Great Powers and Regional Subsystems in World Politics

The place and role of the course in the program of study

“Great Powers and Regional Subsystems in World Politics: Cases of the United States and Russia” is the course aimed at providing comprehensive knowledge of global and regional structural trends in the framework of contemporary world order formation. The emphasis is on objective and subjective factors that determine the formation and consolidation of new regional subsystems – in our case, around the United States and the Russian Federation. Since the US is a global power with global projection of its influence, special attention is given to American structural projects, and the world order model. For better understanding, American and Russian grand strategies will be analyzed in detail, as well as the evolution of bilateral relations showing how America’s and Russia’s aims and actions contradict or cooperate in the course of regional and global trends. Suggested theoretical approach is based on the Russian concept of a “regional subsystem” and “great power”. 

Answers will be sought to the following questions: what are contemporary megatrends, and regional trends where Russia and the United States are among the primary players; what are the main incentives for regional subsystems formation in new world order; what is the role of other great powers in this process (for instance, the United States, Brazil, Russia, European countries, China, etc.); what we can say about the sustainability of existing  and new regional subsystems of the West, if any, and of Eurasia – “Small and Greater Eurasia”?

Course aims and learning outcomes

The main goal of the course is to study the United States and Russia as important global and regional players who dramatically influence the formation of the new world order and structural trends at the regional level.

Course objectives are the following:

• to comprehend a Russian theoretical approach to explaining contemporary world order formation and structural organization (regional subsystems);
• to examine the role of great powers, in particular of the United States and Russia, in new regional subsystems and in the transformation of old ones;
• to understand how geographical, economical, ideological and security factors influence processes of structural formation in the world and in the West;
• to analyze the international strategy of the United States after the end of the bipolar world order, and the results of its realization;
• to study the foreign policy strategy of the Russian Federation in its evolution;
• to better understand the situation with and around Russia: of its place in the future of Western and Eastern regional subsystems, and in regional integrationist structures;
• to describe Russian-American relations and their impact on the development of various countries and international development.

By the end of this course students should be able:

1. to explain the main trends in world and regional (Western) structural development;
2. to describe objective and subjective factors underlying regional subsystems formation; to show the roles of the United States and Russia as centers (cores) of corresponding regional subsystems.
3. to characterize American global policy since 1993;
4. to characterize Russian international policy;
5. to characterize “Small Eurasia” as a Russia-centered subsystem; to analyze possible scenarios of its evolution;
6. to describe American-Russian relations and their influence on the processes of subsystem evolution in the West and East.

Course requirements

Students will be required to attend not less than 90% of classes and be prepared for class discussions. Conscientious reading of the assigned materials is a must.

There will be one written test (in the form of an essay) with ample use of the required literature relevant to the topics suggested in class (topics are presented in class on the day of the test; there will be 2-3 topics for choice). The preliminary date is November 20.

Students will be required to prepare 1 analytical paper on the topics of the course (10-15 pages). Papers should be presented in class in a printed version and in an electronic version by e-mail. The preliminary date for analytical papers is December 4.

Students are encouraged to prepare and present oral (PowerPoint) presentations on the topics of the course (optional). Presentations will add additional points to students’ final grades.

The final grade is a sum of the grades for the written test, the analytical paper, and activity at the seminars (presentations)

Academic integrity:

All work that you hand in class must be the product of your own labour for this class. In case there are questions, please come to talk to me.

If you miss a class, you must notify in advance and complete a one-page paper summarizing the readings for the day.

Please come to class with the readings for that day. A reader comprising the required literature will be provided. Additional literature can be found at the Department of Applied Research of International Problems (# 3035, 3036).

COURSE CONTENT

Aims and objectives, methodology, literature, program and forms of control, etc.

General and specific trends in the formation of new regional subsystems in the 21^st century

1. American global strategy after the end of the bipolar world order
2. S. policy of structuring regional spaces
3. Russia’s foreign policy strategy
4. “Small Eurasia” and its peculiarities as a subsystem
5. Russia among great powers of the 21^st Regional organization projects – Eurasia.
6. The United States and Russia in the new world