This seminar will take place in Amerikahaus. A livestream with possibility for active participation is also available. Upon registration, please select only one participation format.
American foreign policy today seems characterized by contradiction and ambivalence. There is a persistent narrative of American decline, yet at the same time the U.S. economy and military remain the strongest in the world. U.S. willingness to engage in military intervention across the globe has waned, yet allies in Europe and Asia look to America for leadership and protection more than in decades. China is seen as America's rival number one, yet the most urgent crisis is Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Since the Trump administration, the post-WW2 foreign policy consensus in the U.S. no longer holds, yet the Biden administration feels almost like a revival of American Cold War leadership.

This seminar will examine the various competing developments and trends in contemporary American foreign policy, as well as the actual U.S. involvement in supranational organizations like the UN and multilateral international agreements. Is the U.S. retreating from its global leadership position, as the “America First” movement intends, or is America more than ever “the indispensable nation,” as Madeleine Albright once claimed? As usual, satirical cartoons and videos will help lighten the mood in discussing these often serious and even grim topics.

Schedule:
09:00  The post-World War II consensus on foreign policy and its critics
09:45  The United Nations, trade agreements, climate change, and the problems of multilateralism
10:30  Coffee Break
11:00  The Middle East: from the “War on Terror” to the “End of Endless Wars”
11:30  The Cold War 2.0? The Ukraine invasion and the restoration of American leadership in Europe
12:15  The U.S. and China: between disengagement and conflict
13:00  Conclusion and Discussion
14:00  End

Registration fee: € 10 per teacher seminar

Please register via our registration form or online via FIBS.
FIBS: Stiftung Bayerisches Amerikahaus gGmbH


Photo above: © William Navarro / unsplash.com