International Relations since 1918 - JTB119

• Anglický název: International Relations since 1918
• Český název: Mezinárodní vztahy po roce 1918
• Zajišťuje: Katedra severoamerických studií (23-KAS)
• Fakulta: Fakulta sociálních věd
• Platnost: od 2025
• Semestr: zimní
• E-Kredity: 6
• Způsob provedení zkoušky: zimní s.:
• Rozsah, examinace: zimní s.:2/0, Zk [HT]
• Počet míst: 10 / neurčen (24)
• Minimální obsazenost: neomezen
• 4EU+: ne
• Virtuální mobilita / počet míst pro virtuální mobilitu: ne
• Kompetence: critical thinking
• Stav předmětu: vyučován
• Jazyk výuky: angličtina
• Způsob výuky: prezenční
• Poznámka: předmět je možno zapsat mimo plán; povolen pro zápis po webu; při zápisu přednost, je-li ve stud. plánu
• Garant: doc. PhDr. Jan Hornát, Ph.D.
• Vyučující: doc. PhDr. Jan Hornát, Ph.D.
• Třída: Courses for incoming students
• Prerekvizity : {Skupina prerekvizit pro BP_HAS - 2. ročník}
• Ve slož. prerekvizitě: JTB122, JTB123, JTB124, JTB125, JTB126, JTB127, JTB128, JTB129

Anotace

čeština

Konec první světové války představoval příležitost k obnovení základů mezistátních vztahů a rozšíření principů mezinárodního práva. Nový řád se však rozpadl ještě dříve, než se jeho přednosti mohly projevit v praxi. V období mezi válkami tak došlo k poněkud chaotickým pokusům o zavedení vlády práva do mezinárodních vztahů a o nastolení stability v nespokojených národech, které se po válce cítily ponížené. Nerozřešené hraniční otázky, které vedly k rozptýlení národnostních menšin po celé Evropě, protekcionistické obchodní bloky a expanzivní politické ideologie vedly svět k další velké válce s katastrofálními důsledky. Pokus o obnovení globálního řádu byl zahájen ještě před koncem druhé světové války, ale jeho plné fungování bylo opět brzděno vznikající bipolaritou. Studená válka představovala bezprecedentní éru ideologické soutěže a rivality, která se projevovala mj. v proxy válkách, satelitních státech a nepřátelských aliancích. Revoluční vlna konce 80. let ve východní Evropě zaskočila Spojené státy a umožnila Washingtonu vytvořit svůj „unipolárnímu momentu“ a prosazovat svou verzi globální spolupráce založenou na multilateralismu a demokracii. Hegemonické postavení USA se dále posílilo v rámci války proti terorismu po 11. září, ale zároveň bylo stále více zpochybňováno rostoucími mocnostmi s revizionistickými postoji. Více než 100 let po skončení první světové války jsou mezinárodní vztahy stále v pohybu – geopolitické dopady pandemie Covid-19, stále více dovnitř zaměřená zahraniční politika USA a globální ambice Číny znamenají, že mezinárodní systém se stále vyvíjí a k pochopení jeho kontur a dopadů na globální stabilitu a mír je zapotřebí značná míra odborných znalostí a analýzy.

Poslední úprava: Hornát Jan, doc. PhDr., Ph.D. (16.09.2025)

angličtina

The end of World War I presented an opportunity to rebuild the foundations of interstate relations and international law. However, the new order fell apart even before its merits could have been discovered in practice. The interwar period thus presented a rather chaotic attempt to implement the rule of law in international relations and bring stability to the otherwise frustrated nations that felt belittled in the war’s aftermath. The unsettled border issues that left national minorities dispersed across Europe, protectionist trading blocs and expansionist political ideologies led the world into another great war with catastrophic consequences. The attempt to rebuild the global order was launched even before WWII ended, but – again – its full operation was hindered by the emerging bipolarity. The Cold War presented an unprecedented era of ideological competition and rivalry, which manifested itself in proxy warfare and the maintenance of satellite states, alliances and even “empires” by the two major powers. The revolutionary momentum of the end of the 1980s in Eastern Europe caught the United States by surprise and permitted Washington to face its “unipolar moment” and promote its version of global cooperation based on multilateralism and democracy. The hegemonic position of the US was further amplified in its post-9/11 War on Terror, but at the same time it was increasingly challenged by rising powers with revisionist attitudes. Over 100 years since the end of WWI, the state of international relations is still in flux – the geopolitical impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the increasingly inward-facing US foreign policy and China’s global ambitions signify that the international system is still evolving and requires a notable level of expertise and analysis to understand its contours and implications for global stability and peace.

Poslední úprava: Hornát Jan, doc. PhDr., Ph.D. (15.09.2025)

Cíl předmětu

The aim of the course is to introduce students to the most pressing issues and problems in international relations since the year 1918. The examined events will not be studied in isolation but historically and theoretically contextualized. Emphasis will be placed on observing how past events shape contemporary world affairs and practice of international politics. The course will also give students an introduction to basic international relations theories and concepts, which will help students analyze course themes.

Each session will consist of two parts. In the first half of each session, we will discuss the mandatory readings and related concepts (active participation of students is mandated). The second part of each session will involve a lecture chronologically exploring the major developments in each decade since 1918.

Poslední úprava: Hornát Jan, doc. PhDr., Ph.D. (15.09.2025)

Podmínky zakončení předmětu

Terms of passing the course

1.      Students will be required to read assigned texts and participate actively in discussions - this will constitute 10 % of the overall grade.

 

2.      Virtual diplomatic chat with artificial intelligence. Students will conceive a prompt that will unveil a virtual conversation of current or historical political leaders. They will then critically assess the output of the AI model in a 1000 to 1200-word essay (excluding prompt and AI generated text).

         Examples of prompts:

         "You are Czechoslovak president Edvard Beneš and you are writing a letter to British Prime minister Neville Chamberlain concerning the just negotiated Munich agreement. Explain your concerns and frustrations with the agreement."

         "You represent the current government of China as an ambassador in the United States and you are in conversation with the US trade representative. Present your counterarguments for the US imposing a 10% tariff on all imports from China."

 

This activity will constitute 30 % of the overall grade (due date: 10 November 2025; 23:59). Late submission of midterm essay: -2 points/day.

The essay will be handed in via Turnitin: https://library.cuni.cz/services/turnitin/

Class ID: 50088018

Enrollment key: see syllabus

3.      At the end of the semester, students will complete a final test with multiple choice and open-ended essay questions based on readings, lectures and in-class discussions - this will constitute 60 % of the overall grade.

 

Students need to gain at least 50% in each assignment to pass the course.

 

Grading

100 - 91 points: A

90 - 81 points: B

80 - 71 points: C

70 - 61 points: D

60 – 50 points: E

less than 50 points: F (fail)

More in SMĚRNICE S_SO_002: Organizace zkouškových termínů, kontrol studia a užívání klasifikace A–F na FSV UK.

 

Class ethics

(A) Any use of primary and secondary texts and generative AI in essays must be acknowledged. Such use must meet the following conditions:

1. the beginning and end of the quoted passage must be shown with quotation marks;
2. when quoting from periodicals or books, the name(s) of author(s), book or article titles, the year of publication, and page from which the passage is quoted must all be stated in footnotes or endnotes;
3. internet sourcing must include a full web address where the text can be found as well as the date the web page was visited by the author.

(B) In case the use of any texts other than those written by the author is established without proper acknowledgment as defined in (A), the paper will be deemed plagiarized and handed over to the Disciplinary Commission of the Faculty of Social Sciences.

(C) Every absence must be reported to me via email. If you miss more than two seminars during the semester, you will be assigned compensatory work.

 

Poslední úprava: Hornát Jan, doc. PhDr., Ph.D. (07.09.2025)

Literatura

• Mary Nolan, The Transatlantic Century: Europe and America, 1890–2010 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012).
• Geir Lundestad, "Empire" by Integration: The United States and European Integration, 1945-1997 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998).
• Henry Kissinger, World Order: Reflections on the Character of Nations and the Course of History (New York: Penguin, 2014).
• Brendan Simms, Europe: The Struggle for Supremacy, 1453 to the Present (New York: Allen Lane, 2013).
• David Reynolds, The Long Shadow: The Great War and the Twentieth Century (New York: W.W. Norton, 2014).
• Richard N. Haass, War of Necessity, War of Choice: A Memoir of Two Iraq Wars (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2009).
• John G. Ikenberry, Liberal Leviathan: The Origins, Crisis, and Transformation of the American World Order (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2011).
• Scott Burchill et al., Theories of International Relations 5th ed. (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013).

Poslední úprava: Hornát Jan, doc. PhDr., Ph.D. (15.09.2025)

Metody výuky

Part lecture/part seminar

Each session will consist of two parts. In the first half of each session, we will discuss the mandatory readings and related concepts (active participation of students is mandated). The second part of each session will involve a lecture chronologically exploring the major developments in each decade since 1918.

Rules for using generative artificial intelligence tools:

• A mandatory part of any paper is a statement about the use of generative artificial intelligence tools (chatbots) in its preparation. If it is missing or incomplete, the paper may be considered plagiarized. Whenever you use text generated by a generative AI, you must indicate this in your paper and cite the tool.
• AI may only be used as a tool for obtaining and processing information, not as a means of generating entire papers or substantial parts thereof (except where explicitly indicated by the instructor):
  • You are free to use AI tools for language corrections.
  • You are free to use generative AI for preparatory tasks (brainstorming and generation of ideas, search for relevant literature).
  • You may not use, however, any generative AI tool for the generation of the text you are submitting and claiming to be its author.
• The student is responsible for any errors in the text, not the AI tool used. It is the student's responsibility to verify the accuracy of all generated information and sources.
• Further recommendations regarding the use of generative artificial intelligence at Charles University are available at https://ai.cuni.cz/AIEN-13.html

 

Poslední úprava: Hornát Jan, doc. PhDr., Ph.D. (24.09.2025)

Sylabus

Syllabus 2025/2026

1.      Introduction (2.10.2025)

Themes: Course schedule and requirements

2.      How to understand state behavior?/1920s (9.10.2025)

Discussion: theories of international relations; foresight in international affairs

Mandatory readings:

Snyder, Jack (2004), "One World, Rival Theories". Foreign Policy, 145, 53–62.

3.      Global orders/1930s (16.10.2025)

Discussion: How and when are orders formed and by whom? What constitutes an “order” and what are the main characteristics of the liberal international order? What are the alternatives to the current order?

Mandatory reading: 

Ikenberry, G. John (2016), "The Rise, Character, and Evolution of International Order", in Orfeo Fioretos, Tulia G. Falleti, and Adam Sheingate (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Historical Institutionalism (Oxford Academic).

4.      International trade (wars)/1940s (23.10.2025)

Discussion: Spillovers of domestic economic crises; global economic crises; trading blocs and supply chains; the Great Depression; the financial crisis of 2008; tariffs

Mandatory reading: 

Chase, Kerry A. (2004), "Imperial Protection and Strategic Trade Policy in the Interwar Period.” Review of International Political Economy 11 (1): 177–203.

5.      Territorial disputes/1950s (30.10.2025)

Discussion: borders; spheres of influence; border arbitrations; minorities; South China Sea; the Arctic; Helsinki Acts

Mandatory reading: 

Jackson, Van (2020), "Understanding spheres of influence in international politics". European Journal of International Security 5 (3):255-273.

6.      (De)colonization/1960s (6.11.2025)

Discussion: colonialism new and old – neocolonialism; dependency; world-system analysis; trusteeship; resource exploitation; development aid

Mandatory reading: 

Friedman, Jeremy (2010), “Soviet policy in the developing world and the Chinese challenge in the 1960s”, Cold War History 10 (2): 247-272.

7.      Interventions/1970s (13.11.2025)

Discussion: proxy wars; Cold War conflicts – Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan; current conflicts – Syria, Yemen, Ukraine

Mandatory reading: 

Reuveny, Rafael and Aseem Prakash (1999), “The Afghanistan war and the breakdown of the Soviet Union”, Review of International Studies 25 (4): 693-708.

8.      Transitions/1980s (20.11.2025)

Discussion: democratization; authoritarianism; elections; executive aggrandizement

Mandatory reading: 

Søndergaard, Rasmus Sinding (2015), "Bill Clinton’s ‘Democratic Enlargement’ and the Securitisation of Democracy Promotion", Diplomacy & Statecraft 26 (3): 534-551.

9.   Class cancelled (27.11.2025)

10. Status/1990s (4.12.2025)

Discussion: soft power; sports and health diplomacy; respect and recognition in IR

Mandatory reading: 

Larson, Deborah Welch, and Alexei Shevchenko (2010), “Status Seekers: Chinese and Russian Responses to U.S. Primacy.” International Security 34 (4): 63–95.

10.  Hegemony/2000s (11.12.2025)

Discussion: power transition; revisionism; hegemonic stability; rogue states; terrorism

Mandatory reading:

Layne, Christopher (2018), "The US–Chinese power shift and the end of the Pax Americana", International Affairs 94 (1): 89–111.

11.  International organizations/2010s (18.12.2025)

Discussion: multilateralism; unilateralism; peacekeeping; collective defense; alliances; Responsibility to protect

Mandatory reading: 

Winther, Bjarke Zinck. “A Review of the Academic Debate about United Nations Security Council Reform”, The Chinese Journal of Global Governance 6, 1 (2020): 71-101.

12.   The future and the “world state”/2020s (7.1.2026)

Discussion: Brainstorming and wrap-up session - the next decades and international relations

Mandatory reading:  Wendt, A. (2003). Why a World State is Inevitable. European Journal of International Relations, 9(4), 491–542.

 

NOTE: All texts available in this syllabus are for study purposes of this course only. They are protected by copyright and must not be further distributed.

Poslední úprava: Hornát Jan, doc. PhDr., Ph.D. (18.09.2025)