Military alliances are formal written agreements among countries to coordinate behavior in response to international threats. This course will focus on the politics of military alliances. We will consider why leaders make formal alliance commitments, how alliances affect international outcomes and the probability of war, and the conditions under which alliances end. U.S. alliance policy has been the focus of much attention recently; many wonder whether current U.S. alliances continue to serve U.S. interests. After discussing what scholars know about alliances in general, we will discuss current U.S. alliance strategy and think about how alliances affect and are affected by current conflicts.

Friday, May 1 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
In person and simulcast