Security Studies for the 1990s

The United States is grappling with a new security framework to replace the structure of the Cold War era. American policymakers face a host of challenges, including regional conflicts, ethnic tensions, and weapons proliferation, that commanded little attention in the past. And tomorrow is likely to bring new concerns barely on today's horizon.

Despite these changes, the study of national security remains largely a creature of the Cold War. The security studies discipline needs to be overhauled. But how should it be revised so that tomorrow's citizens and experts are equipped to understand and help manage new challenges?

One option is to downgrade security studies and divert educational resources elsewhere. Another is to redefine the subject to include the study of an all encompassing list of international problems. The third choice is to retain basic definitions, concepts, and subjects, while also making significant adjustments. Security Studies for the 1990s addresses all three options.

This book is the first to reexamine security studies in the post-Cold War era. Scholars and directors from leading security studies programs representing a cross section of viewpoints on foreign affairs discuss what new material needs to be taught and which courses and concepts should be recast. Each chapter provides an indepth review of a major security studies course, proposing needed changes and a model syllabus. Subjects include intelligence policy, global environmental problems, the causes and termination of wars, and collective security. A chapter on the teaching of ethics, a subject often neglected in the past, is also featured.

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