93670 - Topics In International Politics

Learning outcomes

After an introduction on the main theories of international relations (i.e. realism, liberalism, constructivism) and on some key concepts such as the balance of power and hegemony, the course examines some of the most important issues of current international affairs. In particular, it explores a series of empirical phenomena and themes such as inter-state wars, civil conflicts, peace building, conflict resolution, terrorism, and drone warfare. At the end of the course, students are expected to understand the fundamental aspects and the distinctive elements of a variety of issues in the current world. Finally, students will be able to apply complex theoretical tools to the empirical reality.

Course contents

This course offers an introduction to the study of some of the major security issues in the contemporary world. In particular, it explores a series of empirical phenomena and themes in light of the most important concepts and theories in international relations theory. Students are expected to learn why countries go to war as well as why groups use terrorism. They will also acquire knowledge on nuclear proliferation, the prospects and pitfalls of military intervention, and on the role of technology and robotics (from nuclear weapons to unmanned drones) in threatening and strengthening the international order. At the end of the course, students are expected to understand the fundamental aspects and the distinctive elements of a variety of security issues in the current world. Finally, students will be able both to examine security threats and to devise the most appropriate policy response.

Readings/Bibliography

Lectures:

 

1) Introduction

- Simon Leys, 2013, "The Idea of the University", in S. Leys, The Hall of Uselessness, New York Review of Books, pp. 461-464.

- Lorenzo Zambernardi, 2016, “Politics is too important to be left to political scientists,” European Journal of International Relations, 22, 1, 3-23.

 

2) Security as a Multidimensional Concept

- Emma Rotschild, “What is Security?,” Daedalus, Vol. 124, No. 3, (Summer, 1995), pp. 53-98.

- John Mueller & Mark G. Stewart, “Terrorism and Bathtubs: Comparing and Assessing the Risks”, Terrorism and Political Violence, published online 28 December 2018.

 

3) Power Politics

- Tucidide, “Dialogo tra gli Ateniesi e i Meli,” La guerra del Peloponneso, V, 84-114.

- Machiavelli, Il Principe, any edition.

 

4) Inter-state conflicts I

- Geoffrey, Blaney, The Causes of War, New York, The Free Press, Ch. 8, 9.

- Azar Gat , “The Changing Character of War”, in Hew Strachan and Sibylle Scheipers (eds) The Changing Character of War; available at http://www.oxfordscholarship.com.ezproxy.unibo.it/view/10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199596737.001.0001/acprof-9780199596737-chapter-2

 

5) Inter-state conflicts II: the war in Ukraine

John J. Mearsheimer, "Why the Ukraine Crisis Is the West’s Fault", Foreign Affairs, 2014; dshttps://www.mearsheimer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Why-the-Ukraine-Crisis-Is.pdf.

John J. Mearsheimer, "Playing with Fire in Ukraine", Foreign Affairs, 2022.

 

6) Hegemonic rivalry

- Robert Gilpin, 1988, “The Theory of Hegemonic War,” Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 18, 4, 591-613.

- G. Allison, “The Thucydides Trap”, The Atlantic, September 24, 2015.

 

7) The contemporary international system

Rodrik, Dani; Walt, Stephen M, "How to Build a Better Order: Limiting Great Power Rivalry in an Anarchic World", Foreign Affairs, Vol. 101, 5, (Sep/Oct 2022): 142-155.

John Mearsheimer, "Bound to Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Liberal International Order", International Security, Volume 43, Issue 4, Spring 2019, pp.7-50.

 

8) Armed Conflicts: nature, geography, and lethality

Pettersson, Therese; Stina Högbladh & Magnus Öberg (2019). Organized violence, 1989-2018 and peace agreements. Journal of Peace Research 56(4).

 

9) Civil War I

- Francesco N. Moro "Civil Wars", in Paul Joseph ed., The SAGE Encyclopedia of War: Social Science Perspectives, Sage 2017.

- Stathis N. Kalyvas, “The Changing Character of Civil Wars, 1800–2009”, in Hew Strachan and Sibylle Scheipers (eds) The Changing Character of War, Ch. 11; available at http://www.oxfordscholarship.com.ezproxy.unibo.it/view/10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199596737.001.0001/acprof-9780199596737-chapter-12

- Barbara F. Walter, The New New Civil Wars Annual Review of Political Science 2017 20:1, 469-486

 

10) Mid-Term

- No reading

 

11) Terrorism I

- The United States is a Leading Terrorist State: An Interview with Noam Chomsky. https://monthlyreview.org/2001/11/01/the-united-states-is-a-leading-terrorist-state/.

-D'Alema: "Definire i talebani terroristi è una stupidaggine", HuffPost, 11 settembre 2021; https://www.huffingtonpost.it/entry/dalema-definire-i-talebani-terroristi-e-una-stupidaggine_it_613c5fdde4b00ff836ecffa6.

- Alex Peter Schmid, “Terrorism: The Definitional Problem,” Case Western Journal of International Law, 36, 2, 2004, pp. 375-419

 

12) Terrorism II

- Andrew H. Kydd, Barbara F. Walter; The Strategies of Terrorism. International Security2006; 31 (1): 49–80.

- Erica Chenoweth, Terrorism and Democracy", Annual Review of Political Science 2013, 16:1, 355-378

 

13) Insurgency and COIN

- D., Galula, Counterinsuregency Warfare: Theory and Practice, Westport, Praeger, Ch. 1, 4, 5, 6, 7.

- Lorenzo Zambernardi, "Counterinsurgency's Impossible Trilemma", Washington Quarterly, 33, 3, pp. 21-34.

- A. Mack, "Why Big Nations Lose Small Wars", World Politics, 27, 2, 1975, pp. 175-200.

 

14) Drone warfaore

- G. Chamayou, Drone Theory, London, Penguin.

 

15) The longest war: the conflict in Afghanistan

- M. Barry, Kabul's Long Shadows: Historical Perspectives, Liechtenstein Institute at Princeton, 2011; available at http://www.operationspaix.net/DATA/DOCUMENT/4371~v~Kabuls_Long_Shadows__Historical_Perspectives.pdf 

- Theo Farrell, ‘Unbeatable: Social Resources, Military Adaptation, and the Afghan Taliban [https://doi.org/10.15781/T22B8VW1N],’ Texas National Security Review, vol. 1, no. 3 (2018): 58-75.

 

16) The Erosion of Military Power

- E. Luard, The Blunted Sword, New York, New Amsterdam, 1988, pp. 1-24.

- Zambernardi, "Introduction" and "Epilogue"L. Life, Death, and the Western Way of War, Oxford, Oxford University Press.

 

17) Energy: a changing world. The challenges of the energy transition

- TBD

 

18) The current energy crisis, policies and solutions

- TBD

 

19) The domestic basis of the EU as an international actor

- TBD

 

20) Final exam

- No reading

Teaching methods

Lectures

Assessment methods

Attending students: two written exams during the course

Non-attending students: written (from 5 to 10 questions depending on the nature of the questions) and oral exam

Non-attending students must study also the following book:

Zambernardi, Lorenzo, Life, Death, and the Western Way of War, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2022,

Teaching tools

Power Point, Video Clips

Office hours

See the website of Lorenzo Zambernardi