When teaching Intro to International Relations, I love referencing "IR Movie Easter eggs": explicit international politics lessons/references from movies NOT overtly about international politics.
For those teaching IR classes this coming term, here are my 10 favorite!
A quick note on the rankings: They basically go from #10 "Not subtle and sort of critical to the plot" to #1 "very subtle and not essential at all to the plot at all"
But all were probably unexpected when you sat down to watch the movie for the first time !
#10 Captain America: Civil War
Was NOT expecting a super hero movie to offer a one-scene master-class in the meaning of sovereignty, power, and legitimacy in international politics
#9: Sound of Music
Come from the cheesy family-friendly musical, leave with a lesson in the Anschluss
#8 Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country
In a movie that is basically a Cold War Allegory, this famous scene drops a reference to Lebensraum
#7 Frozen
Wasn't expecting a lesson on trade treaties as a lever of power and exploitation
#6 Black Panther
Revealing Wakanda's power at the UN General Assembly in this bonus scene raises all sorts of questions about how the world will react
#5 Talladega Nights:
This scene is great for teaching bargaining and credible commitments (h/t @mkmckoy) -- "just say `really thin pancakes'" -- and how nationalism can lead to conflict -- "this here is `Merica, the greatest planet on Earth"
#4 Animal House
"The Germans?"
#4 DIE HARD
Given that the helicopter is heading to a roof top, this is an ingenious reference
#2 The Princess Bride
While learning about mixed strategies, don't forget the the the most famous strategic blunder!
#1 Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Didn't expect a lesson on the folly of trade wars courtesy of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff
Yes, there was a tie for #4 -- Is "The Germans" or "Saigon" more subtle?
Anyhow, hope you enjoy the list!
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Folks have discovered my various "IR and Movies" threads from 2020. Therefore, I'm breaking my "end of 2020 Twitter break" to post a thread of these threads.
If you want to bring popular movies into the IR classroom, this thread is for you!
By way of background, the Texas Lawsuit asked the US Supreme Court to nullify the votes from Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. Texas perceived those states as having carried out flawed elections.
Why are civil-mil scholars upset about Austin Lloyd's nomination as the 28th Secretary of Defense?
Consider the nomination of the 3rd Secretary of Defense: George Marshall
[THREAD]
In 1950, Truman wanted to fire the second SecDef, Louis Johnson, and install George Marshall as Secretary of Defense.
There was a problem: when the Department of Defense was created in 1947, section 202 of the 1947 National Security Act (which created the DoD, then called "The National Military Establishment") would not allow recently retired officers to serve as SecDef
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International Relations scholars/analysts can and do use each of the following angles, though not all are strictly speaking taking an "International Relations angle".
Let's explore the angles.
The "country-expert" angle entails discussing the event by laying out the situation within Somalia, providing details on key figures involved and perhaps how the conflict has disrupted Somalia's internal governance and society.