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Depauw University Department of Political Science International Terrorism DePauw University Department of Political Science International Terrorism POLS 390A Sunil K. Sahu [email protected] Spring 2017 Asbury 108A TTh 10:00-11:30 Hours: M 2:00-4:00, TTh 4:00-5:00 and by appointment Asbury 117 Web site: http://fs6.depauw.edu:50080/~sahus/ SYLLABUS A Short Description: President Trump’s January 29, 2017 controversial Executive Order to temporarily ban Muslims from seven majority-Muslim nations (Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen) from entering the United States is part of the new administration’s pledge to wage a more aggressive campaign against terrorist groups worldwide. Terrorism has been a major security concern for the United States and NATO allies for more than fifteen years. While the U.S. fought two wars (Afghanistan and Iraq) following the 9/11 attacks, killed Osama Bin Laden (in 2011), and significantly degraded al Qaeda, a new terrorist group, ISIS, more violent and brutal than al Qaeda, proclaimed a worldwide caliphate in June 2014 and now controls parts of Syria and Iraq. This course is designed to understand the phenomenon of contemporary terrorism, its cause, consequence, and the security challenge it poses to Western democracies, especially the United States. I have multiple objectives in this course. First, we will examine various definitions of terrorism and distinguish between political suicide, religious fanaticism, fighting for political freedom, and state-sponsored terrorism. Second, we will study the difference between state-sponsored terrorism during and after the Cold War. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union employed terrorism as a form of low-intensity warfare to advance its interests at the expense of the United States and other Western democracies. After the end of the Cold War, state sponsors of terrorism (Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria) have backed terrorist acts intended to drive the United States out of strategically important regions, humiliate its military forces, and undermine governments and political movements friendly to the United States. Third, we will analyze the motivations behind the terrorist attacks against the United States in the last twenty-five years–World Trade Center in 1993, embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, USS Cole in Yemen in October 2000, and the World Trade Center and Pentagon in 2001. In particular, we will analyze the factors that led to the tragic attack of 9/11 and enquire whether such an attack could have been prevented and explain why the Arab world, home to five percent of the world’s population, is responsible for 45 % of global terrorist attacks. Fourth, we will examine the reasons why, in the last quarter of a century, anti-American feelings have intensified in the developing world, especially in the Islamic world, and the connections, if any, between United States foreign policy and globalization and growing terrorism. Fifth, we will study the motivations, objectives, and strategies of selected terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State (ISIS), Taliban (Afghanistan/Pakistan), Al-Qaeda (Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza is now on the U.S. government list of “Specially Designated Global Terrorists”), Abu Nidal Organization (AN), HAMAS (Islamic Resistance Movement), Hezbollah (Party of God), Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path), Tamil Eelam (Tamil Tigers), Abu Sayyaf (Philippines), Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Boko Haram (Nigeria), Jaish-e- Muhammad, and al Shabab (Somalia). Sixth, we will evaluate America’s antiterrorism policy since 9/11, specifically the Bush and Obama administrations’ offensive and defensive measures, especially in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Middle East. We will decipher the Trump administration’s approach to fighting ISIS and other terrorist groups. International Terrorism (POLS 390A) 2 Spring 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Finally, we will explore the phenomenon of modern terrorism within the framework of international relations theory on war and peace. We will also examine the impact of the Arab spring/uprising on the future of terrorist organizations such as ISIS, Taliban, al Qaeda, Hamas and al Shabab. Learning Objectives 1. To think critically about important issues in terrorism; 2. To realistically assess threats of terrorism; 3. To recognize present and future security threats posed by terrorist groups to the U.S. and its allies; 4. To learn about different responses to terrorism and approaches to counterterrorism; 5. To evaluate the effectiveness of America’s response to Islamic terrorism since 9/11; 6. To understand the non-military dimensions of counterterrorism; and 7. To recognize that winning the “war on terror” would look very different from winning a conventional war involving nation states. Required Books and Other Readings: 1. John Esposito, Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam, Oxford University Press, 2002. 2. Sumit Ganguly, Conflict Unending: India-Pakistan Tensions Since 1947, Columbia University Press, 2002. 3. Robert A. Pape and James K. Feldman, Cutting the Fuse: The Explosion of Global Suicide Terrorism and How to Stop It, University of Chicago Press, 2010. 4. Jonathan R. White, Terrorism and Homeland Security, Ninth Edition, Cengage Learning, 2017. 5. Other required readings will be available on Moodle. 6. You are expected to keep informed about current affairs, especially developments related to the United States’ effort to counter Islamic terrorism. I will therefore be assigning articles from the New York Times regularly, and you are required to take a Monday and Friday subscription. (The student subscription through the Bloomington News will cost $21.00 for the semester.) You will also benefit from watching television or CNN evening news programs and from listening to National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered" (Daily on 103.7 FM, at 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., respectively). COURSE REQUIREMENTS Exams (45%): There will be two exams––a mid-term on March 14 and a final on May 17. The mid-term exam will account for 20% of your final grade; the final exam will account for 25% of your final grade. Both exams will consist of essay, short answer, and definition questions; they will test your knowledge and understanding of the lectures, required readings, current affairs, and other material discussed in class. Research Paper and Outline (25%): You will write an 8-page research paper in which you are expected to explore and analyze a topic related to the course. You will select the topic in consultation with me and submit a 2-page outline by March 7; the outline will include an annotated bibliography of six sources and is worth 5%. The paper, worth 20%, is due in class on April 25. The paper will be judged by its organization, clarity, logic, and sense of evidence, as well as imagination and original thinking. It will require extensive library and Internet research. Instructions for writing the paper are also available at http://www.sfu.ca/politics/essays.html. You should pay close attention to the selection of topic and construction of a research paper sections. This Web site also provides a useful link to Guide to Citations of Electronic Source Materials. The DePauw University Libraries research guide website contains helpful information about finding sources, style guides, fact sources, etc. The URL is: http://acad.depauw.edu/~reflib/political.htm International Terrorism (POLS 390A) 3 Spring 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Presentation (10%), Class Participation (10%) , Group Project (Poster Presentation, 10%) You are expected to participate in the debate and in assigned individual and group activities. In the presentation, you will (1) provide a summary and critical analysis of the assigned readings and (2) lead class discussion on the topic of the day. More details about the group project will be provided in the organizational meeting. ADA Compliance. In compliance with the American Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which prohibit discrimination based on disability, DePauw University is committed to providing equal access to academic programs and university-administered activities and reasonable modifications to students with disabilities. Questions regarding the University’s policy for students with disabilities, documentation of the disability and requests for modifications should be directed to the Coordinator of Student Disabilities Services, 302 Harrison Hall (765-658-6267). Academic Integrity. I will follow the university policy on academic integrity and plagiarism, as stated in The Student Handbook. Academic integrity refers to the ethical standards and policies that govern how people work and interact in the academic enterprise at a college or university. These standards and policies attempt to do more than define and condemn what is wrong or unethical; they also attempt to provide a foundation for the mutual trust and individual responsibility necessary in a healthy academic community. Both faculty members and students have the responsibility of upholding the principles of academic integrity. Faculty and staff members should create an environment in which honesty is encouraged, dishonesty discouraged and integrity is openly discussed. Plagiarism Using the words or ideas of another writer without attribution, so that they seem as if they are your own. Plagiarism ranges from copying someone else’s work word for word, to rewriting someone else’s
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