Political Violence

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course studies violent conflict within and between countries. It has three parts. The first focuses on civil war, including the sources of internal warfare, the dynamics of rebel and militia recruitment and organization, counterinsurgency, and peace-building. The second part examines vigilantism, electoral violence, criminal/cartel conflict, and the links between violence and state-building. The third part studies modern interstate war, including proxy conflicts and indirect competition, the impact of emerging technologies on when and how wars are fought, the new era of nuclear competition, and future trajectories of international politics.