Politics of Civil Wars

Catalog description

From Syria to South Sudan, India to Colombia armed conflict within nation-states keeps challenging domestic and international institutions. The aim of this course is to understand the different causes and paths of civil wars. We will survey contemporary theories related to the causes, duration, and consequences of civil wars. Further, we will consider what these theories and findings mean for the prospects of successful conflict management and prevention. Case studies of ongoing and recent wars will elucidate the theories and underline the urgency to advance our knowledge in this area.The study of civil wars is a growing research field of international relations, as civil wars have become more common than wars between states. By examining theories of civil war causation and testing these on case studies from the 20th and 21st centuries, the course covers important subject matter in the International Relations concentration of Tulane's BA in Political Science.