This field examines the sources, conduct and termination of conflict, strategy and statecraft, crisis management, regional security, intelligence, and the emerging spectrum of new and complex security issues.
The course offerings encompass approaches that are both theoretical and policy oriented, as well as historical and contemporary. They reflect a rapidly changing international security environment, focusing on issues such as:
- the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and non-proliferation/counter-proliferation policy
- ethnic, sectarian, and religious conflict
- internal war and state failure
- the management of humanitarian emergencies by alliances and/or international organizations
- the use of military forces in peace operations
- information technologies and security
- the increasing role of ethics in security policy
All students in this field are educated on the role of force in international politics, understanding theory and historical examples as well as the contemporary strategic environment. In support of its course offerings, the program sponsors a senior level guest lecture series, a conference with one of the U.S. military services, a colloquium series, and a crisis simulation exercise.
The International Security Studies field of study requires the completion of a minimum of three courses for MALD and MIB students and four courses for PhD students.