Actors and Peace Processes

Recommended Prerequisites

Knowledge of English.

Knowledge of techniques and styles of academic writing.

General knowledge of contemporary international politics.

Teaching Methods

This seminar privileges documental analysis and academic bibliography, complemented by in-class debates.

Learning Outcomes

This seminar aims to introduce students to the relevant institutional, juridical and political frameworks governing international interventions, within contexts of peace missions and humanitarian and development initiatives. By identifying and analysing those actors, their norms, interests and policies, which are central to the structuring of global interventionism, students should also develop a critical viewpoint of the current structure and its impact on power configurations at the global level.

 

The students should be able to:

- identify the most relevant actors in the management of post-conflict interventions, in different modalities;

- critically analyse their policies and approaches and their contribution to the current regime of global interventionism;

- identify and critically examine the instruments and policies chosen by these actors;

- understand centre-periphery dynamics in the international system.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

 1.        Introduction: Global Governance and Interventionism

 

2.         Actors: norms, interests and policies of the current global interventionism regime

 

3.         Peace and Security: actors, instruments and processes

3.1 United Nations

3.2 Regional Organisations

3.3 Contributing States

3.4 Private Military Companies

 

4.         Development: actors, instruments and processes

4.1 Traditional and “emerging” donors (OCDE)

4.2 European Union

4.3 Regional Development Banks

4.4 Private organisations

 

5.         Humanitarianism: actors, instruments and processes

5.1 Humanitarian Non-Governmental Organisations

5.2 United Nations

5.3 European Union

5.4 State Actors

 

6.         Critical reflections: the impacts of the liberal peace and the structural elements of power

Head Lecturer(s)

Sofia José Figueira Santos

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Periodic or by final exam as given in the course information: 100.0%

Bibliography

Clapton, W. 2014. Risk and Hierarchy in International Society: Liberal Interventionism in the Post-Cold War Era. London: Palgrave.

MacQueen, N. 2011. Humanitarian Intervention and the United Nations. Edinburgh University Press.

Fassin, D.: Pandolfi, M. (eds). 2010. Contemporary States of Emergency: The Politics of Military and Humanitarian Interventions. Zone Books.

Attinà, F. 2012. The Politics and Policies of Relief, Aid and Reconstruction. Contrasting approaches to disasters and emergencies. Palgrave.

Spear, J., Williams, P. (eds). 2012. Security and Development in Global Politics: A Critical Comparison. Georgetown University Press.

Duffield, M. 2014. Global Governance and the New Wars: The Merging of Development and Security (Critique. Influence. Change.) Zed Books.

Tschirgi, N. et al. (eds). 2009. Security and Development: Searching for Critical Connections. Lynne Rienner Pub.

Weiss, T; Wilkinson, R. (eds.). 2014. Global Governance and International Organizations. Routledge.