplete Information and Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium
  8. Revealing and Eliciting Information
  9. Credible Commitments in Deterrence and Compellence

    10. B. Evolution of US Strategic Doctrine
  10. The Nature of the Soviet Union, 1917-1945
  11. The Strategy of Containment
  12. Sword and Shield, 1945-1950
  13. Thermonuclear War and Nuclear Deterrence
  14. Limited War and Korea, 1950-1953
  15. The New Look, 1953-1960
  16. Flexible Response, 1961-1968
  17. The Cuban/Caribbean Missile Crisis, October 1962
  18. The Vietnam War, 1954-1975
  19. The Rise and Fall of Dètente, 1971-1980
  20. Evil Empire, 1980-1991
  21. New World Order, 1992-2000

Documents and Supplementary Material

A few lists that you may need to refer to, plus a handful of helpful materials.

Decompression & Fun