Time Schedule:
Christopher D Jones
SIS 425
Seattle Campus
Surveys the political, legal, and technological history of 20th-century arms control agreements with emphasis on the treaties which ended the Cold War. Examines current issues of law, politics, military strategy, and technology in regard to weapons of mass destruction and related topics in international security.
Class description
Evolution of nuclear security policies in three systems: US alliance system; regional security zones; global treaties on WMD and related international inspection agencies. Also: nuclear weapons policies of Israel, India, Pakistan and North Korea.
Student learning goals
Achieve background necessary for follow-on UW courses on technological issues of arms control and verification; on nuclear energy issues and international non-proliferation safeguards; on national security systems for export controls; on negotiation simulations for security issues
Historical evolution Role of US nuclear weapons in US alliance systems in North Atlantic zone, Asia-pacific zone
Brief political histories of Nuclear Weapons Free Zones in Latin America, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, Africa, Central Asia, Mongolia and proposed zones
Security concepts of nuclear outliers: Israel, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and question of “deep reductions” in the nuclear arsenals of the US, Russia, China, France, UK.
Relationship of nuclear weapons technology to the technology of peaceful civilian nuclear power plants/ advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy vs other energy sources
General method of instruction
Weekly papers/ two review essays/ research paper option. Lectures, discussion
Recommended preparation
Recommended: Background or interest in one or more world regions. Background in natural sciences/technology.
Class assignments and grading
Read texts, write responses and interpretative essays. Points earned are added up to maximum of 400 points
grades based on instructor’s reading of student writing
