MPCT303: Historical, political, legal and economic approaches to war and peace

Module 303 presents historical, political, legal and economic approaches to international- and inter-state relations, state building and state dissolution, and their relation to war and peace. The curriculum and lectures provide four approaches to the basic theories and methodologies pertaining to the theme of war and peace. These will be presented as case studies from various regions and historical periods, illustrating an array of problems, and providing tools for comparative analysis. MPCT303 consists of four courses, MPCT303-1, MPCT303-4, MPCT303-3, MPCT303-4.

For reading lists, please click at the module’s code- MPCT303-x

Please note that all literature marked with an asterisk * are sold in compendiums at the Secretariat at the Faculty of Social science.

Books may be bought at Akademisk kvarter (the University bookshop).


MPCT303-1 (History) Professor Jens Petter Nielsen, professor Randi Rønning Balsvik, professor Hallvard Tjelmeland,
MPCT303-2 (Political science) Associate professor Arne Kommisrud, associate professor Stuart Robinson
MPCT303-3 (Law) Professor Per Christiansen
MPCT303-4 (Economics) Professor Carl-Erik Schulz





PRESENTATION OF MODULES:

MPCT303-1: Historical perspectives on war and peace

Course leader: Professor Jens Petter Nielsen, Department of History.

Duration: 10 hours (5 lectures)

MPCT 303-1 addresses the approaches to the causes of war and conditions of peace in historical research, through a selection of cases from various regions:

Africa: The war between Eritrea and Ethiopia will be presented to illustrate the general problems in Africa surrounding the consequences of European colonisation and decolonisation, lack of ethnic integration and the struggle over resources.

Europe: Imperialism, the European state system and the causes of World War I. Fascism and the causes of World War II. European integration after 1945: A peace building project?

The Circumpolar Area: Conflict and conflict resolution before and after 1917. The Cold War in the north. Norwegian security policy vis à vis Russia before and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The Barents Region.

The reading list comprises a total of 321 pages.



MPCT 303-2: State building and state dissolution

Course leader: Associate professor Arne Kommisrud and associate professor Stuart Robinson

Department of Political Science.

Duration: 10 hours (5 lectures).

The reading list comprises a total of 374 pages.

Lectures in political science for MPCT 303, Autumn 2002.

1) The International Order between Power & Norms (Stuart Robinson)
Literature: Linklater, Arrigi and Silver

2) Power & Hegemony in the International System (arne Kommisrud.)Cox; Arrigi and Silver; Hobsbawn 8, 12 and 15.

3) The Age of Total War and the Cold War (Arne Kommisrud) Hobsbawn 1, 2 og 12.

4) Security Politics from Cold War to Post Communism : The Role of the U.S.(Stuart Robinson)Hobsbawn chapt. 8, Peter Gowan.

5) Dismantling of Multi-National States and National Conflicts (Arne Kommisrud) Brubakers, Kolstø, McGary and 0'Leary



MPCT303-3: “PEACE AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM” – CURRICULUM

Professor Per Christiansen, Faculty of Law

Teaching: 10 lectures of 45 minutes

Auxiliary material:

A compendium of legal texts, including the original ECSC Treaty and the current EC Treaty and EU Treaty, should be used in conjunction with the reading of the curriculum and the lectures. A collection of material will also be available for the students at their optional use. Both collections will be available to the students at the Secretariat.


Learning requirements for the course:

The aim of the course is to familiarise the student with essential aspects of a judicial system linking together independent states in a common judicial area. The case of the European Union will be examined for the purpose. The following aspects will be emphasised:

a) The European Coal and Steel Union (1952), leading to the European Economic Community (1957) and the European Union (1992): history, ideology and legal foundation in general

b) The European Union construction: Functionalism vs federalism

c) Legislation in the European Community

d) Dispute Settlement in the European Community

The students shall be provided with a basis to understand and evaluate the legal mechanisms at work in the European Union to handle conflicts between participating States in a peaceful way and according to a specific idea (functionalism). The basic logic is that war shall be prevented not by keeping States apart, but be engaging States in close co-operation; starting with the question: How do you treat your enemy?


MPCT303-4: Economic development, war and peace

Lectured by: Carl-Erik Schulz, Professor of Economics
email: , phone: 77645553
office: NFH, A404

Duration: 14 hours of lectures, 3 x 2 hours of seminars.

This module will concentrate on how economic analysis can add to the understanding of war and peace. It is obvious that economic interests and economic strength and performance are crucial to understand the causes of war, the duration of wars and the building of peace. Many of these arguments are included in the modules on history and political science in the masters programme, and will only be surveyed in this module.

The module will focus on the studies of civil war. Economic theories to understand international conflicts and war. Three aspects of civil war are studied:

The causes of civil war

The logic and duration of civil war

The building of peace after civil war

For all three aspects we study the economics of war. Is war mainly caused by greed, or is grievance the dominating moving force? Which factors decide on the duration of war? Will globalisation support the struggle to avoid wars, or is economic globalisation one of the factors that keeps the factions alive? Will economic aid only fuel the fighting, or is aid one of the important factors in peace-building?

Preliminary plan for the lecturing
Monday 1 September 12.15-14.00h
Introduction.
Read: Berdal&Malone (B&M), Chapter 1,

Friday 6 September 12.15-14.00 h
Economics reasons for civil war
Read: B&M Chapter 2 and 3

Collier: Economic causes of civil conflicts….
Monday 9 September 12.15-1400h
Seminar 14.15 Greed and war
Read: Mehlum & Moene: Contested Power ...
Azam: The redistributive state….

Friday 20 September 12.15-14.00h
Globalisation and war
Read: B&M Chapter 4 Barbieri:…

Monday 23 September 09.15-11.00h
Seminar 14.15.h Prolonged civil wars.
Resources and war.
Read: B&M Chapters 5-7

Wednesday 25 September 09.15-11.00h (C1003)
Out of civil war
Read: B&M Chapters 8-10.
Collier: On the economic consequences...
Boyce:…..

Friday 27 September 09.15-11.00h
Theorizing about conflict. Read: Hirschleifer.

All text references are to the syllabus for the course.