|
Instructor: |
Class Times: |
Conflict Prevention is the "Actions, policies, procedures or institutions undertaken in particularly vulnerable places and times in order to avoid the threat or use of armed force and related forms of coercion by states or groups as the way to settle the political disputes that can arise from the destabilizing effects of economic, social, political, and international change."[1]Accordingly, prevention can take place at different point in the cycle of a conflict, i.e. "when there has not been a violent conflict in recent year . . . before significant violence signals possible escalationsÖwhen there has been recent violence but peace has been restored." - Michael Lund, Preventing Violent Conflict
(1996) This course will be held taught as a seminar class with an emphasis on discussion. The semester is divided into three sections focusing respectively on: theory, tools, and actors. The first section of readings and discussion will focus on different approaches to understanding war and conflict, as well as at new learning on root causes of conflict in the post-Cold War period. The section on tools will look first at operational tools of preventionóthose employed in the face of imminent crises, and second at structural tools of prevention, which refers to the long-term measures used to ensure that deadly conflict does not arise in the first place. The final section will look at external actors (states, international and regional organizations, and international NGOs) and their potential roles in preventing international conflict. At the mid-point of the semester, students will participate in a scenario exercise using the case study of Macedonia. The scenario process is an approach to facilitating discussion and is designed to challenge students to think creatively about the roles and capacity for action of different groups and organizations in situations of deadly conflict. This more theoretical and policy focused approach will be supplemented
by the students work and presentation of case studies in conflict prevention.
After the fourth session, each class will break into two parts, the first
half will be devoted to a discussion of the readings, and the second to
the presentation and discussion of case studies by student teams. 1) To provide students with an overview of the literature on deadly conflict and its prevention and encourage them to think critically about issues in international affairs. 2) To explore the various strategies and tools developed by international actors seeking to prevent deadly conflict around the globe; 3) To give students the opportunity to examine the
theory and tools of conflict prevention in the context of a specific country
or region that has experienced deadly conflict in the last 10 years.
In a 2000 Foreign Affairs article Ted Robert Gurr, director of the Minorities at Risk Project at the University of Maryland, referred to conflict prevention as "the `preferred' instrument of the new [international] regime." While one could argue that there is more rhetoric than action on the part of the international community in regards to conflict prevention, the concept of developing a proactive approach to deadly conflict and war is certainly receiving more attention within the community of people studying, writing, and working in international affairs. This increased interest in conflict prevention and preventive action on the part of scholars and practitioners is due to a variety of factors, including: 1) A perceived rise in deadly conflict in the post-Cold War period; 2) The changing characteristics of conflict in this same periodómost markedly the shift from inter- to intra-state conflicts, the rising tolls of civilians as victims, the increased access to modern weaponry, and the heightened awareness of the regional impacts of conflicts such as with refugees, environmental devastation, and economic crises; and 3) The impact of the relatively recent technological capacity of those around the world to witness the horrors of war 24 hours a day on CNN. All of these factors have led to a rising interest in developing international strategies that focus on the causes rather than the consequences of violence. In 1997 the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict published its Final Report. Building on the argument that the international community must develop proactive rather than reactive strategies, the Final Report made three critical statements. The first is that deadly conflict is not inevitable; second, the need to prevent conflict is increasingly urgent; and third, prevention is possible. Following the lead of United Nations, which is integrating conflict prevention as a central theme to all its work, the major donor countries, the international and regional organizations and a diverse array of academic institutions and nongovernmental organizations have embraced conflict prevention as the solution. Using the Carnegie Commissionís Final Report
as a point of orientation, the course will critically explore the
concept of conflict prevention as it is evolving in international affairs
in theory, in the development of policy strategies or tools, and in practice,
with a specific focus on external actors. There are at least as
many skeptics as converts to the concept on conflict prevention.
The debate centers on the assertion by many theorists that violence in
the international system is inevitable and that efforts on the parts of
states and other actors to prevent conflict are futile. Proponents
of conflict prevention counter that violence is a choice made by people
and their leaders, and that leaders and states are as capable of building
peace as they are at making waróand that external actors such as others
states, the United Nations, and non-governmental organizations, can play
a constructive role in preventing deadly conflict around the world.
|