Now What?

We've come a long way in this course. I am glad that Hobbes was the foundation on which we built our learning as it provided a good reference point to which we could all look back and say, "Ah yes, that reminds me of man in the state of nature." I enjoyed watching everybody shift from initially deciding that Hobbes was pretty much on the ball to, by the end of the course, embracing completely constructivist or liberal norms. 15 weeks is a long period of learning for such a short amount of time.

The debate in class rounded out this course rather nicely. As we argued over what would be the end of American hegemony I couldn't help but notice everyone finding it almost hard to accept that there was nothing that could be done to prevent it, with some even offering solutions to counter the American fall. As if such a fall cannot happen, or else.

On a practical note, though my group chose GWOT as the major threat to American primacy, it is my estimation that China will be the end of American hegemony. As they advance technologically, economically, institutionally and militarily, it is only a matter of time before we are surpassed or at least weakened to the point of parity. America's decisions, like being unable to settle GWOT or other crises it is inextricably linked to across the globe, will only hasten that fall. As I discussed in my last post, it hurts me, but also brings me hope. Hope that we will live in a world one day where a hegemony is not needed, where borders no longer matter and we are citizens of this world, not of specific countries.

I enjoyed this course very much, it was a strong refresher for things I learned in undergrad, was a rude awakening for the things I did not, and was a good primer for what the MAIR program will be like (this is my first course in the program). If the courses from here on out are as stimulating, this experience will be a worthwhile one.