Georgetown University

Redefining Geopolitical Relationships

(INAF 515)

Fall 2009
Draft as of September 8, 2009
Professor: Senator Chuck Hagel
Research Assistant: Sarah King (smk66@
Tuesdays 4:15-6:05pm
"Nations have no permanent friends and no permanent enemies. Only permanent interests."
--Lord Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston

Introduction
Welcome to INAF 515.
The 21st Century has ushered in a global transformation that is redefining the world order. This
transformation is shifting geo-political centers of gravity and is re-casting geo-political
influences as the world experiences an unprecedented diffusion of power. This course will
examine the above thesis is this in fact happening? Are the six and a half billion people in the
world soon to be eight billion and the nations they reside in, redefining geo-political
relationships governed by the new realities of global challenges? Global challenges such as an
interconnected global economy, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism,
environmental and energy issues, pandemic health threats, poverty, despair, and new
technologies. Are we entering a new era of global engagement and accommodation? Is all of
this reshaping and redefining relationships? This course will focus on a wide-lens optic of global
relationships and its impact on American foreign policy and Americas future.
Scope and Purpose
In this course students will examine the past, present, and future. They will seek to determine
whether geopolitical relationships are shifting, why, and how they may be impacting the world
order. Students will go beyond their survey of scholarly information to draw realistic and useful
conclusions about how organizations (private, public, non-profit, transnational, etc.) and
individuals can best prepare to take on the challenges of the 21st Century.
Students will learn from and consult scholarly research, a variety theoretical perspectives, case
studies, foreign policy leaders, and current events to contribute to class discussions, assignments,
and overall expertise. We will also invite experts and leaders from the international affairs
community to select seminars to provide on-the-ground insight. Beyond acquiring new
knowledge and perspectives, building strong analytical writing and presentation skills will be

important. In and out of class exercises will illustrate key concepts and challenge students to be
thinking, articulate, and conscientious international affairs professionals.

Course Requirements
INAF 515 will employ a variety of mechanisms to allow students to demonstrate their
comprehension of topics and contribute to the classroom community. Graded assignments will
consist of one short paper (5-6pgs15%), one policy memo (1-2pgs10%), one Op-Ed (7501000 words) one oral presentation/briefing and questions for other students briefings (20%), and
a final paper/memo (no more than 10pgs25%). Further, class participation will be critical and
account for 20% of each students grade. The class participation grade will be based on
consistency of quality and quantity, evaluating the students ability to bring in relevant readings,
current events, and personal experiences to augment dialogue. Students will be expected to
create cogent arguments and respectfully challenge their peers, professor, and guests in order to
leave the class with well-developed conclusions about 21st Century geopolitical relationships.
Required Text
Students should purchase the following books:
1) The Age of the Unthinkable: Why the New World Disorder Constantly Surprises Us And What We
Can Do About It, Joshua Ramo
2) Power Rules: How Common Sense Can Rescue American Foreign Policy, Leslie Gelb
3) The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century, George Friedman
4) The Post American World, Fareed Zakaria

*Reading assignments from these texts will not be available on Blackboard

A significant amount of reading will be assigned from the following books. All of the assigned
reading from these books will be posted on Blackboard by the first day of class on Tuesday,
September 8.
1)
2)
3)
4)

World is Flat, Tom Friedman

America: Our Next Chapter, Chuck Hagel
The Second World, Parag Khanna
A Brief History of the Middle East: From Abraham to Arafat, Christopher Catherwood
Administration

Office Hours
Office Hours will be by appointment only due to travel schedules. Please contact Sarah King to arrange.

Blackboard
All reading material beyond the four required texts will be posted on Blackboard. In an effort to use the
most relevant sources, reading assignments will be added throughout the semester. Students will be
notified via email when this occurs.
Assignments

All assignments must be turned in at the beginning of class the day they are due in both hardcopy and via
email to smk66@georgetown.edu.

Assignment

Short Paper

Due Date

Grade Breakdown

September 25 (by 5pm)

15%

October 6

10%

October 20

10%

Individual Date Assigned

20%

Proposed Paper Topic

November 1

--

Final Paper

December 8

25%

Op-Ed
Policy Memo 1
Oral Presentations

Class Participation

20%
TOTAL

100%

Assignment Descriptions

Short Paper: Write a 5-6 page paper reflecting Part I of the class, Defining and Redefining
Relationships.
Op-Ed: Write an Op-Ed for a major newspaper, between 750 -1000 words on one of the following topics:
Oil, Gas, Water, Food, Poverty, Health, Human Rights, Waste, Population, or Climate Change.

Policy Memo: Write one policy memos to the US President, National Security Council (NSC),
Congressional Committee, or foreign government entity. Tailor to your chosen audience. The topic will
be assigned to students at least one week prior to due date.
Oral Presentation: Prepare a briefing to the US President, National Security Council (NSC),
Congressional Committee, or foreign government entity on assigned topic, no longer than 7 minutes.
Your briefing should be clearly tailored to your audience. Be prepared for questions.
Final Paper: Write a research paper, no more than 10 pages, on a topic of your choosing. Email
proposed topic to smk66@georgetown.edu by Nov. 1

Weekly Topics and Reading Assignments

I. Defining and Redefining Relationships

September 8

How do we define global

relationships?

The Next 100 Years, Overture,

Chapters 1, 2, 4

Past, present, and future

Age of the Unthinkable, Chapter 1,

2
The Post American World,
Chapter 1
America: Our Next Chapter,
Chapter 1, 7

September 15

What are relationships based on? What The Post American World,
Chapter 3
structures wield power today and in
the future?
The Age of the Unthinkable,
Chapter 3, 4
States/International

September 22

Organizations/Regional
Organizations
Sovereigntyex. European
Union
Private Sector: resource/trade
institutions, financial
institutionsex. OPEC,
APEC, Stock Exchanges

Global Interactions

Global Trends, 2025 Chapter 6

The Death of Kings, Nick
Paumgarten (New Yorker)
America: Our Next Chapter,
Chapter 12, 13

The Next 100 Years, Chapter 3

The power of media, social

World is Flat, Chapter 5, 13

technology, trade, people-to

people relations, culture

Articles TBA

II. Drivers of Change

September29

Critical Resources

The Second World, Chapter 18

Oil, Gas, Water, Food

Alexei Monsarrat Food, Energy,

and Water Presentation
The Feeding of the Nine Billion:
Global Food Security for the 21st
Century, World Food Programme,
Executive Summary
Facing the Hard Truths about
Energy, National Petroleum
Council,
Executive Summary
Global Trends, 2025 Chapter 4

October 6

October 13

Challenges to Governing

Time for Climate Change

Realism, Richard Haass

Poverty, Health, Human Rights,

Waste, Population, and Climate
Change

Global Trends, 2025 Chapter 2

Weapons, Terrorism, and Non-state

actors

Age of the Unthinkable, Chapter 5,

6, 8
Eisenhower Speech, 1953 Speech
on Nuclear Weapons
Power Rules, Chapter 6, 8
The Post American World,
Chapter 2

III. Authority and Ideology

October 20

What will govern? Sources of Power

Political Ideology:
Democracy, 21st Century
Authoritarianism,
Dictatorship, Capitalism?
Resources
Other

World is Flat, Chapter 15

Power Rules, Part I
In Crisis, Banks Dig In for Fight
Against Rules, Gretchen
Morgenson and Don Van Natta Jr.
A Brief History of the Middle East,

 The Age of the Unthinkable,

Chapter 7

October 27

1) Afghanistan/Pakistan: The Most

Combustible Crossroads

The Post American World,

Chapter 4
American Power Is on the
Wane, Kennedy, Paul

2) East vs. West (Part 1)

November 3

Power Rules, Chapter 12

Why is there a perceived

division?
Is it real?
Middle East

Warfare in the 21st Century

Global Trends, 2025 Chapter 3

The GCC in 2020: Outlook for the
Gulf and the Global Economy
Global Trends, 2025 Chapter 5

Intelligence
Nuclear Weapons
Justice and jurisdiction
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Asymmetric warfare

The Age of the Unthinkable,

Chapter 9
The Next 100 Years, Chapter 6, 10,
11
Articles TBA

November 10

East vs. West (Part 2)

The Post American World,

Chapter 6

Will one side prevail? If so,

which one and why?
Asia

Global Trends, 2025 Chapter 3

The Next 100 Years, Chapter 5
World is Flat, Chapter 8
Rebalancing Relations with
China, Henry Kissinger,
Washington Post, 19 August 2009

IV. Transforming America for the 21st Century

November 17

Imperfections of Foreign Policy

Few good choicesfew

good options

A Brief History of the Middle East,

Chapter 7
Power Rules, Chapter 5, 7, 11
Articles TBA

November 24

Transforming the US Government

December 1

Policy Transformation

December 8

Will structural changes be

required in the USG to meet
the challenges of the 21st
Century?

21st Century Doctrines: Will

the US be forced to be more or
less accommodating to
adjustments in a complex
world?

Spill-over from other classes,

Conclusions and Wrap-up

The Age of the Unthinkable,

Chapter 10, 11
The Next 100 Years, Chapter 12
1961 Farewell Address
(Eisenhower)
Articles TBA
The Post American World,
Chapter 5, 7
Power Rules, Chapter 13
Global Trends, 2025 Chapter 7
America: Our Next Chapter,
Chapter 14, 15
America: Our Next Chapter,
Chapter 16
Articles TBA

INAF 515: Redefining Geopolitical Relationships

Fall 2012
Professor: Senator Chuck Hagel
Teaching Assistant: Michelle Melton (mnm43@
Thursday 3:30-6:00pm
Healy 106
Office Hours
Open daily 8:00 AM 6:00 PM. Meetings are by appointment.
"Diplomacy should be judged by what it prevents, not only by what it initiates and creates. Much of it is a
holding action, designed to avoid explosion until the unifying forces of history take humanity into their
embrace.
--Abba Eban

Scope and Purpose

Pointing to the increasingly global nature of the worlds economy, the proliferation of weapons of
mass destruction, terrorism, environmental and energy issues, pandemic health threats, poverty,
despair, and new technologies, some have argued that a global transformation is underway that is
shifting geopolitical centers of gravity and re-casting geopolitical influences. This course examines
whether the 21st century has ushered in a global transformation that is redefining the world order and
geopolitical relationships. Students will seek to determine whether geopolitical relationships are
shifting, why, and how they may be impacting the world order. The course poses the following
questions:

Is the world experiencing an unprecedented diffusion of power?

Are economic, technological, and demographic transformations in fact having the impact that
proponents claim?
Are we entering a new era of global engagement and accommodation?
Are these new challenges and realities reshaping and redefining traditional political and
security relationships?

This course will focus on the big picture of global relationships and their impact on American foreign
policy now and in the future. Students will learn from and consult scholarly research using a variety
of theoretical perspectives, case studies, foreign policy leaders, and current events to contribute to
class discussions, written and oral assignments, and overall expertise. Students will go beyond their
survey of scholarly information to draw realistic and useful conclusions about how organizations
(private, public, non-profit, transnational, etc.) and individuals can best prepare to meet the 21st
centurys challenges. We will also invite experts and leaders from the international affairs community
to select seminars to provide on-the-ground insight.

Beyond acquiring new knowledge and perspectives, the course also aims to build and hone strong
analytical writing and presentation skills. The course challenges students to be thoughtful, articulate,
and conscientious global citizens.
Course Requirements
INAF 336 employs a variety of mechanisms to allow students to demonstrate their comprehension of
topics and contribute to the classroom community. Graded assignments will consist of:
a short paper (1,800-2,000 words -- 15%),
a policy memo (900-1000 words -- 10%),
an Op-Ed (900-1000 words -- 10%),
an oral presentation/briefing (7 minute presentation -- 20%), prior to questions from other
students
a final paper (2,800-3,000 words -- 25%).
Class participation (20%)

The class participation grade will be based on consistency of quality and quantity of participation and
the students ability to bring in relevant readings, current events, and personal experiences to
augment dialogue. Students will be expected to create cogent arguments and respectfully challenge
their peers, professor, and guests in order to leave the class with well-developed conclusions about
21st century geopolitical relationships.
Required Texts
Students should purchase the following books, as reading assignments from these texts will not be
available on Blackboard:
The Future of Power, Joseph Nye
The Age of the Unthinkable, Joshua Ramo
Monsoon: The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power, Robert Kaplan
The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century, George Friedman
Other readings will be assigned from daily newspapers, magazines, and think tank papers and reports.
All reading material beyond the required texts will be posted on Blackboard. In an effort to use the
most relevant sources, reading assignments will also be added throughout the semester. Students will
be notified via email when this occurs.
Assignments
All assignments must be turned in at the beginning of class the day they are due in both hardcopy and
via email (MS Word format) to mnm43@georgetown.edu.
Unless otherwise indicated, all written assignments should be formatted as follows:
Name, date, and paper title at the top of first page (no cover pages)
Times New Roman size 14 font
2

INAF 515: Redefining Geopolitical Relationships

Fall 2012
One-inch margins and 1.5 paragraph spacing
Page numbers at bottom center of each page
Total word count at end of assignment (text only citations not included)
Assignment
Short Paper
Op-Ed
Policy Memo
Oral Presentations
Proposed Final Paper Topic
Final Paper
Class Participation
TOTAL

Due Date
September 20
October 4
October 18
Individual Date Assigned
November 8
December 7
Ongoing

Grade Breakdown
15%
10%
10%
20%
---25%
20%
100%

Assignment Descriptions
Proposals for all assignments must be sent to Michelle Melton (mnm43@georgetown.edu) for
approval one week before the due date (with the exception of the final paper topic, which is due one
month before the due date). All assignments must be submitted electronically and in hard copy at the
beginning of class the day they are due. Each assignment should address a different topic and region
of the world and should reflect elements of geopolitical change. Samples of each assignment are
posted on Blackboard.
Short Paper: Write a paper (1,800-2,000 words) reflecting on the theme Defining and Redefining
Relationships, that makes up the first section of the course. You may choose to reflect upon the
larger themes of defining global relationships in the 21st century or instead focus on a particular
defining incident or case that demonstrates how geopolitical relationships are currently being
redefined. This paper is meant to be an opinion piece -- please use this latitude to be creative. You are
welcome to draw from course readings, current events, and personal experiences as these support
your arguments. Please use appropriate citations (any citation style is accepted, provided it is
consistent throughout the paper).
Op-Ed: Write an Op-Ed (900-1000 words) for a major newspaper on one of the following topics:
Oil, Gas, Water, Food, Poverty, Health, Human Rights, Waste, Population, or Climate Change.
Citations can be included on a separate page if necessary and will not count against the word limit.
Policy Memo: Write a policy memo (900-1000 words) to the U.S. President, National Security
Council (NSC), Congressional Committee, or foreign government entity on a foreign policy topic of
your choice. Tailor to your chosen audience. Citations can be included on a separate page if
necessary and will not count against the word limit.
Oral Presentation: Prepare a briefing to the U.S. President, NSC, Congressional Committee, or
foreign government entity on a topic of your choice. Your briefing should be no longer than 7
3

minutes, clearly tailored to your audience, and on a topic of your own choosing. Be prepared for
questions and bring a hard copy of your presentation to turn in in class. An oral presentation schedule
will be circulated by the end of the second week of class. Two or three students will present on each
day of class that we do not have a guest speaker.
Final Paper: Write a research paper (2,800-3,000 words), on a topic of your choice. The topic should
be broad and reflect the overall focus of the course.

INAF 515: Redefining Geopolitical Relationships

Fall 2012
Weekly Topics and Reading Assignments
I. Defining and Redefining Relationships
Class 1:
August 30

What is the US role in the

world? And what does it mean
to have power in geopolitical
relationships?
Past, present, and future
Are we moving towards
a multipolar world?
How dispersed is
geopolitical power?

National Intelligence Council, Global Trends 2025:

A transformed world, Executive Summary and
Chapter 1

No Ones World (Kupchan), Ch. 1

Washington Rules (Bacevich), Introduction
America: Our Next Chapter (Hagel), Chapter 1, 7
Nye, The Future of Power, Preface, Chapter 1
Tatlow, Didi Kirsten. BRICS Agitate for a Seat at the
Table. The New York Times. 19 April 2012.

Class 2:
Global Interactions
Age of the Unthinkable (Ramo), Chapter 6
September 6
The power of media,
social technology, trade, Cyber-Mobilization, Audrey Cronin, Parameters
(2006)
people-to-people
relations, culture
Revolution in a Box: Why Television and not
Facebook or Twitter, is going to revolutionize the
world (Charles Kenny), Foreign Policy
November/December 2009

Clay Shirky, The Political Power of Social Media:

Technology, the Public Sphere, and Political Change,

Foreign Affairs

Taiwan President: China Trade Pact Will Help

Peace, Associated Press, April 27, 2010

Class 3:
Are state-to-state relationships
September still the most important?
13
What structures wield power
today and in the future?
States
International
Organizations/Regional
Organizations
Private Sector:
resource/trade
companies, financial
institutions,
corporations, banks,
foundations
Transnational
organizations (drug
cartels, terrorist
organizations, etc)

Age of the Unthinkable (Ramo), Chapter 4

Running the World After the Crash, Foreign Policy
The Future of Power, Nye, chapter 5
Has economic power replaced military might? (Nye)
Naim, Moises. Mafia States: Organized Crime
Takes Office. Foreign Affairs

Another EU to the East? Wall Street Journal, July

13, 2012

II. Drivers of Change

Class 4:
Transnational Problems
September
- Poverty, health, human
20
rights, population, and
Short
climate change
Paper due
- How functional is
transnational governance?
Is it redefining traditional
state-to-state
relationships?

America:

Our Next Chapter (Hagel), Chapter 12, 13

Global

Governance 2025: At a Critical Juncture,

Executive Summary, Introduction, Annexes (all)
(produced for EU Institute for Security Studies and
US National Intelligence Council)

Chapter

3: Potential Consequences of Climate Change

in Trends and Implications of Climate Change for
National and International Security, Defense Science
Board, 2011

Scientific

American, Climate Change Poses Arctic

Challenge for US Navy.

Planet

of Slums, (Davis), Chapter 1, 2

INAF 515: Redefining Geopolitical Relationships

Fall 2012
Class 5:
Critical Resources: Oil, Gas,
September Water, Food
27

The Quest (Yergin), Chapter 11-13, 16

Center for International Forestry Research The

Anatomy of Large-Scale Land Acquisitions in
Africa.

Looks like a lot but most are very

VOA Leasing Land, Leasing Water.
short!
National Intelligence Council report Water
Scarcity.

Class 6:
Weapons, Terrorism, and NonOctober 4 state actors
Op-Ed due

National Geographic Growing Food Demand

Strains Energy, Water Supplies.

Bjorn Lomborg, Environmental Alarmism, then and

now, Foreign Affairs

Reuters, Oil supply surge could risk price collapse:

Harvard analysis 26 June 2012

North America: The New Middle East? (PPT)

Verrastro, Frank The Unconventional Revolution

Age of the Unthinkable (Ramo), Chapters 5 & 8

Dwight Eisenhower, 1953 Speech on Nuclear
Weapons

How to Run the World (Khanna), Chapter 6

Al-Qaida threat declines in global scope, The

Guardian, April 30 2012

III. Authority and Ideology

Class 7:
October 11

What is the source of political How to Run the World (Khanna), Chapter 1
authority? What is the longer
Strategic Vision (Brzezinski), Part 2 The Waning of
term fate of economic and
the American Dream
political liberalism?

Liberal Levithian (Ikenberry), Chapter 1, 8

Nye, The Future of Power, Chapter 7

Magic and Mayhem (Leebaert), Introduction &

Chapter 3

Class 8:
October 18
Policy
Memo due

East and West (Part 1)

Why is there a
perceived division?
Is it real?

Babones, Salvatore. The Middling Kingdom: The

Hype and Reality of Chinas Rise.

Monsoon (Kaplan), Preface, Chapter 1

Halper, Stefan. The Beijing Consensus: How Chinas
Authoritarian Model Will Dominate the 21st Century.
New York: Basic Books, 2010. Chapter 1, 5

Optional: Annual Report to Congress: Military and

Security Developments Involving the Peoples
Republic of China, 2012
Class 9:
October 25

East and West (Part 2)

The Next 100 Years (Friedman), Chapter 5
Is it a competition?
Will one side prevail? Reset (Kinzer), Introduction & Chapter 5, 7, 8
If so, which one and
Monsoon (Kaplan), Chapter 11, 12, and 15
why?
Wong, Edward. Chinas Growth Slows, and Its
Political Model Shows. The New York Times. 10 May
2012.

Walker, Martin. Chinas Bubble.

Optional: Challenges in Solving Chinas Structural
Problems (PPT)

st

Class 10:
Is warfare changing in the 21
November 1 Century?
Intelligence
Justice and jurisdiction
Asymmetric warfare
and counterinsurgency
Cyberwar
The importance of
public opinion
Note: This looks like a lot of
readings, but they are mostly
short

Age of the Unthinkable (Ramo), Chapter 9

The Next 100 Years (Friedman), Chapter 6, 10, 11
Nye, Chapter 2
Snyder, Timothy. War No More: Why the World
Has Become More Peaceful [Review: The Better
Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by
Steven Pinker]. Foreign Affairs

Nakashima, Ellen. China Testing Cyber-Attack

Capabilities, Report Says. The Washington Post.

With Plan X, Pentagon Seeks to Spread Military

Might to Cyberspace The Washington Post

IV. Transforming America for the 21st Century

INAF 515: Redefining Geopolitical Relationships

Fall 2012
Class 11: Imperfections of Foreign Policy Magic and Mayhem (Leebaert), Chapter 5
November 8
Few good choicesfew
The Icarus Syndrome (Beinart), Introduction &
good options
Chapter 8
Final Paper
Topic
Zenko, Micah and Michael A. Cohen. Clear and
Proposal
Present Safety: The United States is More Secure
Due
Than Washington Thinks. Foreign Affairs
Class 12: Transforming the US
The Next 100 Years (Friedman), Chapter 12
November Government
15
Will structural changes Eisenhower Farewell Address 1961
be required in the USG 50 Years Later, Were Still Ignoring Ikes Warning,
to meet the challenges of Susan Eisenhower, Washington Post (January 16,
the 21st century?
2011)
How will future resource
CRS Report: Organizing the US Gobt for National
constraints affect the
conduct of foreign policy Security
and defense?
Odierno, Raymond T. The U.S. Army in a Time of
Transition: Building a Flexible Force. Foreign
Affairs

Gates, Robert. Remarks Delivered by the Secretary of

Defense on Defense Spending at the Eisenhower
Library.
Class 13: Policy Transformation
America: Our Next Chapter (Hagel), Chapter 14, 15
November
Will the US need to
The Future of Power (Nye),
29
employ different
Chapter 6
strategies to achieve its
Fostering Stability or Creating a Monster?
foreign policy goals? If
(Christensen)
so, what will such
strategies be?

Parent, Joseph M. and Paul K. MacDonald.

What is the fate of
The Wisdom of Retrenchment: America Must Cut
American
Back to Move Forward. Foreign Affairs
exceptionalism, and what
role should it play in
future policy?

Class 14:
Spill-over from other classes, America: Our Next Chapter (Hagel), Chapter 16
December 6 Conclusions and Wrap-up
Zakaria, Post-American World, Ch. 7
Final Paper
Magic and Mayhem (Leebaert), Conclusion
due
Eisenhower articles, Washington Post and New York
December
Times
7

The Limits of Force, Chuck Hagel, Washington

Post 9/3/09

Geography Strikes Back, Washington Post, Robert

Kaplan

10

Cyber Security Simulation Scenario

BREAKING NEWS
April 6. 20:00
An unknown entity has conducted a cyber attack on Bank of America and Wells Fargo,
affecting several parts of the nations financial infrastructure over the course of the past
two weeks. Specifically, credit-card processing facilities are hacked and numbers are
released to the Internet, causing 20 million cards to be cancelled; automated teller
machines (ATMs) fail nearly simultaneously across the nation; major companies report
payroll checks are not being received by workers; and several large pension and mutual
fund companies have computer malfunctions so severe that they are unable to operate for
more than a week. The two companies hold over $1.3 billion in deposits.
Analysts believe these attacks will shatter faith in the stability of the financial system,
which is already weak due to the global financial crisis. Citizens are loosing trust in all
parts of the U.S. financial system and foreign speculators are making a run on the dollar.
Although it is unclear who is behind this attack, initial reports indicate this was several
years in the making.

Cyber Security Simulation

April 2010
Context:
Cyber security has become an increasingly relevant international security issue, one that
will only become more pressing in the 21st Century. In the most recent Annual Threat
Assessment, DNI Dennis Blair put cyber security at the top of the list of security issues
the U.S. is likely to face.
The United States confronts a dangerous combination of known and unknown
vulnerabilities, strong and rapidly expanding adversary capabilities, and a lack of
comprehensive threat awarenessSensitive information is stolen daily from both
government and private sector networks, undermining confidence in our
information systems, and in the very information these systems were intended to
convey.
It is not only the U.S. government that fears attack. U.S. companies are keenly aware of
the threat it poses to their businesses. Google has publically condemned the Chinese for
alleged attacks on its system along with other U.S. firms.
Cyber security is a true 21st Century challenge. It crosses all traditional barriers; a
transnational threat affecting governments, the private sector, and individuals and can be
easily perpetrated by state and non-state actors.
Scenario:
The specific scenario that you will react to will be posted on blackboard at 8pm on
Tuesday, April 6 at 20:00
In addition to the specifics of the scenario, you should keep in mind the following:

The role of the private sector and their stake in reducing cyber attacks
The implications for U.S. policy on acts of terrorism and terrorist groups
U.S. domestic politics and privacy issues
The global nature of cyber security threats
The pre-existing policy on Internet Freedom outlined by the Secretary of State

Meetings have and will take place on cyber security. The UN Security Council will
convene a special meeting to address the issue.
Role Play Agenda:
The Cyber Security Simulation will take place over a two-week period, both in and out of
class.
The simulation schedule will be as follows:

April 6

20:00 Scenario is posted to Blackboard

April 6-8

Public statements in reaction to the

scenario are made (you may choose not to
make a statement)

April 8-12

Policy formulation and initial negotiations

April 12

17:00 One page policy/strategy memo due

April 13-20

Carry out your strategy and advance your

agenda; prep for in person meetings (in
class)

April 20*
16:15
16:50
17:25
17:45

Principle Committee Meeting

UN Security Council Meeting
Break
Briefing to the President

Bilateral meetings should occur on the

margins of these discussions.
*A detailed schedule will be released
before April 12.

During the negotiation period you may use any tools that would be commonly used by
the person whose role you are playing, including:
! Statements to the press
! Fact sheets
! Bilateral meetings
! Classified memos
! Lobbying
All pubic statements should be posted to the Discussion Board on Blackboard entitles
Cyber Security Simulation.
You may conduct negotiations via email or in person, by telephone, or any other means
of communication. On all email correspondence, please cc dfakdf;lkasjdf;lkajsdf;kajf

If you negotiate offline, please send an email to your counterpart briefly detailing the
outcome of your conversations and cc dfakdf;lkasjdf;lkajsdf;kajf. Additionally, please
sign all email with your name and your role.
Example Email:
Dear Mr. Smith (National Security Advisor),
Below are the notes from our conversation over lunch today.
-The US and the UK stand together on the importance of cyber
security.
-We agree on X, Y, and Z
-We have differences on point A and B
The next steps we discussed were:
-I will speak with the Minister of Defense
-You will have a meeting with the Secretaries of State and Defense.
Cheers,
Jane Doe
UK Ambassador to the UN)

Objective:
At the conclusion of the Cyber Security Role Play, the goal is to provide Senator Hagel a
Cyber Security strategy and to update him on significant developments of the day. What
are the options on the table for dealing with cyber security threats and future attacks?
What is the recommendation for immediate actions? What is the recommendation for a
longer-term policy?

One Page Policy Memo

Your one page memo should discuss your role in the cyber security scenario, why you are
a stakeholder, what your objectives are, and your strategy for achieving your objectives.

Roles for Cyber Security Simulation

U.S. Principals Committee Meeting

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

National Security Advisor

White House Chief of Staff
Director of National Intelligence
Secretary of State
U.S. Ambassador to the UN
Secretary of Defense
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Secretary of Homeland Security

UN Special Security Council Meeting

9. UK Ambassador to the UN
10. China Ambassador to the UN
11. Russia Ambassador to the UN
12. Japan Ambassador the UN (Also President of the UNSC)
13. France Ambassador to the UN
14. Brazil Ambassador to the UN
15. Turkey Ambassador to the UN
*Note: The U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. will also attend this meeting
Non-UN Security Council Member
16. CEO Bank of America
17. CEO Wells Fargo
18. Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee -!