The third part of the course applies these theories to a variety of important issues such as nationalism, ethics, environmental change, security, North-South relations, and trade and development. The course concludes with a discussion of several scenarios of the future that emphasize different trends in international relations. All MSFS students are required to take a workshop during the Fall of their second year of studies. The workshops adopt an action orientation, with emphasis on identifying the basis for decision and recommendation, and on assessing proposed measures in terms of their impact. Workshop participants analyze current international policy issues from an operational perspective focusing on identifying and solving problems via learning techniques such as policy briefings, speech writing, budget analysis and public expression.
Workshops are subject to change from year to year.
After two or three general sessions on the basic historical and current theories and generally accepted practices, participants will study force and diplomacy applied to particular cases or events and examine how these occurrences were employed by particular U.S. Administrations. One key emphasis will be on the decision making and policy process in the United States. Students are asked to analyze current trade policy problems arising in analysis and lobbying. Research papers, concise analyses, and discussions will cover the problems faced by practitioners in the international trade field, preparation of negotiation strategies within governments, the creation and preservation of a domestic consensus in support of national objectives, and the interaction between the negotiating parties. This workshop focuses on business-government relations on international economic issues.