Global & International Studies - Theories of Conflict,Sec&Peace

Catalog description

Armed conflicts can be caused by a myriad of factors; thus, conflict studies in international relations provide useful theories and methods through which inter- and intra-state conflict may be analyzed. The goal of this course is an analytical understanding of the conditions, processes, and events that lead to the outbreak and escalation of war. This course focuses predominantly on the causes of interstate conflict, global security, and conflict resolution but also includes a brief examination of the causes of civil war. The course highlights the complexity of the subject matter, scrutinizing war through the many lenses of peace and conflict theory, including but not limited to realism and the balance of power, levels of analysis, misperception, rivalries, grievances, bargaining, and insecurity.