U.S.-European Relations: From the End of the Cold War to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine
Week 9 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Hultquist 201 | Ages 16+
How did we get from aspirations of a Europe "whole, free and at peace" at the Cold War's end to some of the worst fighting in Europe since World War II? This course will address that question by taking students decade by decade from the heady days of the 1990s when even Russia was considering NATO membership, to Russian President Vladimir Putin playing the nuclear card to warn NATO to stay out of his conquest of Ukraine. Students will use articles from Foreign Affairs to discuss why Allied leaders made the decisions they did as they dealt with crises from the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Ukraine.
James Townsend
B.A., Duke Univ.; M.A., U.S. foreign policy, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. 34 years in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, completing career as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Policy; since 2020, teaching U.S.-European relations at SciencesPo Paris. Frequent guest lecturer, including National Defense Univ., Air Force Academy, Foreign Service Institute, American Univ.