Macquarie University

War and Violence in World Politics - IRPG854

In spite of the rapid spread of globalisation and the cross-border interaction of non-governmental actors, international relations are still dominated by states. The states are military organisations structurally geared to resolve conflicts by the use of organised violence, ie their military. Apart from states, other groups – both clandestine terrorist groups and mass political movements – use organised violence in the international arena. This unit will address the question: what conflicts in the international area are most likely to lead to violence? In other words, what is so attractive about violence as a means of conflict-resolution? In an attempt to answer these questions, the unit will examine theoretical approaches to the problem of violence in international conflicts as well as different case studies of interstate warfare (World War II, Iran-Iraq war), international terrorism (Al-Queda, PLO) military and humanitarian intervention in civil wars and secessionist conflict (Kosovo, Rwanda, Afganistan).