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Russia, the U.S. and the Baltics - Interaction in the Past and Present
Study Course Description
Course Description Statuss:Approved
Course Description Version:1.00
Study Course Accepted:06.03.2024 09:16:13
| Study Course Information | |||||||||
| Course Code: | SZF_047 | LQF level: | Level 7 | ||||||
| Credit Points: | 4.00 | ECTS: | 6.00 | ||||||
| Branch of Science: | Politics; International Politics | Target Audience: | Political Science | ||||||
| Study Course Supervisor | |||||||||
| Course Supervisor: | Edijs Bošs | ||||||||
| Study Course Implementer | |||||||||
| Structural Unit: | Faculty of Social Sciences | ||||||||
| The Head of Structural Unit: | |||||||||
| Contacts: | Dzirciema street 16, Rīga, szf rsu[pnkts]lv | ||||||||
| Study Course Planning | |||||||||
| Full-Time - Semester No.1 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 12 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 24 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 11 | Class Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 22 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 46 | ||||||||
| Part-Time - Semester No.1 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 12 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 24 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 11 | Class Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 22 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 46 | ||||||||
| Study course description | |||||||||
| Preliminary Knowledge: | General knowledge of research methods and theories of international relations. General knowledge of the basic principles of foreign relations between the Baltic States, Russia and the United States. | ||||||||
| Objective: | The course will provide students with an overview of the development of US-Russia relations, in the context of relations of these countries with the Baltic States. The content of the course is based on current developments, as well as on those episodes of diplomatic history that allow a better understanding of the strategic choices and political opportunities of the two powers regarding the disposition of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in international developments. The course aims to improve students’ ability to analyse the interaction between the United States and Russia in the Baltic region and the foreign political threats and opportunities that these interactions pose to the Baltic States. | ||||||||
| Topic Layout (Full-Time) | |||||||||
| No. | Topic | Type of Implementation | Number | Venue | |||||
| 1 | Small states and great powers | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 2 | Strategic environment of the Baltic States and behaviour of alliances: 1920 – 1940 | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 3 | Strategic environment of the Baltic States and behaviour of alliances: 1990 – 2020 | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 4 | Main directions of Russia’s Baltic policy from Peter the Great to Nicholas II | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 5 | Evolution of the US global position: the multipolar era | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 6 | Evolution of the US global position: the bipolar era | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 7 | Evolution of the US global position: the unipolar era | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 8 | Analysis of paper trail: Colby Note, 1920 | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 9 | Baltics in US Russian politics during the interwar period | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 10 | Analysis of paper trail: Welles Declaration, 1940 | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 11 | Baltic issue for Stalin and F. D. Roosevelt | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 12 | Baltic as Cold War issue: non-recognition policy and “rhetorical missiles” | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 13 | Analysis of paper trail: Gorbachev’s headache: Baltics and Perestroika | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 14 | Analysis of paper trail: G.H.W. Bush administration and Chicken Kiev politics | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 15 | NATO “non-enlargement promises”: were there any? | Classes | 2.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 16 | What would NATO “non-enlargement promises” mean? Presentations of research paper | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 17 | B. Yeltsin’s Baltic policy: liberalism vs. the ‘Karaganov Doctrine’ | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 18 | The “Democratic Enlargement” Doctrine of the Bill Clinton administration | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 19 | George Bush and Vladimir Putin: NATO’s “Open Door Policy” and its limits | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 20 | Analysis of paper trail: The Coalition of the Willing: Baltic Atlanticism and the Iraq War 1/2 | Classes | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 21 | Analysis of paper trail: The Coalition of the Willing: Baltic Atlanticism and the Iraq War 2/2 | Classes | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 22 | The ‘Reluctant Realism’ of the Obama Administration and the ‘Sphere of Privileged Interests’ of the Medvedev/Putin administration | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 23 | Analysis of paper trail: Biden vs Medvedev | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 24 | Presidents and candidates: analysis of foreign political views | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 25 | Analysis of paper trail: Trump and the allies | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 26 | Trajectory of the development of Russia as a great power and its effects on the Baltics | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 27 | Trajectory of the development of the United States as a great power and its effects on the Baltics | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 28 | Alliances and “spheres of influence” in the 21st century | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Topic Layout (Part-Time) | |||||||||
| No. | Topic | Type of Implementation | Number | Venue | |||||
| 1 | Small states and great powers | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 2 | Strategic environment of the Baltic States and behaviour of alliances: 1920 – 1940 | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 3 | Strategic environment of the Baltic States and behaviour of alliances: 1990 – 2020 | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 4 | Main directions of Russia’s Baltic policy from Peter the Great to Nicholas II | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 5 | Evolution of the US global position: the multipolar era | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 6 | Evolution of the US global position: the bipolar era | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 7 | Evolution of the US global position: the unipolar era | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 8 | Analysis of paper trail: Colby Note, 1920 | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 9 | Baltics in US Russian politics during the interwar period | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 10 | Analysis of paper trail: Welles Declaration, 1940 | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 11 | Baltic issue for Stalin and F. D. Roosevelt | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 12 | Baltic as Cold War issue: non-recognition policy and “rhetorical missiles” | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 13 | Analysis of paper trail: Gorbachev’s headache: Baltics and Perestroika | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 14 | Analysis of paper trail: G.H.W. Bush administration and Chicken Kiev politics | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 15 | NATO “non-enlargement promises”: were there any? | Classes | 2.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 16 | What would NATO “non-enlargement promises” mean? Presentations of research paper | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 17 | B. Yeltsin’s Baltic policy: liberalism vs. the ‘Karaganov Doctrine’ | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 18 | The “Democratic Enlargement” Doctrine of the Bill Clinton administration | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 19 | George Bush and Vladimir Putin: NATO’s “Open Door Policy” and its limits | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 20 | Analysis of paper trail: The Coalition of the Willing: Baltic Atlanticism and the Iraq War 1/2 | Classes | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 21 | Analysis of paper trail: The Coalition of the Willing: Baltic Atlanticism and the Iraq War 2/2 | Classes | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 22 | The ‘Reluctant Realism’ of the Obama Administration and the ‘Sphere of Privileged Interests’ of the Medvedev/Putin administration | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 23 | Analysis of paper trail: Biden vs Medvedev | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 24 | Presidents and candidates: analysis of foreign political views | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 25 | Analysis of paper trail: Trump and the allies | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 26 | Trajectory of the development of Russia as a great power and its effects on the Baltics | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 27 | Trajectory of the development of the United States as a great power and its effects on the Baltics | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 28 | Alliances and “spheres of influence” in the 21st century | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Assessment | |||||||||
| Unaided Work: | Within the module, students will prepare for seminars, read recommended readings and prepare a report and its presentation. The objective of the seminars is to develop students’ ability to justify their point of view; to stimulate activity; to test their knowledge of the topic and the material. The objective of the report is to develop the ability to identify the main problem of the topic; to identify and evaluate alternative arguments and points of view; to present one’s own point of view, explaining and arguing why this point of view is more acceptable and superior to any other. The report must compare all possible alternatives, considering all their weaknesses and strengths. Another objective is to develop the skills to independently research situations and problems, evaluate them and develop solutions. In order to evaluate the quality of the study course as a whole, the student must fill out the study course evaluation questionnaire on the Student Portal. | ||||||||
| Assessment Criteria: | Attendance - 10% Activity and preparedness during seminars - 50% Presentation - 10% Research paper - 10% Exam essay - 20% | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Full-Time): | Exam (Written) | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Part-Time): | Exam (Written) | ||||||||
| Learning Outcomes | |||||||||
| Knowledge: | Using the in-depth knowledge acquired by the study course on the dynamics of historical and contemporary relations between the two centres of global power and the Baltic States between them, students will study how the US-Soviet Union and later US-Russia relations have developed and the impact they have had on the Baltic States, and in particular Latvia. Based on a literature analysis of the experience historical and current of transition processes, students will describe the political, as well political and societal interactions of these countries in a systemic, regional and bilateral dimension. | ||||||||
| Skills: | Students will choose scientific literature relevant to the topic of their independent work on the stages of historical interaction between Russia, USA and Baltic States and its development. Students will critically evaluate ideas expressed in the scientific literature and discuss the interpretation of these ideas in peer presentations. When drafting independent work, students will explain the impact of specific periods of history on cooperation opportunities and modern politics of Russia, the United States and Baltic States and conduct critical analysis of historical problems. | ||||||||
| Competencies: | By analysing interdisciplinary literature and drafting independent work, students will integrate recommendations and new ideas on the possible model of development of relations between Russia, the United States and the Baltic States in the long run. By contrasting the experiences of different countries and the models chosen, students will demonstrate their understanding of methods of comparative politics in practice. | ||||||||
| Bibliography | |||||||||
| No. | Reference | ||||||||
| Required Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | Visa literatūra ir angļu valodā un piemērota gan latviešu, gan angļu plūsmas studentiem | ||||||||
| 2 | “The Colby Note”, FRUS 1920. | ||||||||
| 3 | “The Welles Declaration”, FRUS 1940. | ||||||||
| 4 | George H. W. Bush. “Remarks to the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of the Ukraine in Kiev, Soviet Union”. 1 August 1991, APP. | ||||||||
| 5 | Mark Kramer. "The Myth of a No-NATO-Enlargement Pledge to Russia". The Washington Quarterly, 32:2 pp. 39-61 | ||||||||
| 6 | John Lewis Gaddis. “History, Grand Strategy and NATO Enlargement”. Survival, Vol. 40, No. 2 (Spring 1998), pp. 145-151. | ||||||||
| 7 | Edijs Bošs. “Liberal Hawks, Realpolitikers and Legalists: a Typology of Foreign Policy Positions in Latvia’s Debate on the Iraq War of 2003” in Andris Sprūds, Valters Ščerbinskis, Kārlis Bukovskis (eds.) The Centenary of Latvia’s Foreign Affairs: Global Thought and Latvia (Rīga: LIIA, 2020), pp. 153-167. | ||||||||
| 8 | Charlie Laderman and Brendan Simms, Donald Trump. The Making of a World View. London: I.B.Tauris, 2017, pp. 7-63, 70-79, 90-94. | ||||||||
| 9 | Graham Allison. “The New Spheres of Influence”. Foreign Affairs, March-April 2020, pp.30-40. | ||||||||
| Additional Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | John P. LeDonne. The Russian Empire and the World, 1700-1917. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. pp. 23-88. | ||||||||
| 2 | George Kennan. Memoirs 1925-1950. New York: Pantheon Book, 1967. pp. 3-56. | ||||||||
| 3 | John L. Harper. American Visions of Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. pp. 48-134. | ||||||||
| 4 | Anthony Lake. “From Containment to Enlargement”. 21 September 1993. | ||||||||
| 5 | George W. Bush. “Remarks by the President in Address to Faculty and Students of Warsaw University”. June 15, 2001. | ||||||||
| 6 | Vladimir Putin. “Speech and the Following Discussion at the Munich Conference on Security Policy”. February 10, 2007. | ||||||||
| 7 | Jeffrey Goldberg. “The Obama Doctrine”. The Atlantic, April 2016. | ||||||||
| 8 | Thomas Wright. “The Folly of Retrenchment”. Foreign Affairs, March-April 2020, pp. 10-18. | ||||||||
| 9 | Stephen Wertheim. “The Price of Primacy”. Foreign Affairs, March-April 2020, pp. 19-29. | ||||||||
