Video and Multimedia

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Audio

Frontline Podcast: The Rise of ISIS
This audio podcast discusses the origins and goals of the terrorist group ISIS, paying particular attention to the miscalculations by Western governments and militaries that allowed it to happen. (The Frontline website also has a video version of this as an alternative.)

  1. Can one state bring about a fundamental change in another state’s government? Why or why not?
  2. Did ISIS begin from a systemic, domestic, or individual level? Explain your choice.

An Interview with Kenneth Waltz

This is a lengthy interview with Prof. Kenneth Waltz, whose work provides the basis of modern realist theory. Throughout the interview, Waltz discusses his personal experiences as well as the way international relations evolved as an academic discipline.

Reevaluating U.S. Policy Toward Iran
Ambassador Chas Freeman, senior fellow at Watson, and Dr. Michael Rubin, AEI foreign policy scholar, discuss US policy toward Iran. The conversation focuses on the Joint Policy Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), counter-terror efforts, and future of U.S. involvement in the Middle East.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on U.S. Relationship, Travel Ban, Syrian Crisis, ISIS
NBC’s Richard Engel speaks with Javad Zarif, Iran’s Foreign Minister, on a wide number of topics related to the United States’ relationship with Iran, including Trump’s travel ban, the Syrian crisis, ISIS, and the nuclear deal implemented during the Obama Administration.

Debating US Intervention in Syria
From Fareed Zakaria’s GPS on CNN, this is a brief exchange between Prof. Anne-Marie Slaughter and Richard Haass on whether (and how) to intervene in the Syrian civil war.

Web Resources:

The US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs

The US Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs
These Web sites allow you to read House and Senate resolutions and speeches, learn about the committees’ members, and watch live Webcasts of their meetings.

The American Political Science Association
The American Political Science Association is a major professional organization for the study of political science (including the study of international affairs). Its website contains information on the role of political science in academics, government, and politics, as well as information on its publications and conferences.

UN Security Council
Under the Charter, the Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. It has 15 Members, and each Member has one vote. Under the Charter, all Member States are obligated to comply with Council decisions. The Security Council takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression. It calls upon the parties to a dispute to settle it by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement. In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security. The Security Council also recommends to the General Assembly the appointment of the Secretary-General and the admission of new Members to the United Nations. And, together with the General Assembly, it elects the judges of the International Court of Justice.