Academic Synthesis

Erica Martinez
University of Arizona

International Security Studies is an advanced online program with a variety of

challenging courses inside of global security. The University of Arizona designed the
program to reflect the dynamic distance learning capabilities in today's world. The
International Security Studies Program was designed to enhance active duty military
and civilian personal intellectual knowledge of global security. Each course is eight
weeks long which enables the students to move along quickly inside of a rigorous
curriculum. Courses offered to examine concepts of a variety of contemporary topics like
terrorism, armed conflict, geospatial intelligence, foreign policy, Latin American,
Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. The University of Arizona respects the
growing security field as the growing threat continues to threaten geopolitical politics.
The faculty members are among the best in the industry which they now teach. This
provides each student with firsthand knowledge into the area which they are interested
in or already working in.

How Terrorism Ends, taught by Alex Braithwaite quickly dove into the heart of
the politics surrounding terrorism. This course did not utilize theoretical conversations
about terrorism and how it has developed. The primary focus was what is terrorism
comparing it to other forms of violence. Why defining it is so difficult. And al Qaeda’s
contribution to the world of terrorism.

I quickly fell in love with how Braithwaite organized the course. He used
contemporary material such as Audrey Cronin’s recent novel ‘How Terrorism Ends. This
course brought insightful arguments that are new to the politics of defeating terrorism.
For instance, the statistics of successful organizations, the demise of organizations, and
new tactics policymakers might attempt in the future.

For the final project, each student chose a terrorist organization to analyze. I
chose al Qaeda because it was the first terrorist organization Americans heard of due to
horrific events that occurred on September 11, 2001. My goal was to understand the
group thought process and figure out the difference between many of the organizations
mentioned in the news today. I learned terrorism as a methodology is a failed strategy.
The most common terrorist practices defeat themselves. From an American standpoint,
the best and most logical future response is to ignore further provocations that would
only continue the violence, propaganda, and distract from diplomatic discussions.

Gender as a Component of International Security taught by Judith McDaniel was

an interactive course focused on uncovering gender- based disparity. This course did not
hide any horrific details. Instead, the focus was to highlight injustices that currently
plaque the politics of gender-based violence around the globe. What was unique about
this course compared to others was the variety of topics we researched each week. We
covered regions such as Colombia, Liberia, Egypt, Rwanda, Uganda, and Somalia to
name a few. Each we investigated the roles women play inside of conflicts. For instance,
the role women play inside of the Tamil Tigers and inside of Rwanda’s government. For
the final project, we were tasked with choosing a country where women were limited
and how it affected the rebuilding of democracy. I chose Egypt because it is the most
modern and liberal Muslim country inside of the Middle East. I wanted to understand
the history of women inside of a Muslim country. I discovered Egypt was not always a
strict Muslim country that restricted women's rights as we know them today. Due to the
political movements, Egypt reversed many of its previous social abilities that belonged
to women. Today Egypt remains a conflicted country, with many problems. Providing
more rights to women is not the solution. The solution is to limit the corrupt Muslim
Brotherhood that controls the ideas, people, and politics of the country

Armed Conflict taught by Christiana Sciabarra took a theoretical approach to the

enhancement learning of conflicts. She designed a course that tackles conflicts with a
focus on interstate and intrastate war. I enjoyed the policy memo writing project
because it dealt with a current issue the United States was facing. My policy memo
discussed the U.S Mexico Conflict. At the time of the course, the United States was in
the middle of the asylum and refugee crisis at the southern border. This assignment
provided great exposure to the point by point process legislatures would want in a
meeting. I loved the creative freedom we as students could develop policies that
breakdown contemporary issues.
 American Foreign Policy taught by Gary Guertner posed an intellectual challenge
every week. Over the course, we examined the American political system, such as the
branches of government, and three forms of diplomacy policies about foreign policy.
Luckily since the last presidential election, the United States had engaged in several
controversial foreign policy changes. Due to the changes the class was able to engage in
many insightful discussions about the American’s past policies and future ones. What
was great about this course was that many of the politics regarding foreign policy
remain unknown to the public. Many of the treaties we researched were post- cold war
policies that have held together for decades. Although they were old and forgotten, these
treaties were the backbone of American Foreign policy. The final project asked, ‘What
Polices, and Strategies Postures for the Future best serve the United States’ best
interest’. I concluded, selective engagement and leadership cooperation security were
the best geopolitical strategies the United States could implement. As an American, you
had to think about what the best path was and defend it with only facts. I loved how it
made each student think about that was their America.

The Politics of Energy Security taught by Mikhail Benznov’s course was the most
encouraging class because it was not what I was expecting at all. Eurasian politics is
something I have always been interested in although energy security is not. I took the
class and found the information to be immensely intriguing, I can honestly say it was the
class I learned the most about because it knew almost nothing about energy security.
The focus was Ukraine and Russia’s contribution to Eurasia's energy system. Recently
the world saw the dangerous power energy has over the world. Countries that provide it,
such as Russia for Europe are at the very mercy of diplomatic talks. Without energy
security, the world would stop, and conflict would ensue. Energy is the forgotten
resource that is taken for granted. Most recently, the United States grappled with its
energy issues when it inducted immerit domain to build the Keystone pipeline.

Russian Foreign Policy taught by Pat Willerton was an absolute thrill. The course
material was dense and challenging. Russian foreign policy focused on the post-cold war
era policy. From week one we focused on Russia’s identity, the collapse of the USSR,
rising capabilities, and motivations in today’s global market. Russia is Vladimir Putin’s
government, so it was difficult to not focus on him as an individual. Russia is a unique
state that oddly remains the same over the course of history.

Intellectual Growth:

I have had a tremendous experience with the International Security Studies

program. I have gained knowledge that will remain with me for a lifetime. I am grateful
for the faculty who spent time engaging with the students. Each course at the University
of Arizona was flexible and coherent from an online structure. Before I started this
program, I was not exposed to the multifactored layers of global security. Global security
is a diverse field and constantly evolving. Since the start of the program, I have changed
some of my political stances based on the research I have completed. At the same time, I
have developed stronger evidence for those I already maintained. I believe in sharing my
knowledge with those around me. I believe challenging ideas allows for greater ideas
which make for a larger nation.