MSFS-519 National vs. Special Interests

MSFS-519 National vs. Special Interests

Warburg, Gerry

This interdisciplinary seminar offers intense focus on strategy and practice, examining how current Washington policymakers shape foreign policy options under the pressures of competing interests. How are decisions actually made? What role is played by lobbyists from embassies, domestic and foreign corporations, as well as nongovernmental organizations? What must we know about the decision-making environment in Congress and the White House if we are to design winning proposals? These questions will guide our seminar.
We will carefully examine recent case studies, from defense procurement and climate change policy, to U.S. aid to Pakistan and the U.S. embargo on Cuba trade. Our goal throughout is to become more effective policy advocates. Using real world examples and interviews with leading decision-makers, we will assess the culture and the process of policy formation from the perspective of those policy advocates seeking to prevail. Our analysis will focus on the effectiveness of the tactics used by competing interests to influence the development by the U.S. Government of contemporary international security policies. Core interests will be practical; the seminar will examine key precedents with an interest more in outcomes and tactical efficacy than academic theory.

Credits: 3 credits

Prerequisites: None

Course syllabi
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Spring '10: Warburg G (file download)

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