U.S. Foreign Policy Simulation Laboratory
A Full-Spectrum U.S. Foreign Policy Simulation.
Students make constrained, high-stakes decisions across alliances, deterrence, intelligence, war powers, and public signaling in a five-period decision cycle. Every move generates section-specific evidence that keeps assessment AI-proof.
Who Drives U.S. Foreign Policy in the Simulation.
Senior decision-makers coordinate interagency strategy across crisis response, alliance commitments, and force posture under uncertainty.
Performance Goals
Strategic coherence, deterrence credibility, and objective attainment.
Members on Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, and Appropriations evaluate authorizations, oversight, and resource tradeoffs.
Performance Goals
Authorization strategy, oversight leverage, and policy influence.
Think tanks, NGOs, and industry networks shape agenda framing, sanctions debates, and coalition politics.
Performance Goals
Agenda access, narrative influence, and policy concessions.
Reporters evaluate intelligence claims, expose contradictions, and shape domestic and allied perceptions.
Performance Goals
Credible reporting, public trust, and narrative impact.
Five Periods, One Full U.S. Foreign Policy Arc.
Students absorb baseline intelligence, role constraints, and institutional authorities before live decision pressure begins.
Teams set priorities on alliances, force posture, sanctions, and diplomatic signaling.
Crisis pressure rises; war powers, intelligence credibility, and coalition cohesion are tested.
Bureaucratic politics and resource constraints force tradeoffs across simultaneous theaters.
Players pursue ceasefires, compellence, or stabilization while managing domestic and allied audiences.
Core IR and USFP Frameworks, Operationalized.
Deterrence signaling, force posture choices, and balance-of-power calculations under escalation pressure.
Alliance burden-sharing, coalition maintenance, and institutional credibility during cooperative dilemmas.
Interagency conflict over intelligence interpretation, policy sequencing, and implementation authority.
Foreign bargaining constrained by congressional oversight, media narratives, and domestic audience costs.
Ten Steps to Launch Your U.S. Foreign Policy Simulation.
Foreign Policy Decision Performance + Participation (0-100).
We recommend counting participation and performance for 5-10% of the course grade each, with supplemental policy artifacts (NSC memos, testimony briefs, SITREPs) layered on top.
| Role | Illustrative Performance Goals |
|---|---|
| NSC Principals and Executive Agencies | Objective attainment, alliance management, and escalation control. |
| Congressional Foreign Policy Committees | Authorization leverage, oversight outcomes, and appropriations strategy. |
| National Security Press Corps | High-impact, accurate reporting that shifts policy narratives. |
| Advocacy and Industry Coalitions | Policy access, framing success, and influence on final decisions. |
Model 1: Performance counts for 5% of the course grade. Model 2: 5% earned plus extra credit. Model 3: Performance is entirely extra credit.
| Performance Score | Model 1 | Model 2 | Model 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-5 | 0% earned | 0% earned | 0% extra |
| 6-10 | 0.5% earned | 0.5% earned | 0% extra |
| 11-15 | 0.75% earned | 0.75% earned | 0% extra |
| 16-20 | 1.0% earned | 1.0% earned | 0% extra |
| 21-25 | 1.25% earned | 1.25% earned | 0% extra |
| 26-30 | 1.5% earned | 1.5% earned | 0% extra |
| 31-35 | 1.75% earned | 1.75% earned | 0% extra |
| 36-40 | 2.0% earned | 2.0% earned | 0% extra |
| 41-45 | 2.25% earned | 2.25% earned | 0% extra |
| 46-50 | 2.5% earned | 2.5% earned | 0% extra |
| 51-55 | 2.75% earned | 2.75% earned | 0.5% extra |
| 56-60 | 3.0% earned | 3.0% earned | 1.0% extra |
| 61-65 | 3.25% earned | 3.5% earned | 1.5% extra |
| 66-70 | 3.5% earned | 4% earned | 2.0% extra |
| 71-75 | 3.75% earned | 5% earned | 2.5% extra |
| 76-80 | 4.0% earned | 5.5% earned | 3.0% extra |
| 81-85 | 4.25% earned | 6% earned | 3.5% extra |
| 86-90 | 4.5% earned | 6.5% earned | 4.0% extra |
| 91-95 | 4.75% earned | 7% earned | 4.5% extra |
| 96-100 | 5% earned | 7.5% earned | 5.0% extra |
Maximize Learning with Structured Touchpoints.
14-Week Course Schedule Using One Simulation.
Give students their simulation codes and have them sign up before Period 0 begins.
| Week | Course Topic | Simulation Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Introduction; Understanding U.S. Foreign Policy | - |
| Week 2 | U.S. Foreign Policy up through World War II | - |
| Week 3 | U.S. Foreign Policy from 1947 to Vietnam | - |
| Week 4 | Detente to the End of the Cold War | Simulation Period 0 (tutorial) |
| Week 5 | Post-Cold War U.S. Foreign Policy | Simulation Period 1 + manual quiz + NSC memo #1 |
| Week 6 | President vs. Congress; War Powers | Simulation Period 2 + congressional testimony brief |
| Week 7 | Foreign Policy Bureaucracy: State and Defense | Simulation Period 3 + crisis SITREP |
| Week 8 | Intelligence Community, NSC, and agencies | Simulation Period 4 + coalition strategy memo |
| Week 9 | Societal Actors: Interest Groups and Media | Midterm exam |
| Week 10 | Public Opinion and Political Parties | - |
| Week 11 | Nuclear Proliferation and Regional Conflict | - |
| Week 12 | Climate Change and Immigration | Policy brief due |
| Week 13 | Trade, Foreign Aid, and Economic Development | - |
| Week 14 | Terrorism and Cybersecurity | - |
| Week 15 | Civil Liberties at Home and Abroad | Simulation paper + strategy after-action review due |
| Week 16 | Final Exams | Final exam |
Assignment Types Used in USFP Classrooms.
| Artifact | Use Case | Suggested Timing |
|---|---|---|
| NSC Decision Memo | One-page options memo with recommendation, risks, and second-order effects. | Period 1 |
| Congressional Testimony Brief | Prepared testimony and expected Q&A on authorization, oversight, and appropriations. | Period 2 |
| Crisis SITREP | Situation report summarizing intelligence confidence, escalation indicators, and immediate options. | Period 3 |
| Coalition Strategy Memo | Plan for sanctions, reassurance, signaling, and end-state diplomacy with allies. | Period 4 |
Foreign Policy-Focused Breakdown You Can Customize.
| Category | Weight |
|---|---|
| Midterm Exam | 30% |
| Final Exam | 30% |
| Policy Brief (Options Analysis) | 15% |
| Simulation After-Action Report | 12% |
| Policy Artifact Portfolio | 8% |
| Simulation Performance | 5% (+ extra credit optional) |
Your Dedicated Statecraft Support Team.
Tell students to use the Contact Us button for any questions. For instructors, if a question takes more than three minutes to resolve, contact support and we will jump in.
Ready to Adopt Statecraft: U.S. Foreign Policy?
Bring alliance bargaining, deterrence signaling, intelligence uncertainty, and war-powers tradeoffs into the classroom with a full strategic decision-cycle simulation built for rigorous assessment.