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Change and continuation in the foreign policy of the Obama administration.

Lecture (1 hour inclusive of lecture and Q&A)

For all of its current economic problems, and the battering it has taken in global opinion over the last decade, the United States remains the single most important country in the world - able to exercise influence in every realm and on every continent in a way that no other major power can. The policy decisions of its government have profound effects upon people anywhere and everywhere in the world.

Barack Obama was elected to the executive branch of this government in November 2008 through a message of change. In his inaugural address the following January he stated his intention to renew America’s leadership on global issues.

This lecture explores what challenges face the United States in the 21st century, and how the Obama administration approaches them. The content is constantly updated to reflect the ever developing nature of foreign policy, but will generally focus on issues such as:

• Efforts to save the capitalist system
• Environmental policies
• The Global War on Terror
• Foreign aid and investment
• Democracy promotion

For maximum benefit and skills development, students will be expected to take notes during the lecture. There will be a chance for questions and discussion of the issues raised at the end.

Seminar (1 hour)

The seminar session looks at the separate but related issue of democratic peace theory. Using sources ranging from Emmanuel Kant to Francis Fukuyama the session begins by discussing whether students believe there is such a thing as a universal history – the idea that the history of mankind is a coherent process with a clear end point, the ‘end of history’.

Students will then be encouraged to discus the extent to which it is realistic to consider liberal democracy and free market economics as this end point.

Finally, the seminar group will be asked to look at how such philosophical views have translated into real policy, and the impact they have had. Extracts from sources ranging from presidential speeches, think-tank reports and academic texts will be used to spark discussion about the way the United States uses democracy promotion in its foreign policy.

Ultimately students will be asked to share their thoughts on the extent to which they believe the spreading of liberal democracy can bring peace, stability and prosperity to the global community.