POL 421

Seminar on Post-Conflict Peacebuilding

Seminar on Post-Conflict Peacebuilding

Winter 2010 – Tues, Thurs 3:00-4:15pm

Over the past twenty years, in a number of places around the world, the UN and other international organizations (both IGOs and NGOs) along with member states have attempted to establish the conditions for long term peace and stability in the wake of conflicts.  Some of these such as in Namibia, El Salvador, and Cambodia were considered at least short to medium-term successes.  In other cases such as Bosnia, Kosovo, and East Timor, the jury is either still out or the assessment is much more mixed.  In still other situations such as Burundi, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Palestinian territories, it is too soon to tell. 

 This seminar offers an opportunity for fifteen students to explore the roots and nature of post-conflict peacebuilding efforts.  It is a chance both to understand the multifaceted nature of such efforts (from transitional justice to security sector reform, human rights promotion, electoral assistance, refugee resettlement, rebuilding war-torn economies and the very institutions of a state).  We will seek to answer the question of whether and when post-conflict peacebuilding by the international community can work. 

The first part of the seminar will organized around common readings with the expectation that everyone comes prepared to engage in discussion of those readings and questions they raise.  The second part of the seminar will be determined by the group itself and shaped at least in part by presentations of individual and team projects, with readings assigned by the presenters.  There will be no exams. Evaluation will be based on seminar participation, preparation of a research proposal, class presentation, and the final research product. At the very least, students must have had POL 214 and preferably at least one additional upper-level international relations course also (or my permission).  There is a rich literature now on the topic of post-conflict peacebuilding and a wide range of angles for exploration.  For those ready for a challenging intellectual experience, do join us!  This is as much an exploration for me as for you!