Topics in peace research: From Gandhi to the capitalist peace (E584)

Course Organization

Time & Location:

Thursday, 12:15–14:00, Rigot 3

Lecturer:

Nils Petter Gleditsch
Office: Rigot 30
Office hours: Tuesday 15:15-17:00
Telephone: 022 908 59 43
E-mail: nilspg@prio.no

Course Description

This course will discuss a series of topics that have occupied the concern of peace researchers over the past 50 years. It starts with an overview of the development of peace research and pursues how peace research has grappled with theoretical ideas from realism, liberalism, and radicalism. The lectures will provide an overview of the historical development of key ideas in peace research and bring them up to today’s research frontier.

Requirements

Students are expected to participate actively in class and present at least one reading, orally and with a brief (2–3 pages) written summary. Any relevant article will do, preferably one that is not on the list of required readings. A course paper (around 6,000 words, including notes and references) is due on 11 June (licence students) or 13 June (graduate students). Note that the deadline has been moved up to make sure that the papers from the licence students (and hopefully the others) will get graded by 15 June. An outline of the paper (up to 500 words) is due on 24 May. There is no fixed format for the course paper. Here are some possibilities: Analyzing the history of an idea in peace research over the past several decades, a replication and extension of an existing empirical study, a synthesis of existing theoretical or empirical studies, or a comparative study of two cases evaluated in the light of general theories. Article summaries, draft course papers, and final course papers should be sent in Word format to nilspg@prio.no.

Readings

All of the required readings can be downloaded in electronic form from the library (http://atoz.ebsco.com/home.asp?Id=gene) except two, which will be made available directly to the students in class.

Course Outline

Thursday 15 March

Students interested in this course are asked to read the article by Mr. Gleditsch for the first class (download below).

1. Introduction: An irreverent history of peace research

Readings:

• Gleditsch, Nils Petter, 2004. ‘Peace Research and International Relations in Scandinavia: From Enduring Rivalry to Stable Peace?', in Stefano Guzzini & Dietrich Jung, eds, Copenhagen Peace Research: Conceptual Innovation and Contemporary Security Analysis. Essays in Honour of Håkan Wiberg . London: Routledge (15–26) - Download article

Optional reading:

• Editorials in Journal of Peace Research 1(1): 1–4 (1964); 8(1): 1–3 (1971), 15(1): 1–2 (1978); 26(1): 1–5 (1989); 35(1): 5–6 (1998); 39(3): 259–262 (2002)

Thursday 22 March
2. Towards a more peaceful world? Trends in armed conflict

Readings:

• Lacina, Bethany; Nils Petter Gleditsch & Bruce Russett, 2006. ‘The Declining Risk of Death in Battle', International Studies Quarterly 50(3): 673–680
• Sarkees, Meredith Reid; Frank Whelon Wayman & J. David Singer, 2003. ‘Inter-State, Intra-State, and Extra-State Wars: A Comprehensive Look at Their Distribution over Time, 1816-1997', International Studies Quarterly 47(1): 49–70

Optional reading:

• Harbom, Lotta; Stina Högbladh & Peter Wallensteen, 2006. 'Armed Conflict and Peace Agree­ments', Journal of Peace Research 43(5): 617–631
• Mack, Andrew, ed., 2005. War and Peace in the 21st Century. Human Security Report. Van­cou­ver, BC: University of British Columbia, Human Security Centre & Oxford: Oxford University Press ( http://www.humansecurityreport.info/ )
• Väyrynen, Raimo, ed., 2006. The Waning of Major War: Theories and Debates. London: Rout­ledge

Thursday 29 March
3. The non-violent tradition in peace research

Readings:

• Galtung, Johan 1965. ‘On the Meaning of Nonviolence', Journal of Peace Research 3(3): 228-257
• Martin, Brian & Wendy Varney, 2003. ‘Nonviolence and Communication',  Journal of Peace Research 40(2): 213–232

Optional reading:

• Boserup, Anders & Andrew Mack. 1974. War without Weapons. Non-Violence in National Defense. London: Frances Pinter
• Galtung, Johan, 1984. ‘Transarmament: From Offensive to Defensive Defense', Journal of Peace Research 21(2): 127–139

Thursday 5 April
4. From positive peace to human security

Readings:

• Galtung, Johan, 1969. ‘Violence, Peace, and Peace Research', Journal of Peace Research 6(3): 167–191
• Owen, Taylor, 2004. ‘Human Security – Conflict, Critique and Consensus', Security Dialogue 35(3): 373–387

Optional reading:

• Burgess, J. Peter & Taylor Owen, eds, 2004. ‘Special Section: What is “Human Security”?', Security Dialogue 35(3): 345–372

Two useful websites:

• Human Security Centre, University of British Columbia, http://www.humansecuritycentre.org/ .
• Human Security Network, http://www.humansecuritynetwork.org/menu-e.php

Thursday 12 April
Easter break – no class

Thursday 19 April
5. The democratic peace

Readings:

• Gleditsch, Nils Petter & Håvard Hegre, 1997. ‘Peace and Democracy: Three Levels of Analysis', Journal of Conflict Resolution 41(2): 283–310
• Russett, Bruce & John Oneal, 2001. ‘Democracy Reduces Conflict', ch. 3 in Triangulating Peace. Democracy, Interdependence, and International Organizations. New York, Norton (81–124)

Optional reading:

• Bueno de Mesquita, Bruce; James D. Morrow, Randolph M. Siverson & Alastair Smith, et al. 2004. ‘Testing Novel Implications from the Selectorate Theory of War, World Politics 56(3): 363–388
• Macmillan, John, 2004. ‘Liberalism and the Democratic Peace', Review of International Studies 30(2): 179–200
• Mansfield, Edward D. & Jack Snyder, 2006. Electing to Fight. Why Emerging Democracies Go to War. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
• Rosato, Sebastian, 2003. ‘The Flawed Logic of Democratic Peace Theory', American Political Science Review 97(4): 585–602. See also ‘Forum', with articles by David Kinsella; Branislav L. Slantchev, Anna Alexandrova & Erik Gartzke; Michael W. Doyle; and Sebastian Rosato, APSR 99(3): 453–472

Thursday 26 April
6. Civil peace – the democratic peace at the intrastate level

Readings:

• Hegre, Håvard, Tanja Ellingsen, Scott Gates & Nils Petter Gleditsch, 2001. ‘Toward a Democratic Civil Peace? Democracy, Political Change, and Civil War, 1816–1992', American Political Science Review 95(1): 17–33

Optional reading:

• Lacina, Bethany. 2006. “Explaining the Severity of Civil War.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 50(2): 276–289
• Muller, Edward N., and Erich Weede. 1990. “Cross-National Variations in Political Violence: A Rational Action Approach.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 34(4): 624–651
• Snyder, Jack. 2000. From Voting to Violence: Democratization and Nationalist Conflict. New York: Norton

Wednesday 2 May, 1015-1200 (note different day and time; same room)
7. Democratic interventionism

Readings:

• Pickering, Jeffrey & Mark Peceny, 2006. ‘Forging Democracy at Gunpoint',  International Studies Quarterly 50(3): 539–559
• Russett, Bruce, 2005. ‘Bushwacking the Democratic Peace', International Studies Perspectives 6(4): 395–408

Optional reading:

• Bueno de Mesquita, Bruce & George W. Downs, 2006. ‘Intervention and Democracy', International Organization 60(3): 627–649

Thursday 10 May
8. The liberal peace – a capitalist peace?

Readings:

• Oneal, John R.; Bruce Russett & Michael L. Berbaum, 2003. ‘Causes of Peace: Democracy, Interdependence, and International Organizations, 1885–1992', International Studies Quarterly 47(3): 371–393
• Gartzke, Erik, 2007. ‘The Capitalist Peace', American Journal of Political Science 51(1): 166–191

Optional reading:

• Mousseau, Michael; Håvard Hegre & John R. Oneal, 2003. ‘How the Wealth of Nations Condit­ions the Liberal Peace', European Journal of International Relations 9(2): 277–314
• Barbieri, Katherine, 2002. The Liberal Illusion: Does Trade Promote Peace? Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press

Thursday 17 May
Public holiday – no class

Thursday 24 May
Course paper outline due
9. Class presentations of course paper outlines

Thursday 31 May
10. Gender and peace

Readings:

• Caprioli, Mary, 2005. ‘Primed for Violence: The Role of Gender Inequality in Predicting Internal Conflict', International Studies Quarterly 49(2): 161–178
• Tickner, Judith Ann, 2005, ‘ What is Your Research Program? Some Feminist Answers to International Relations Methodological Questions', International Studies Quarterly 49(1): 1–21

Optional reading:

• Melander, Erik, 2005. ‘Gender Equality and Intrastate Armed Conflict', International Studies Quarterly 49(4): 695–714
• Goldstein, Joshua S., 2001. War and Gender. How Gender Shapes the War System and Vice Versa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Tuesday 5 June (note different day – this class will be in Rigot 2)
11. Religion and peace (guest lecture by Ragnhild Nordås)
Readings:

• Huntington, Samuel P., 1993. ‘The Clash of Civilizations?', Foreign Affairs 72(3): 22–49
• Seul, Jeffrey R., 1999. 'Ours Is the Way of God: Religion, Identity, and Intergroup Conflict', Jour­nal of Peace Research 36(5): 553–569

Optional reading:

• Fox, Jonathan, 1999. ‘The Influence of Religious Legitimacy on Grievance Formation by Ethno-Religious Minorities', Journal of Peace Research 36(3): 289–307 
• Reynal-Querol, Marta, 2002. ‘Ethnicity, Political Systems, and Civil Wars',  Journal of Conflict Res­o­lution 46(1): 29–54 

Thursday 14 June
12. Summary and overview

Monday 11 June
Course paper due for the licence students

Wednesday 13 June
Course paper due for the graduate students

(The deadline is two days earlier for the licence students, to make absolutely sure I get their grades ready before 15 June. For the graduate students, this is not critical.)