This course offers students a comprehensive guide to twentieth century European political history. It explains the circumstances in which the project of European co-operation began. Students will gain a clear understanding of the main institutions, policies and decision-making processes of the contemporary EU, with a particular focus on EU foreign policy. The class offers a fair and honest apparaisal of the political divisions that exist between influential members of the EU, and a balanced assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the European approach to international relations. There will be several concrete case studies of key events in international politics that have helped to shape the contemporary EU, and which have served to reveal the EU's strengths and weaknesses. These case studies include Rwanda, Bosnia/Srebrenica, Kosovo, the Iraq War, and the question of EU enlargement.
