PEACE PARADIGMS
SIS 607.01
American University, Fall 2002
Wed.  11:20- 2:00
Professor Julie Mertus

E-mail: mertus@american.edu
Office:  SIS Annex 13
Office phone:  202-885-2215

 

Course Description

This course overviews the history, development, and current expression of contending approaches to peace, basic assumptions and methods, and application to current conflicts.  Special attention is given throughout the semester to the problem termed terrorism.  For the purpose of analysis and discussion, approaches to peace will be grouped into the following five paradigms: 

(1)   peace through coercion, with attention to use of military force, collective security arrangements, and other forms of what could be termed “benign hegemony”;

(2)    peace through world order, including human rights and rule of law projects;

(3)   peace through conflict resolution, examining  conflict resolution through problem solving as well as conflict resolution through improved communication and relationship transformation;

(4)   peace through nonviolence, studying the application of Mahatma Ghandi’s philosophy; and

(5)   peace through individual and community transformation, with a focus on suggestions for sustainable reconciliation, peace education, democratization and civil society building, and spiritual growth.

The course challenges students to think creatively and critically about the possible relationships among various strategies developed for realizing peace. A separate class will be devoted to the crosscutting theme of gender, but gender issues are present and can be discussed in all parts of the course.  Some of the key assumptions of peace strategies to be examined include the use of military force, the evolution of global order values, effectiveness of activism, the role of improved communication, and the transformative potential of moral behavior. We will also have a new unit on the sources and nature of terrorism and responses undertaken to address it.

The course combines theory with policy applications and, in so doing, fosters the development of analytical skills for addressing peace and conflict resolution problems.  Ultimately, it encourages students to envision their own creative, multidisciplinary approaches to the resolution of conflicts and to the building of peaceful and just societies.

·        To identify and examine critically approaches to peace.

·        To develop one’s own informed understanding of the concept of peace.

·        To identify the various individual actors, institutions, and structures involved in the struggles for peace and to explore their normative expectations, interlinkages and mutually constitutive relationships.

·        To survey some of the main thinkers on peace and conflict, with attention to competing and complementary views of critics.

·        To think about how approaches to achieving peace have changed in the post-Cold War era of globalization and, specifically, to examine developments in:

-         the concept of security and the practice of systems to prevent it;

-         the use of humanitarian intervention and peacekeeping;

-         understanding and responding to terrorism;

-         the role of nonviolent approaches to conflict;

-         the use of conflict resolution as a means of solving problems, improving communication and transforming relationships;

-         the potential for democratization, sustainable reconciliation and other forms of community transformation; and

-         the impact of international legal systems and mechanisms.

·        To provide the tools for analyzing ongoing or recent conflicts with reference to the above factors.

·        To develop an awareness of the organizations in Washington DC working in peace related areas.

Handouts will be distributed in class.  In addition, the following books are required for the course:

·        Chester A. Crocker, et al., Turbulent Peace (Washington, DC: US Institute for Peace, 2000)

·        Thompson, S. and Jensen, K., eds, Approaches to Peace (Washington DC: USIP, 1991)

·        I. William Zartman & J. Lewis Rasmussen, Peacemaking in International Conflict: Methods & Techniques (US Institute of Peace, 1997)

·        Foreign Policy Reader on Terrorism (2002).

Students are also urged to read The Washington Post or The New York Times on a daily basis.

Requirements and Grading

1.      Collaborative Project & Presentation:  20%

You will be required to collaborate in groups of two in exploring the peace and/or conflict resolution efforts of an organization, governmental or non-governmental, based in the Washington DC area.  The focus of the organization may be local (domestic) or international. 

Your group needs to produce a 6-8 page (double-spaced and typed) report explaining the mandate of the organization, summarizing the kinds of activities it carries out to fulfill its mandate, and your analysis of the viability of the organization in its peace and/or conflict resolution efforts.   In your paper, apply what we have learned about approaches to peace.  To what extent does the work of the organization reflect a particular peace paradigm? Discuss with specific reference to course materials.  As a group, you need to produce only one report.  However, if there are dissenting voices in the group about any part of the report, you may hand in an addendum with “minority opinions” (do not identify author by name).

Your group needs to design a presentation that is both informative and illustrative of the organization’s mandate and activities. Groups will lead the class activity – approximately 15 minutes in length – during the two class periods at the end of the term.

2.      Term Paper: 40%

You will be asked to choose an ongoing or recent conflict and to analyze it in light of all the material we have discussed in class.  You are expected to undertake a modest amount of research beyond the course materials.  Outside research may be useful to explain the background of the conflict you are analyzing (this background section should not be more than 3 pages in length). Do not summarize a topic.  Instead, push yourself to explore the topic through such techniques as comparing and contrasting two ideas, developing a theory and applying it to a case study, applying major themes discussed in class to a single illustration, etc).  Papers should be roughly 15 pages in length, double-spaced, should include full citations and bibliography, and should include a literature review that explains how your paper contributes to the peace studies field. Criteria for grading include: demonstration of understanding of course materials, depth of analysis, creativity and insight, and professionalism and effort.  Papers are due the last day of class.

3.       Seminar Presentation and Literature Review:  40%

You will sign up for one set of class readings on which to do the following:  (1) Prepare three questions for the class and email them to the entire class (including me) no later than the Tuesday before our class meeting; (2) write a 6-8 page “literature review” on the assigned topic – stating each author’s main thesis and contribution to the study of international ethics – and hand in at the beginning of the assigned class; (3) attach to the literature review an annotated bibliography (after each source, give a one-sentence description) of at least eight additional sources on the topic (four of which must be non-web based); (4) prepare a one-page handout for the class on one aspect of the readings – copy and bring to class; (5) prepare and present to the class an oral presentation on the assigned readings. 

Guidelines for oral presentations:

1.      The presentation should be no more than 15 minutes in length.

2.      You should try to not read word for word, but instead present from notes.

3.      You should address the questions you posed for discussion that week.

4.      The handout you prepare must be some kind of aid for your presentation.

5.      Should you choose to use PowerPoint or overheads, you must make copies of the slides/overheads for the entire class – this can take the place of your one-page handout.

6.      There will be 10-15 minutes for you to answer questions from the seminar group.

7.      I will provide comments on both your literature review and your oral presentation.  When you are preparing for your presentation, bear in mind the importance of the quality of your handout, your presentation style, and the presentation’s content and contribution to the entire seminar.

8.      In most cases, two students will be presenting on the same day.  To the greatest extent possible, check with the other student to make sure your questions do not considerably overlap.

Late literature reviews and bibliographies will be marked down ½ grade for each day late.  Papers handed in after the class meeting are considered late.  If you are ill or have a family emergency, please try to switch classes with another student and then notify me of your arrangement.

In addition to the above requirements, class attendance is required.  If your grade is borderline, grades may be raised one-half grade for excellent participation (defined by quality and not just quantity) and attendance (defined as missing no more than one class). On the other hand, grades may be lowered by one-half grade for students who miss three classes.  Students who miss more than three classes will need to meet with me to explore whether they should receive any credit for the course and, if so, what additional work will be required to receive credit.

Class Schedule

August 28th: INTRODUCTION:  OUTLINE OF THE COURSE, INTRODUCTION OF SUBJECT, READINGS AND COURSE REQUIREMENTS        

Sept.  4:  THE PROBLEM TERMED TERRORISM: CONSIDERING THE THREAT AND RESPONSE

Laquer, “Postmodern Terrorism”  (Foreign Affairs Reader)

Lewis, “License to Kill: Osoma bin Laden’s Declaration of Jihad” (Foreign Affairs Reader)

Carter, Deutch and Zelikow, “Catastrophic Terrorism” (Foreign Affairs Reader)

Rose, “It Could Happen Here: Facing the New Terrorism” (Foreign Affairs Reader)

Ajami, “The Sentry’s Solitude” (Foreign Affairs Reader)

Beardon, “Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires” (Foreign Affairs Reader)

Doran, “Somebody Else’s Civil War,” (Foreign Affairs Reader)

Sept: 11 PEACE THROUGH COERCION
Part One: Institutions And Regimes Of Security And Conflict Management

Perry, “Preparing for the Next Attack” (Foreign Affairs Reader)

Betts, “Fixing Intelligence,” (Foreign Affairs Reader)

Doyle, “War-Making and Peace-Making: The UN in the 1990s,” Ch. 32 in Turbulent Peace

Peck, “The Role of Regional Organizations in Preventing and Resolving Conflict,”  Ch. 33 in Turbulent Peace

Yost, “NATO’s Contribution to Conflict Management,”  Ch. 34 in Turbulent Peace

Jentleson, “Preventive Statecraft: A Realist Strategy for the Post-Cold War Era,” Ch. 15 in Turbulent Peace

Luttwak, “The Traditional Approaches to Peace,” Ch. 1 in Approaches to Peace

Treverton, “Deterrence and Collective Security,” Ch. 2 in Approaches to Peace

Sept. 18 : PEACE THROUGH COERCION
Part Two:  Intervention Strategies/ Benign Hegemony?

Crocker, “Intervention: Toward Best Practices and a Holistic View,” Ch. 14 in Turbulent Peace 

Luttwak  “The Curse of Inconclusive Intervention,”  Ch. 16 in Turbulent Peace

Hoffmann , “The Controversy over Military Intervention,”  Ch. 17 in Turbulent Peace

Betts, “The Delusion of Impartial Interventions,” Ch. 18 in Turbulent Peace

Haass,  “The Use of Force, Coercive Diplomacy, and Collective Security,”  Ch. 19 in Turbulent Peace

Freedman, “Interventionist Strategies and the Changing Use of Force,”  Ch. 20 in Turbulent Peace

Abramowitz, “The President, The Congress and Use of Force: Legal and Political Considerations in Authorizing the Use of Force Against International Terrorism”  Harvard International Law Journal (winter 2002)(handout).

Sept. 25:  WORLD ORDER PERSPECTIVES

Nagler, “The Ideas of World Order and the Map of Peace,” Ch. 15 in Approaches to Peace

MacDougal, “Law and Peace,” Ch. 6 in Approaches to Peace

Schachter, “The Role of International Law in Maintaining Peace,” Ch. 5 in Approaches to Peace

Schabas, “International Law and Response to Conflict,” Ch. 35 in Turbulent Peace

Bilder, “Adjudication: International Tribunals and Courts,” Ch. 5 in Peacemaking

Cedric Thornberry, “Peacekeeping, Peacemaking and Human Rights,” Occasional Paper, INCORE, http://www.incore.ulst.ac.uk/home/publication/occasional/cedric.html

Heyman, “Civil Liberties and Human Rights in the Aftermath of September 11^th,” Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy (spring 2002)(handout)

Oct. 2  PEACE THROUGH CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Kriesberg, “The Development of the Conflict Resolution Field,” Ch. 2 in Peacemaking

Druckman, “Negotiating International Conflict,” Ch. 3 in Peacemaking

Bercovitch, “Mediation in International Conflict,” Ch. 4 in Peacemaking

Fisher, “Interactive Conflict Resolution,” Ch. 7 in Peacemaking

Hopmann, “Bargaining and Problem Solving: Two Perspectives on International Negotiation,” Ch. 27 in Turbulent Peace

Exercise on Negotiation  (handout)

Oct. 9:  CONFLICT AND CULTURE

Stern, “Pakistan’s Jihad Culture” (Foreign Affairs Reader)

Rashid, “The Taliban: Exporting Extremism” (Foreign Affairs Reader)

Stein, “Image, Identity and the Resolution of Violent Conflict,” Ch. 12 in Turbulent Peace

Cohen, “Negotiating Across Cultures,” Ch. 28 in Turbulent Peace

Saunders, “Prenegotiation and Circumnegotiation: Arenas of the Peace Process,” Ch. 29 in Turbulent Peace

Kelman, “Social-Psychological Dimensions of International Conflict,” Ch. 6 in Peacemaking

Oct. 16: PEACE THROUGH NONVIOLENCE

Kapelman, “Beyond Pacifism, Towards Peace,” Ch. 16 in Approaches to Peace

Martin Luther King, “Address delivered in Acceptance of Nobel Peace Prize,” Oslo, Norway (10 December 1964)  (http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/ )  (click on speech)

Mahatma Gandhi, The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, [read passages 9, 21-29, 33-34] http://www.nagpuronline.com/momgbook/

Michael N. Nagler, “Peacemaking Through Nonviolence,” Peace and Conflict Studies, 4:2 (December 1997) http://www.gmu.edu/academic/pcs/nagler.html

Alberto L'Abate, “Nonviolent Interposition in Armed Conflicts,” Peace and Conflict Studies, 4: 1 (July 1997) http://www.gmu.edu/academic/pcs/labate.htm

Stephen Murphy, “A Brief outline of Gandhi's Philosophy,” http://www.gandhiserve.com/information/brief_philosophy/brief_philosophy.html

Nonviolent responses to terrorism (handout).

Oct.  23: PEACE THROUGH  INDIVIDUAL & COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION

Aall, “Nongovernmental Organizations and Conflict: What Do They Bring to Peacemaking?” Ch 23 in Turbulent Peace

Destexhe, “NGOs as Agents of Change,” Ch. 38 in Turbulent Peace

Baker, “Conflict Resolution Versus Democratic Governance: Divergent Paths to Peace?” Ch. 44 in Turbulent Peace

Sisk, “Democratization and Peacebuilding: Perils and Promises in Turbulent Peace,” Ch. 46 in Turbulent Peace

Lederach, “Civil Society and Reconciliation, “ Ch. 49 in Turbulent Peace         

Paul Smoker and Linda Groff, “Creating Global-Local Cultures of Peace,” Peace and Conflict Studies, 3: 1 (June 1996)  http://www.gmu.edu/academic/pcs/smoker.htm

Kevin Clements, “Peace Building and Conflict Transformation,” Peace and Conflict Studies, 4: 1 (June 1997) http://www.gmu.edu/academic/pcs/clements.htm 

Oct. 30: PEACE THROUGH SPIRITUALITY & RELIGION

Appleby, “Religion as a Means of Conflict Prevention and Resolution,” Ch. 48 in Turbulent Peace                             

Sampson, “Religion and Peacebuilding,” Ch. 8 in Peacemaking

John P. Walsh, “Integrating Buddhist Philosophy and Peacemaking Theory: Further Thought for Development” Online Journal of Peace and Conflict Resolution 2:2 (May 1999) http://www.trinstitute.org/ojpcr/2_2walsh.htm

Religious group’s responses to terrorism (handout).

Nov. 6:  Group Presentations

Nov.  13: Group Presentations

Nov. 20: THE FUTURE OF PEACE

Stedman, “International Implementation of Peace Agreements in Civil Wars: Findings from a Study of Sixteen Cases,” Ch. 43 in Turbulent Peace

Paris, “Wilson’s Ghost: The Faulty Assumptions of Post-Conflict Peacebuilding,” Ch. 45 in Turbulent Peace        

Johan Galtung, “Peace and Conflict Research in the Age of the Cholera: Ten Pointers to the Future of Peace Studies,” Peace and Conflict Studies 2:1 (June 1995) http://www.TCNJ.EDU/~psm/pcs/manuscripts/pcs0007m.html

Howard, The Invention of Peace, pp. 91-113 (packet)

Callahan, Unwinnable Wars, pp. 200-239 (packet)

Dec. 4: Current Topic TBA

Readings to be announced

TERM PAPERS DUE