This course examines the philosophical foundations of both Western liberal democracy and political Islam, and associated policy implications. In the context of the relationship between justice, political philosophy, public policy and political conflict, cadets will critically engage the works of Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rawls, Nozick, Sandel, and others for Western liberalism. For political Islam, cadets will examine the life of Muhammad, the first four caliphs, the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties, the ideas of Ibn Taymiyya, Al-Afghani, Al-Banna, Al-Wahhab, Abduh, Ridha, Mawdudi, Qutb, Khomeni, bin Laden and others, as well as contemporary writings on both 'radical' and 'liberal' Islam. These respective examinations are followed by a third block of lessons analyzing the competing narratives and their relevant foreign and domestic policy implications. Important questions include: How does political philosophy impact public policy, beliefs about legitimacy, political conflict, even public violence and war? Is liberalism a 'universal value' essential to human flourishing? How does the West's view of liberal democracy impact its engagement with the non-Western world? How do founding figures of political Islam define political legitimacy? Does Islam as a theological-political philosophy tend toward radicalism? What is liberal Islam? Cadets will not only understand these important questions, but will also be able to apply the theoretical prescriptions offered by these thinkers to issues currently debated in the American body politic.
