POST-3170H: U S Politics

Instructor: Brandon Tozzo (brandontozzo@trentu.ca)

Course Code: POST 3170

When Taken: Fall 2022

Major Essay: Why Mediations Fail (1)

Class Notes: All Notes – US Politics

This class discussed contemporary US politics. It provided an introductory look into American systems, including race, class, the electoral system, international relations, and nationalism. For my major essay, I examined mediation attempts by the Clinton government, including in Northern Ireland and Israel/Palestine to determine a theory for why some negotiations are successful while others fail to create peace and stability. I argued that American mediation involvement is only valuable in specific domestic circumstances, when policy objectives are clear, and at the correct time in a conflict’s life span. This was an interesting finding for me as I had initially intended to argue that American involvement is always futile and that they should stop involving themselves in international disputes. As a person who believes strongly in the theory of neocolonialism and its’ harms, prior to this class I had disliked America and had thus avoided examining its benefits to the world, and the nuances within American society. This class was enlightening in the way that it made the argument that America goes big on everything, big on “good” and big on “bad”. This nuanced take allowed me to also provide a nuanced take through my essay, in that America can be beneficial for world peace, under specific circumstances. The US deserves study, not only because of its outsized impact on the world but also because of its predisposition to going big.