Week 1. Class overview and political realism (4.10.2023)

Optional:

· Mearsheimer, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics chs. 3-5

Week 2. Power transitions (11.10.2023)

Required:

· Tammen, Kugler, and Lemke, “Foundations of Power Transition Theory” (57 pages)

Optional:

· Kim and Gates, “Power Transition Theory and the Rise of China” (8 pages)

Student Leaders: Johannes, Paolo D.

Week 3: Liberalism (18.10.2023)

Required:

· Simpson, “Making Liberal Use of Kant? Democratic Peace Theory and Perpetual Peace” (19 pages)

Optional:

· Russett and ONeal, Triangulating Peace chs. 2-5

Student Leaders: N/A

Week 4: Psychological and biological approaches (25.10.2023)

Required:

· Levy, “Loss Aversion, Framing, and Bargaining: The Implications of Prospect Theory for International Conflict” (17 pages)

· Leblanc, “The Origins of Warfare and Violence” (19 pages)

Student Leaders: N/A

Week 5: Rationalist and bargaining approaches (1.11.2023)

Required:

· Reiter, “Exploring the Bargaining Model of War” (16 pages)

· Fearon, “Rationalist Explanations for War” (35 pages)

Assignments: Annotated bibliography due Friday 5 pm

Student Leaders: Elisa, Ken

Week 6: Geography, territory, and conflict (8.11.2023)

Required:

· Toft, “Territory and War” (14 pages)

· Cox, “The Razor’s Edge: A Review of Contiguity in Conflict Studies and an Argument for Redefining Neighbors” (23 pages)

Student Leaders: Maële, Davide, Maria C.N.

Week 7: History and conflict (15.11.2023)

Required:

· Crescenzi, “Reputation and International Conflict” (15 pages)

· Thompson, “Principal Rivalries” (29 pages)

Optional:

· Goertz and Diehl, “The Initiation and Termination of Enduring Rivalries: The Impact of Political Shocks” (23 pages)

Student Leaders: Shirsha, Elisabeth

Week 8: Civil wars and insurgency (22.11.2023)

Required:

· Dixon, “What Causes Civil Wars? Integrating Quantitative Research Findings” (29 pages)

· Denny and Walter, “Ethnicity and Civil War” (14 pages)

Optional:

· Kathman, “Civil War Contagion and Neighboring Interventions” (24 pages)

Assignments: Literature review due Friday 5 pm

Student Leaders: Francesca, Mejra, Vadym

Week 9: Alliances (29.11.2023)

Required:

· Leeds, “Do Alliances Deter Aggression? The Influence of Military Alliances on the Initiation of Militarized Interstate Disputes” (13 pages)

· Morrow, “Alliances and Asymmetry: An Alternative to the Capability Aggregation Model of Alliances” (30 pages)

Optional:

· Leeds, “Alliance Reliability in Times of War: Explaining State Decisions to Violate Treaties” (27 pages)

Student Leaders: Gabriella, Sonja

Week 10: War outcomes (6.12.2023)

Required:

· Biddle, Military Power: Explaining Victory and Defeat in Modern Battle chs. 1-4 (77 pages)

Student Leaders: Pinja, Sophia, Anna-Mariia

Week 11: Securing the peace (13.12.2023)

Required:

· Lo, Hashimoto, and Reiter, “Ensuring Peace: Foreign-Imposed Regime Change and Postwar Peace Duration, 1914-2001” (19 pages)

Optional:

· Fortna, “Scraps of Paper? Agreements and the Durability of Peace” (65 pages)

Student Leaders: Basile, Alejandra

Week 12: The future of war (20.12.2023)

Required:

· Gleick and Shimabuku, “Water-Related Conflicts: Definitions, Data, and Trends from the Water Conflict Chronology” (12 pages)

· Akoto, “Accountability and Cyber-Conflict: Examining Institutional Constraints on the Use of Cyber Proxies” (22 pages)

Optional:

· Valeriano and Maness, “The Dynamics of Cyber Conflicts between Rival Antagonists, 2001-2011” (14 pages)

Student Leaders: Jude, Diana, Donja

Assignments: Please note that the final installment of the project, the argument and research plan, is due 8.1.2023 by 5:00 pm.

NOTE: All texts available in this syllabus are for study purposes of this course only. They are protected by copyright and must not be further distributed.