Optimists (for example Woodrow Wilson who made the first serious effort to eliminate war as a means for settling international disputes) believe that mankind can learn to manage the world better. Pessimists (such as Machiavelli who dismissed men as “ungrateful, fickle, dishonest and avaricious”) do not. This course asks, in relation to a variety of international political issues, whether we have in fact over time improved our performance or not. An obviously vital question, for example, is whether over 30 years of efforts to tackle global climate change we are really on the way to solving the problem. Similarly, over the 75 years since the first atomic bomb was exploded, have we managed to contain the threat of thermonuclear destruction?
We look at the behaviour of Great Powers in a number of contexts. They often stumble into wars which look easy to win (Vietnam, Afghanistan) but come out disastrously. Have they learnt anything from this experience? The emergence of a new Great Power often disrupts the balance so much that it leads to war (the so called ‘Thucydides Trap’). So how do we handle the rise of China? And making peace at the end of major wars sometimes works (1815, 1945), sometimes emphatically not (1919). Which category does our treatment of Russia at the end of the Cold War fall into? So, Pollyanna or Grinch, the aim is at least to provide you with food for thought.
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes for this course are:
- To provide some understanding of how history sometimes does and sometimes does not inform the making of Foreign Policy
- To ask in the context of three pressing current issues (climate change, global pandemics and nuclear weapons) to what extent recent experience is improving current performance
- To ask to what extent the modern world is so different that it can evade well established historical patterns (the ‘Carthaginian Peace’, the ‘Thucydides Trap’)
Classes
1. “In Victory, Magnanimity”: What not to do when you have won:
What went right in the peace settlements of 1815 and 1945, and wrong in 1919. What does this tell us about 1991?
2. The Thucydides Trap:
Rising powers, from ancient Athens to Imperial Germany, have often brought war. What does this say about the rise of China?
3. Losing Small Wars:
From Vietnam to Afghanistan, “easy” wars regularly produce ignominious defeat. Can this be avoided?
4. Riding the Nuclear Whirlwind:
Since 1945 no nuclear weapon has been exploded in anger. Have we really eliminated the possibility of nuclear war?
5. Climate and Pandemics: pulling together to tackle the big issues:
Have levels of international integration and cooperation now reached the level where we can tackle the big global issues facing us?
Required reading
This course obviously draws far more on a general knowledge of international history and current international affairs than on detailed knowledge of any of the particular issues addressed. The best preparation is to keep up with current international events. The Course Director depends on Foreign Affairs magazine (undoubtedly the best source of thoughtful analytical pieces on all of this), the Financial Times, the Economist and the New York Times. Students will have their own preferences.
Typical week: Monday to Friday
For each week of study you select a morning (Am) and an afternoon (Pm) course, each course has five sessions, one each day Monday to Friday. The maximum class size is 25 students. Your weekly courses are complemented by a series of two daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.
| c.8.00am-9.00am |
Breakfast in College (for residents) |
| 9.00am-10.30am |
Am Course |
| 11.15am-12.30pm |
Plenary Lecture |
| 12.30pm-1.45pm |
Lunch |
| 1.45pm-3.15pm |
Pm Course |
| 4.00pm-5.15pm |
Plenary Lecture |
| c.6.00/6.15pm-7.15/7.30pm |
Dinner in College (for residents) |
| c.7.30pm onwards |
Evening talk/event |
Evaluation and Academic Credit
If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses.
Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £65 per essay.
For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.
Certificate of attendance
A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically within a week of your courses finishing.
