Foundations of International Security Po

Found of Int'l Security P

ISD Concentration Registration Priority.
This course introduces key concepts, theories, and challenges in the study and practice of international security policy. Drawing on historical and contemporary examples, students will examine the causes and consequences of war, the evolution of strategic thought, and the tools available to prevent and manage violent conflict. The course includes the purposes and limitations of military force, alliance politics, deterrence and coercion, weapons of mass destruction, civil-military relations, cyber threats, and the ethical dimensions of security decision-making. The course emphasizes critical thinking, policy evaluation, and real-world application, preparing students for advanced study in the International Security Policy concentration and future roles in government, international organizations, or related fields. Students will leave with a foundational framework for analyzing security policy and contributing to efforts that reduce the human and strategic costs of armed conflict.

• T 5:35 p.m.-7:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Stephen Biddle
  Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

Foundations of International Security Po

FISP Discussion

Corresponding discussion section for Foundations of International Security Policy.

• W 8 a.m.-8:55 a.m.
• W 9 a.m.-9:55 a.m.
• W 10 a.m.-11:50 a.m.
• W 3:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• W 5:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• F 1:10 p.m.-3 p.m.
• 0 points

Inside the Situation Room

Prerequisite: Course Application.
In an era increasingly defined by geopolitical competition, it is more important than ever for future policymakers to understand why and how foreign policy decisions are made. Inside the Situation Room, co-taught by Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo, employs insights from diverse academic fields—including political psychology, domestic politics, and international relations—and the direct experience of high-level principals in the room to understand the key factors which underpin a nation’s most crucial decisions. This course allows students to engage with a range of case studies and examine decision-making in a variety of historical and contemporary contexts, from the search for Osama bin Laden, to the “red line” in Syria, to negotiating with Iran.

Students will be taught how to analyze and understand the complex interplay between individual psychology, domestic politics, public opinion, bureaucracy, the international environment, and other factors which feed into decisions about foreign policy—from crisis diplomacy to the use of force, signaling and perception, intelligence and its analysis, the deployment of other instruments of statecraft, and more. Through this course, students will think carefully and analytically about how leaders and other actors view the world, how they arrive at their decisions, and how various social, political, and psychological factors shape the policies they devise to promote their interests abroad. For more information, visit: https://www.sipa.columbia.edu/situationroom

• W 1:10 p.m.-2:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Keren Yarhi-Milo
  Wikipedia Info
• 0 points

Inside the Situation Room - Discussion

ISR SIPA Discussion

Required Discussion Section For Inside the Situation Room.

• M 10 a.m.-11:50 a.m.
• M 1:10 p.m.-3 p.m.
• T 10 a.m.-11:50 a.m.
• T 1:10 p.m.-3 p.m.
• M 7:10 p.m.-9 p.m.
• T 7:10 p.m.-9 p.m.
• R 1:10 p.m.-3 p.m.
• Instructor: Lincoln A Mitchell
  Info
• 3 points

Inside the Situation Room - Discussion

ISR ISD Discussion

Required Discussion Section For Inside the Situation Room.

• T 1:10 p.m.-3 p.m.
• T 3:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Jayme R Schlesinger
  Info
• 3 points

Inside the Situation Room - Discussion

ISR Undergrad Discussion

Required Discussion Section For Inside the Situation Room.

• F 10 a.m.-11:50 a.m.
• F 1:10 p.m.-3 p.m.
• R 5:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• R 10 a.m.-11:50 a.m.
• R 1:10 p.m.-3 p.m.
• R 3:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• T 3:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• T 5:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Instructor: Kyle Evanoff
  Info
• 3 points

Inside the Situation Room - Discussion

ISR SIPA Discussion

Required Discussion Section For Inside the Situation Room.

• R 3:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Jayme R Schlesinger
  Info
• 3 points

Russia in the Mideast and the Land of Is

Russia, Israel & Middle E

Scholars, practitioners and observers of the past and present of international relations in and around the Middle East recognize the importance of foreign involvement in the politics of the region. Among those major foreign powers who have intervened in the Middle East regularly throughout the modern period, Russia stands among the most significant but often the least understood. This odd dichotomy of power versus recognition has existed since the last quarter of the 18th Century.

This course provides a wide historical framework for understanding the role Russia has played throughout the Middle East in the modern period, with a particular focus on the Arab-Israeli conflict since the First World War, when the newly established League of Nations approving a British Mandate for Palestine. By design, that decision promised to set the stage for eventual sovereignty for both Jews and Palestinians.

We will study the continuity and changes in the ideologies, policies, actions and impacts of Russia’s successive regimes in this region starting in 1774, when the Russian Empire signed a foundational treaty with the Ottoman Empire, giving it for the first time a diplomatic and physical foothold in the Holy Land.

Through analysis of documents from the period, together with a wide variety of secondary sources from different sides of international interactions and conflicts, the course will analyze how Russia’s practice of foreign policy in the region evolved as its regime transitioned from an imperial autocracy to a revolutionary socialist state in 1917, to a short-lived democratic experiment in 1991, and finally to an illiberal democracy with the rise of Vladimir Putin.

• R 3:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Jonathan Dekel-Chen
  Info
• 3 points

The Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Pa

2-State Sol:Israel & Pale

The two-state solution has been the overarching framework for all peace negotiations regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including in the Oslo Accords (1993) and during negotiations between Prime Minister Barak and Chairman Arafat (Camp David, 1999-2001), between Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas (2007-2009), and between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas (2011-2014), as well as for the “Trump Plan” (2020). Even President Trump’s 20-Point Plan discusses a “political horizon” in which Palestinians will realize their “right to self-determination,” which has been a euphemism for statehood.

This workshop, led by an Israeli and a Palestinian who served as negotiators on opposite sides of the table, will take its participants “into the negotiation room,” with a specific focus on the Camp David negotiations of 1999-2001, which are considered to be the most comprehensive attempt to reach a “Permanent Status Agreement.”

The workshop
will assume a political “directive” to reach an agreement based on the principle of two nation-states for two peoples
and will explore the various implications of such a directive for negotiators and for the agreement, with significant attention on the challenge of bringing into being a Palestinian state.

Please note that the workshop will
not
address the overarching dilemmas regarding “one-state” vs “two-state,” the “viability of the two-state solution” or the reasons for the failure to reach an agreement on permanent status thus far. Also, the workshop will address key issues such as refugees, Jerusalem, economics, and security in so far as they affect the issue of Palestinian statehood. Reading or listening materials will be based on accounts of senior negotiators and on relevant legal texts of agreements, UN decisions, and proclamations by both sides.

This will be a for credit workshop, divided into two full-day sessions, which will be held on two Fridays, one week apart. The for-credit assignment will be assigned in the first session and finalized by teams of students
during
the second session.

• F 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
• 1.5 points

The Intersection of Foreign Policy and D

Israel: Foreign & Domesti

Henry Kissinger remarked in the 1970s that "Israel has no foreign policy, only domestic politics." Moshe Dayan, Israel's quintessential general, observed that "Israel has no foreign policy, only a defense policy with international implications." These statements highlight an enduring question for the Middle East: What explains Israeli foreign policy? How do history, security challenges, ideology, and domestic politics influence Israel's position in a globalized world? This question carries special relevance when considering the war in Gaza. Since late 2023, Israel and the Middle East have been engulfed in a highly consequential conflict, with various actors—Hamas launching the October 7 attack, Iran, the Houthis of Yemen, and Hezbollah. The war is still ongoing, and its attachment to Israeli domestic politics cannot be overstated. The conflict has refocused attention on the history and dynamics of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the decades-long successes and failures in the peace process. We will explore significant episodes that reflect the intersection of Israel's foreign policy and domestic politics, specifically within the context of the Middle East peace process. Analyzing how Israeli politics has shaped major regional shifts over the last four decades, we'll debate whether the predominance of a fragmented political system necessarily leads to a crisis of national strategy or might ensure a more flexible and adaptive foreign policy.

• M 10 a.m.-11:50 a.m.
• Instructor: Nadav Eyal
  Info
• 1.5 points

U.S. Statecraft in Latin America: Power,

U.S. Statecraft-Latin Ame

Overview This intensive two-day workshop examines how the United States exercises power in its own hemisphere, focusing on Mexico, Cuba, and Venezuela, with suppor ng case studies on Colombia and El Salvador. Students will trace each rela onship from its historical origins through the first Trump administra on, when Secretary Pompeo directed the maximum pressure campaigns against Havana and Caracas, the USMCA renego a on, and the 2019 migra on agreement with Mexico, and into the drama c events of 2025-2026: the capture of Nicolas Maduro, the fuel blockade of Cuba, the designa on of cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organiza ons, and U.S. military opera ons against trafficking networks. A dedicated session examines how China, Russia, and Iran operate in the region and complicate every American policy choice. The course emphasizes the interconnected nature of hemispheric security issues, including energy, migra on, narco cs, and great power compe on, and culminates in a high-stakes Na onal Security Council crisis simula on in which mul ple regional crises unfold simultaneously.

• TR 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
• 1.5 points

Rising, Rejuvenating, or Revisionism: Ch

China and the Int'l Order

China’s ascendency or rejuvenation is one of the defining political events in the 21st century. Chinese imprints expand widely on the present Liberal International Order (LIO), ranging from traditional security issues—such as military modernization, maritime disputes, nuclear nonproliferation, and cybersecurity— to non-traditional security areas, such as humanitarian intervention, climate change governance, and human rights. Will China be destined for a “New Cold War” with the US, given its national power, regime type, ideological features, and/or racial and ethnic identities? Could Beijing be accommodated by Washington to escape the tragedy of the “Thucydides’ Trap”?  In this seminar, students will examine the core concepts and theories in International Relations (IR), security studies, and International Political Economy (IPE), and learn to critically apply them to current events. Importantly, students are expected to reflectively juxtapose these theoretical frameworks derived from Western historical contexts with theoretical analysis and empirical cases from Asian epistemic communities, and understand the applicability and validity of conventional IR canons, such as power transitions and security dilemmas. In essence, this course equips students with historical analogies, theoretical tools, and empirical cases to directly get China right, rather than understanding this country as an analogy to European historical experience.

• T 1:10 p.m.-3 p.m.
• Instructor: Zikun Yang
  Info
• 3 points

U.S.-China Relations: Past, Present, and

U.S.-China relations are among the most consequential and complex challenges in the world today. The world’s two most powerful countries and largest economies are at once bitter rivals and deeply interdependent, and their actions have ripple effects felt globally. This IGP short course will examine the evolution of U.S.-China relations from the height of the Cold War to the present moment, drawing on primary and secondary sources to give students a solid grounding in both scholarly and policy approaches to the topic. It will then discuss potential future scenarios for U.S.-China relations between 2026 and 2035 and conclude with a crisis simulation for students to apply what they have learned. This IGP short course will meet over four sessions and consist of readings, lectures, conversations with guest speakers, and active student participation in discussions.

• F 1:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Julian Gewirtz
  Info
• 1.5 points

Data and Conflict

This course equips students for humanitarian, human rights, foreign policy and political risk jobs that require real-time interpretation and analysis of conflict data. The course will introduce students to contemporary open-source data about conflict events, fatalities, forced displacement, human rights violations, settlement patterns in war zones, and much more. Students will learn about how this data is generated, what data reveals, what data obscures, and the choices analysts can make to use conflict data transparently in the face of biases. Then, students will learn introductory skills to visualize a range of conflict data in 
R
 and ArcGIS Pro. The objective is to give students the foundations to go further independently after the course using open-source training material and trouble-shooting portals. Each student will choose a conflict-related policy problem which they will investigate as the course progresses, culminating in a four-page policy brief or an ArcGIS Story Map, along with an explanatory memo.

• T 10 a.m.-11:50 a.m.
• Instructor: Sophia Dawkins
  Info
• 3 points

Artificial Intelligence and Conflict Pre

AI & Conflict Prevention

This course explores how artificial intelligence is shaping the future of conflict prevention. With case studies and insights drawn from real-world applications, students will examine how AI tools are being developed and used to anticipate political, economic, and military trends. Through critical literature reviews and debate-based discussions, the course engages students in the practical, policy, and ethical questions surrounding the integration of AI into peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations. Emphasis will be placed on the role of multilateral organizations, including the United Nations, in guiding responsible and inclusive AI deployment. No technical background is required.

• W 5:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Instructor: Eduardo Albrecht
  Info
• 3 points

Economic Espionage

Intelligence activities are traditionally thought to comprise the activities of a nation state’s intelligence organizations attempting to steal secrets, usually those pertaining to national security, from the organizations of another nation state.  However, intelligence activities have seldom, if ever, been confined to the government sphere.  Most nation states have employed their national intelligence systems to steal privately held economic information from other countries to benefit their economies: many continue to do so. Private enterprises have long employed methodologies associated with “traditional” intelligence to obtain trade secrets from domestic and foreign competitors.  The establishment of a legal and ethical framework to govern this activity –- the discipline of “competitive intelligence’, is a relatively recent phenomenon. 

This course will examine in depth the interaction of intelligence and private sector on these three levels.  Part one of the course will cover economic espionage:  the deliberate targeting of private sector entities by foreign intelligence services.  Soviet/Russian and Chinese conduct of Economic Espionage will be discussed in detail.  A separate class will examine the prevalence of economic espionage among democratic nations, usually considered allies of the United States in both theory and practice.  The U.S. attitude towards economic espionage, and the U.S reaction to the threat, will be the subject other class meetings. The course will then move on to industrial espionage, companies spying on other companies, and its’ more socially acceptable counterpart, competitive intelligence, attempting to distinguish between legal and illegal uses of intelligence by the private sector.

• M 1:10 p.m.-3 p.m.
• Instructor: David Gutschmit
  Info
• 3 points

International Intelligence Systems

Int'l Intelligence System

The collection and use of intelligence have been functions of the state for thousands of years, and an essential element of the national security and foreign policy systems of the modern nation state.  However, it has long been apparent that different states conduct intelligence activities differently.  What accounts for these differences?  Until recently, the secrecy surrounding the activities, structure and impact of the specialized organizations involved in the intelligence process have made them difficult to study on a comparative basis.  Recent advances in the unclassified literature have now made such study possible.   The comparative study of foreign intelligence systems provides important insights into the foreign policy priorities and goals of the states in question, relevant to the work of both the national security and wider foreign policy communities in the U.S. and elsewhere.
 
Moreover, the extent to which intelligence systems reflect the political culture of their host societies is also a subject of interest.   This course will begin with an introduction to intelligence systems as an academic subject.   It will continue with a comparative treatment of several Western and non-Western intelligence systems, to include those of major actors in the international system as well those of small powers.  For each intelligence system, we will examine the historical, institutional and cultural factors that make it unique.  Finally, the course will examine several functional intelligence challenges and compare how these are addressed by different states.  Particular attention will be paid to the identification of pathologies that can have a negative impact on the role of intelligence organizations within a given state, and the reform of intelligence systems to facilitate an appropriate role within a democratic or democratizing society.

• R 10 a.m.-11:50 a.m.
• Instructor: David Gutschmit
  Info
• 3 points

Threat Financing and Anti-Money Launderi

Threat Financing & AML

Threat Financing and Anti-Money Laundering
is a class that provides an overview of the world of money laundering, terrorist financing, and sanctions. It delves into how these areas are handled by governments around the world, especially focusing on the United States and its reach overseas. The class does a deep dive into the realm of compliance programs and the regulations and laws that apply to financial institutions, such as banks, brokerage firms, and investment advisers; to money services businesses, including money transmitters and the hawala system; and to gambling entities, including those that are online as well as casinos. Fines issued to various entities will be analyzed, such as the $3 billion fine imposed upon TD Bank in the fall of 2024, as well as criminal penalties that have been imposed on individuals and entities.

A review of how funds are moved, such as via the transfer of real estate, art, and jewelry, will be conducted. Some guest speakers who handle such issues on a daily basis will be brought in to provide their analysis. In this class, the perspective of law enforcement, regulators, and compliance personnel will be presented.

• M 5:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Instructor: Annemarie McAvoy
  Info
• 1.5 points

War and Captivity

As long as societies have gone to war, commanders have had to consider how they will treat captives. It can be a factor at every stage of a struggle, from negotiations to avert war, tactics and strategy for winning, and post-conflict resolution. And long after the end of fighting, the experience of captivity can continue to shape how people recall and commemorate their history. This course examines how generations of lawmakers, diplomats, military commanders and activists have dealt with the problem of captivity. It will also explore the experience of the captives themselves, as well as their guards, including those guards who themselves were made prisoner after being accused of war crimes. Students will become familiar not just with different kinds of modern conflict, but also the diff`erent disciplinary methods for studying it, from sociology and political science to philosophy and international law.

• T 10 a.m.-11:50 a.m.
• Instructor: Sarah C Kovner
  Info
• 3 points

Seminar on International Strategy

S. International Strategy

This graduate seminar analyzes and compares national security strategies, including military doctrine, alliance policies, and foreign economic policy. The course examines how international structure, domestic politics, and leadership psychology contribute to policy outcomes. Students will explore how different strategies serve as stabilizing or destabilizing forces in the international system.

Specific topics include great power strategies before the two World Wars, American Cold War containment strategy, China's Cold War strategies, and sources of stability and instability since the Cold War’s end.

Students should have a strong background in international relations theory and/or international security. Those without such preparation are permitted to enroll but may find it difficult to keep up with the readings.

• M 10 a.m.-11:50 a.m.
• Instructor: Thomas J Christensen
  CULPA: 2 Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

Engaging Non-State Armed Groups: Lessons

This is a two-day intensive course. Over the past decade, the number of civil wars globally has increased dramatically, driven by a proliferation of non-state armed groups, illicit transnational networks and regional actors. The rise of civil wars has meant conflicts are not only harder to resolve via traditional forms of diplomacy, but also more likely to relapse; in fact, 60 per cent of the civil wars that reached peace agreements in the early 2000s have since fallen back into conflict. As an organization created to prevent wars between states, the UN has struggled to meet the challenges of today’s conflicts, particularly when it comes to engaging non-state actors. At the same time, the UN is often uniquely positioned to make contact with armed groups that may be blacklisted by key member states, and it is often UN peace operations that are best placed to implement strategies to address the various threats they pose.

What are the origins of the growth of today’s form of non-state armed groups and why have they increased in relevance in recent years? How has the rise of rebel and so-called “terrorist” groups affected the character of war today, and what implications does this have for conflict prevention and management? What challenges (and opportunities) do non-state actors pose to traditional forms of conflict resolution, and what can be learned from the UN’s experiences in places like Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mali?

Drawing on a mix of academic literature, case studies and first-hand accounts of those involved directly in UN-led operations in the field, students will explore these questions and grapple with the very real predicaments that face today’s mediators and peacekeepers around the world. By the end of this course, students will have a firm grasp of the core theories and concepts that drive UN engagement with non-state actors, how the UN and its partners have developed strategies in asymmetrical and complex environments, and a practical experience of the difficulties of applying principles to reality.  This course will be of interest to those wishing to pursue academic research on the UN, scholars of critical studies of international relations, and those hoping to build a career in conflict resolution and management.

• SU 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Adam Day
  Info
• 1.5 points

Strategic Communications in Internationa

Strategic Comms-Intl Orgs

Effective communication is critical to the success of international organizations (IOs). Whether securing funding from member states, raising awareness of global challenges, or countering misinformation, IOs rely on strategic communications to fulfill their mandates. As noted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, “strategic communications is central to the success of all our work.”

This course equips students with interdisciplinary tools to understand and support the communications work of IOs. Students will explore the unique structures and missions of IOs, the role of public and digital diplomacy, brand management, and communication for development (C4D). The course also addresses specialized practices such as peacekeeping communications and celebrity diplomacy.

By bridging theory and practice, students will gain the knowledge and skills needed to analyze, critique, and contribute to communications efforts in IOs. The course prepares students for careers in IO communications teams or for policy and academic analysis in this evolving field.

• W 3:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Stefan Tschauko
  Info
• 3 points

Basics of Cybersecurity

The purpose of this half-semester course is to familiarize students with how the Internet and cybersecurity works; to provide a foundation of knowledge for later courses; and to familiarize students with the devices, protocols, and functions of computers, the Internet, industrial control systems, and cybersecurity. This course is not intended to be a computer science course, but to provide the students with the lexicon of cyberspace and the understanding of how hardware, software, and networks fit together to create the Internet experience. We will also illuminate some essential and current cybersecurity policy topics, including privacy and risks of emerging technology.

It is a broader course meant to complement Cyber Risks and Vulnerabilities and other coursework throughout SIPA.

• W 5:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Instructor: Ian W Gray
  Info
• 1.5 points

Cybersecurity: Technology, Policy, & Law

Cybersecurity: Tech, Pol,

This interdisciplinary course explores how technology, policy, and law intersect in addressing complex cybersecurity challenges. Taught by experts in each field, the course examines how different disciplines approach problems such as cybercrime, national security threats, and corporate intrusions. Students will gain foundational knowledge in Internet architecture and computer security, legal frameworks governing cyber activity, and policy strategies for defense and resilience.

The course is structured around four major cyber incidents—SolarWinds, NotPetya, Colonial Pipeline, and Sony Pictures—which serve as case studies to analyze vulnerabilities, responses, and policy implications. A team-based group project will link these “great hacks” to themes in the U.S. National Cybersecurity Strategy, encouraging students to develop interdisciplinary mitigation proposals.

Designed for students with prior cyber-related experience, this course strengthens the ability to think and communicate across technical, legal, and policy domains, preparing students to work effectively on cybersecurity in any professional context.

• T 5:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• 3 points

Cyber Risks and Vulnerabilities

The purpose of this course is to familiarize SIPA students with the function of the internet while focusing on the flaws and vulnerabilities that can be exploited in attacks or impact user privacy.  This course will approach each session in the following manner: discussion of recent cyber events, discussion topic(s) to be covered, and the ramifications when used in the real world.

This course is intended to build on the Basics of Cybersecurity with a tighter focus on specific vulnerabilities and information transmission and how these can be exploited by hackers, criminals, spies, militaries, or business interests.

This course is intended to be an introduction to cyber risk and vulnerabilities and is thus suitable for complete newcomers to the area. It is a big field, with a lot to cover; however, this should get students familiar with all of the basics.  The class is divided into weekly topics; the first five iteratively build on each other, and the others either addressing recent technologies or hosting relevant guest speakers.

Many cyber jobs are opening up with companies that need international affairs analysts who, while not cybersecurity experts, understand the topic well enough to write policy recommendations or intelligence briefs.  Even if you don’t intend your career to focus on cyber issues, having some exposure will deepen your understanding of the dynamics of many other international, privacy, and public policy issues.

• W 5:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Instructor: Elizabeth Cartier
  Info
• 1.5 points

Central Issues in American Foreign Polic

American Foreign Policy

This course examines the sources, substance, and enduring themes of American foreign policy. Part I reviews the rise of American power in world affairs from the 18th Century through the end of the Cold War. Part II provides an overview of the process and politics of American foreign policy making. Part III applies the theory and history of Part I, and the process of Part II, to examine a number of contemporary U.S. foreign policy issues and debates, including America’s two wars with Iraq; its responses to the threat of global terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; what role the United States should play in the world economy, global and regional institutions, and the developing world; and how best to manage a rising China and other emergent challenges.

• T 3:10 p.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Stuart M Gottlieb
  CULPA: 12 Info
• 3 points

Africa at the Table: African Diplomacy i

African Diplomacy-Global

This course examines diplomacy as a tool in crisis response, and in particular how African states use the Security Council, the architecture of the AU Peace and Security system, bilateral relationships, and ad hoc mechanisms as leverage. The cases are the Ethiopian civil war in Tigray, the displacement of African nationals due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the disruption of African food and fertilizer supply lines during the Ukraine and Strait of Hormuz crises. Practitioners with direct experience of these crises will join the class to offer firsthand accounts of how events unfolded and decisions were made from multiple vantage points. The course treats crisis diplomacy as a bargaining process over agenda control, legitimacy, and operational access, rather than as a sequence of formal decisions. Having examined how diplomacy operates across existing institutional channels, the course questions what Africa's agency and its exposure in these crises reveal about the continent's readiness for a more central role in global security, and whether Security Council reform as demanded in the Ezulwini Consensus would meaningfully change the outcomes.

• R 5:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Instructor: Martin Kimani
  Info
• 1.5 points

The Liberal International Order

The Liberal Int'l Order

Where has the international system been and where is it going? This seminar will explore the theory and practice of world order through a close examination of the post-WWII liberal international system. What is the postwar liberal order and how did it emerge? What makes it special? Is it over or just fading? Can and should it be saved, and if not, what might follow it? The class will answer these questions by drawing on various theoretical perspectives. Over the course of the semester, students will conduct independent yet related empirical research projects on the topic, linking history, theory, and contemporary policy.

(Note: This course is open to both SIPA students and to Columbia College, Barnard College, and Columbia GS students. As a prerequisite for admission, students must have taken at least one of these courses at SIPA, Columbia, or Barnard: Foundations of International Security Policy, Current Debates in Global Affairs and Public Policy, or Introduction to International Relations.

• W 5:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Instructor: Gideon Rose
  Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

Psychology of International Relations

Psychology of Intl Relati

If international politics is governed by states as rational as our traditional theories assume, why does it appear so unpredictable in practice? Does this instability reflect the irrationality of decision-makers, or does it suggest that conventional theories have misunderstood the nature of rationality itself? This course begins from a simple but consequential premise: like all forms of politics, international politics is ultimately shaped by human beings. Although this observation may seem self-evident, its implications have often been overlooked because the state, rather than the individual, has traditionally served as the primary unit of analysis in international relations. The course therefore asks how a deeper understanding of the workings of the human mind can enrich our explanations of international conflict, cooperation, war, and peace.

The course explores the growing field of psychological approaches to international relations, examining how insights from psychology can refine existing theories and generate new explanations of international politics. Rather than surveying the field as a series of discrete topics, it is organized around a sequence of interconnected questions, with each week building on the problems raised in the previous one.

• R 1:10 p.m.-3 p.m.
• Instructor: Jiyoon Kim
  Info
• 3 points

Conflict in the 21st Century: Rethinking

21st Century Conflict

This course explores how contemporary conflict is changing and how conflict prevention and resolution strategies must evolve in response. Through case studies and practitioner insights, students examine shifting conflict dynamics, the role of international institutions, and a range of peacebuilding tools—from mediation and state-building to justice and sanctions. Emphasis is placed on ethical dilemmas and operational challenges in real-world contexts. No prerequisites are required, though prior exposure to conflict studies is beneficial.

• W 10 a.m.-11:50 a.m.
• Instructor: Jean-Marie Guehenno
  Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

Islam, Judaism, and the Israeli-Palestin

This course seeks to help students learn
how
to think, not
what
to think – we pursue fuller thinking by drawing on the broadest range of evidence from right and left, Arab, Israeli and Palestinian, Jewish and Muslim, and others. No questions are banned: all perspectives are open to challenge. What tools are required to engage, understand and be involved with improving the Israeli-Palestinian issue by acquiring greater intelligence, nuance, and awareness of the claims and sensitivities of both sides? Too often, American and European policymakers bring our own biases and blind-spots to the negotiating table, and do not understand the beliefs of local nations. Which leads to the question: How do policy practitioners help participants in the conflict move forward, while taking seriously the claims and cultures of the people involved? This course respects and meets the people involved in the conflict in their words, narratives, and deeds. The longest war in the Middle East is not only about that region: American university campuses, political parties, and different communities are being torn apart by slogans of “Zionism is racism”, “white colonial settlements”, “apartheid”, “globalize the Intifada”, and “Islam is terrorism”. Why does this conflict matter so much? How do we approach it with intellectual honesty, empathy, openness, facts and mutual respect?

• T 8 a.m.-9:50 a.m.
• Instructor: Ed Husain
  Info
• 3 points

The U.S. Role in World Affairs, I

Open to International Fellows Program Only .
This course serves as the foundation of the International Fellows Program (IFP), a year-long, interdisciplinary seminar examining the evolving role of the United States in global affairs. Drawing on history, policy, and current debates, the course explores how U.S. leadership has been shaped by ideology, military power, economic interests, and domestic politics—and how that role is being redefined amid global shifts and great power competition. Students will analyze key moments in American foreign policy, engage critically with foundational documents, and assess competing national security strategies in an election year context. Structured around weekly readings and team-led discussions, the course emphasizes active participation, policy application, and peer debate. The fall semester focuses on three core dimensions of U.S. foreign policy: human rights and values, the use of force, and transnational economic interests. IFP Fellows are expected to contribute meaningfully to class dialogue and leadership throughout the semester.

• R 1:10 p.m.-3 p.m.
• Instructor: Victoria Nuland
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• 3 points