Foreign Policy Research Institute A Nation Must Think Before it Acts International Crisis Management Course – Fall 2022

A nation must think before it acts.

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International Crisis Management Course – Fall 2022

Course Partners

Dan Whitman, PhD, Foreign Service Officer (ret.)

In collaboration with 

Foreign Policy Research Institute, Philadelphia (FPRI)

Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES), George Washington University

Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University

Jack Zetkulic, U.S. Foreign Service Officer (ret.)

 

The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) and partners are excited to announce the upcoming International Crisis Management certificate course for Ukrainian university students.

Application: 

A committee from the partner organizations will select 35 students, who will be candidates for certificates of participation.* The course is free of charge and will be conducted online through Zoom. Others are encouraged to follow the sessions as auditors/observers. Registered students will attend sessions, take notes, maintain weekly readings, and submit 5-6 short reflection papers, an After-Action Report, and a short final project. Estimated preparation time of 4-6 hours per week outside of class. The course calls for 8 hours of work per week, for 10 weeks.

To apply please submit the following to eurasia@fpri.org by August 31, 2022. Those who would like to audit the course are encouraged to register. Please indicate you would like to audit by including “Auditor” in the subject line of your registration when submitting to eurasia@fpri.org.  

  • A brief statement of interest that includes university of enrollment and level of English language proficiency (500 characters maximum)
  • CV/resume 

*Please note, the ideal candidate is enrolled in a Ukrainian university and possesses English language proficiency.

Course Description: Not all human and natural disasters yield “resolution.” Effective planning requires a clear description of the challenge, and a stated vision of the desired outcome, sometimes called the “endpoint” or “End State.” In cases of conflict, planners must understand the motives of the opposing force, even when the latter is committing criminal acts.

The course engages students in simulated task force operations, drawing on real life situations adapted for the classroom.  Scenarios will put the student in the position of analyzing and addressing crisis situations within working groups. Active class participation is essential.

We will follow the “American model” of active participation and experiential learning. While the instructors will “lecture” at times, communal benefit will be highest with active student participation. 

Course Objectives: 

  • Understand the nature and recent history of international politics and conflict. 
  • Gain an overview of theory and practice of foreign policy formulation and implementation.
  • Develop analytical skills needed to assess major global and regional foreign policy challenges.
  • Practice international legal advocacy in peaceful settlement of disputes.
  • Conduct simulations drawn from recent crisis management approaches by the US, UN, and other policy makers. 

Schedule: Sessions will take place Mondays and Thursdays at 1700 Ukraine time (1000 Washington), for 75 minutes. Alternating sessions will include lecture/discussion sessions, usually Mondays; and selected speakers, usually Thursdays.  

Course phases:

  1. Conflict/strategy – Definition and examination of each. From the origins – Sun Tzu, Clausewitz, Tolstoy – to the Grand Strategies of the Cold War (George F. Kennan and “The Long Telegram”) – to the present (Sir Lawrence Freedman).
  2. Simulation – A real-time role play requiring quick research in a simulated crisis. Courtesy the U.S. Department of State’s National Museum of American Diplomacy.
  3. Public Diplomacy – discussion of the history and objectives of “PD,” and demonstrate public information strategy. “Hard, soft, smart power” (Joseph Nye).
  4. Disinformation – tracking the history and technique of disinformation, with available technologies for countering it.
  5. Principles of International Law – to be conducted by professors from Yaroslav Mudryi University, Kharkiv.
  6. Managing an Embassy – a brief history of diplomacy, protocol, intra-organizational communication, management.  ICS process (State Department Integrated Country Strategies for U.S. embassies abroad).