The course will give students a real-life insight into the practice of international conflict and conflict management based on concrete examples of past and current conflicts. It will explore and analyse causes and drivers of actual conflicts, as well as international attempts at management and intervention. The course will also examine some critical aspects of conflict management, such as prevention, ceasefire and peace agreement negotiations, human rights monitoring, post-conflict reconstruction and transitional justice.
The course will take a long view of conflicts, analysing the drivers of conflict and the potential for their lasting resolution in their wider historical and political contexts. It will begin by comparing the conflicts - and the successes and failures of international intervention - in the North Caucasus and the former Yugoslavia, and conclude with an examination of ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Syria.
It will invite students to reflect on the evolving nature and ideological assumptions of conflict management and critically assess whether liberal peacebuilding has much of a future.