In this module, you will build upon the earlier awareness of power and foreign policy behavior. You will closely examine the conduct of the USA, which has been a key great power since the end of World War II, and how it shaped the post-World War II international system through a variety of strategies and means. You will also gain an insight into how there was a shift in the policies of the USA in tandem with the changes in the international power configuration from the Cold War era of bipolarity to the post-1991 unipolar period and then again from bipolarity to the present emergent multipolar world order. By the end of this module, you can appreciate how the USA has dealt with fellow great powers and weaker powers and what kind of grand strategy has motivated the USA since 1945.

In this module, you will learn about concepts like power and foreign policy in the context of an emerging middle power, India, which is estimated to have the potential of becoming a great power. You will also learn how India’s rise in the past two decades is closely associated with its high economic growth, its international multilateral alignments and strategic partnerships, and the vision of its political leadership to attain the status of a leading power in the world. The module will take you along India’s journey from being a sub-regional power in South Asia to an Asian regional power and an important balancing power in present times in the broader Indo-Pacific. Finally, you will gain an insight into the factors pushing India up in the international power configurations and the domestic political obstacles to its rise.

In this module, you will learn about the tiny Persian Gulf monarchy of Qatar, which has adopted a foreign policy mix of alliance with the USA while simultaneously pursuing an independent and ambitious form of assertiveness vis-à-vis its regional competitors. The module discusses the rise of Qatar as a fossil fuel colossus and how it parlayed its natural resource abundance to punch above its weight in the Middle East and global energy institutions. You will also learn why Qatar moved to a policy of supporting Islamist political groups in the region and beyond and how it capitalized on being a small power to become a moderator and mediator in multiple armed conflict zones. Finally, the module also explains how regime survival is a critical driver of foreign policy in this authoritarian country.

This module describes the learning objectives, project brief, review criteria, and submission instructions for the Peer Review Individual Assignment for the course.