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PCS-820 CONFLICT, PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT
Campus CIPS
Programs PG
Session Fall Semester 2016
Course Title CONFLICT, PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT
Course Code PCS-820
Credit Hours 3
Pre-Requisutes None
Course Objectives
  • Inter and intra-state conflicts have increased manifold after the creation of nation-states. In recent times, there have been civil wars and insurgencies in many countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Nepal and a number of Arab and African countries. These conflicts have affected living in them in many ways. Far greater has been the impacts of conflicts on women and children – the most vulnerable segments of society during wars. The 9/11 attacks on the US and the growth of international terrorism has shaken the very foundations of nation states. In Pakistan alone, during 2003-14, there were over 50,000 deaths due to terrorism. In Pakistan, terrorism has directly and indirectly influenced all major sectors of the economy, for example, through reduction in foreign direct investment (FDI). There is a causal relationship between terrorism, domestic economy, poverty, unemployment and many other social problems in Pakistan, such as the increasing crime rate. According to the Board of Investment of Pakistan, FDI during 2007-08 was US$5,409.80 million. This dropped to just US$812.6 million during 2011-12. According to Pakistan Economy Watch, unemployment rate in Pakistan reached six percent in 2012. This course is designed to make students reflect on the themes of conflicts, security and development. Course participants will engage in a participatory learning process that combines lectures with small group discussions. To prepare students for the course, a folder comprising relevant readings will be provided at least a couple of weeks prior to the course commencement.
Detail Content
  1. Topic 1: Contemporary Conflicts and Security Challenges. This introductory lecture of the course will present an overview of conflicts around the world. A systematic approach of delivering lectures will be adopted by highlighting conflicts on regional basis for providing students with comparative analysis opportunities.
  2. Topic 2: Security and Development. The contents of this topic will provide an analytical and empirical discussion of the connections between issues of security and development in contemporary international relations. There will be greater focus on the interaction between security and development. Student will engage in critical examination of the following interdisciplinary sub-topics: (1) The process of development, war and social violence; (2) security and development issues during conflict; (3) Security and development issues in transition from war to peace; and (4) policy making for development and security.
  3. Topic 3: Concepts. For a meaningful discussion of topics covered in this course, it is important to develop a good understanding of key concepts. Therefore, in this topic, students will critically examine definitions of security (state security, national security, regional security, traditional and non-traditional/human security) and development (human development, gross national happiness etc.).
  4. Topic 4: International Relations: Security, Conflict, and Peace. Students will explore evolution of security, both as a concept and in practice. They will also look into how various schools of thought contribute to understanding and interpreting International Relations. This exploration will be contextualized in efforts to address cause of recent and ongoing conflicts. It will address how sustainable peace might be built in regions such as South Asia and the Middle East.
  5. Topic 5: Comparative Civil Wars. A comparative study of civil wars is important for students to understand the root causes of conflicts because often those are structural. Drawing upon a range of historical and contemporary case studies, the discussion in this topic will provide a comparative and empirically informed examination of the origins, characteristics and dynamics of civil wars. The following case studies will be looked at: Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, and Pakistan.
  6. Topic 6: Conflict, Development and Islam. Analytical treatment of the linkages between conflict, development and Islam will be provided. The students will be engaged to explore the origins and dynamics of wars and unresolved military conflicts in the world, and examines potential new sources of violence that might emerge in the Muslim world. There will be a greater focus on the recent phenomena, such as the Arab Spring and the emergence of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria.
  7. Topic 7: Counterterrorism. It is one of the most controversial issues in security policy today. Due to differences in the understanding of terrorism, states have diverse practices of counterterrorism, for example, the US drone attacks on Pakistan are case in point. The following questions will be under focus in this topic: Why do states often respond to terrorism in different ways? What makes for an effective counterterrorism response? Is poverty a root cause of terrorism? What linkages exist between terrorism and development? Is terrorism an effective strategy for coercing governments?
  8. Topic 8: Conflicts and International Politics. Here students will get the opportunity to understand how conflicts are tackled through dialogues at multilateral levels (UN, EU, ASEAN, SCO, AU etc.). The purpose of this lecture will be to answer the following questions: How politicized are international conflicts? How effective the UN has been in managing conflicts? What are multidimensional peacekeeping operations?
  9. Topic 9: International Security vs. International Aid. Both issues are controversial, but more so if tackled together. It is therefore important for the students of this course to examine the issues of international security and international aid separately and together for developing a good understanding of connections between security and development. A key aim is to provide students will a specialized knowledge of the causes, processes and effects of weapons proliferation as well as the evolution and effectiveness of the non-proliferation regime. With regard to international aid, the students will critically examine the various dimensions of international development aid because often that aid comes with strings attached.
  10. Topic 10: Peace and Development. There is a strong dependence between peace and development because without peace, there cannot be development and without development, there cannot be peace. Firstly, the focus of discussion will be on how peace in established. In this regard, some examples will be considered for example that of conflict resolution in case of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Bangladesh etc. Secondly, students will try to answer the following questions through group discussions: What is the role of justice mechanisms in conflict resolution? What is the status of development in post-conflict countries?
Course Outcomes
  1. Explain causes and consequences of contemporary conflicts & security challenges;
  2. Analyze linkages between conflicts, peace & development;
  3. Explain theoretical bases of various concepts of security; and
  4. Assess issues relating to peace, security & development, such as international relations, international aid, counter-terrorism etc.
Text/Ref Books
  1. Agarwal, P. 2006. South Asia: Peace, Security & Development. New Delhi: Kilaso Books.
  2. Agbonifo, J.O. 2009. Development and Conflict: Ogoni Movement, the State and Oil Resources in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Erasmus University Rotterdam.
  3. Chandler, D. Review: Theorizing the shift from security to insecurity – Kaldor, Duffield and Furedi. Conflict, Security & Development.2008. 8(2), 265-276.
  4. Crost, B., Felter, J. and Johnston, P. Aid under Fire: Development Projects and Civil Conflict. 2012.
  5. Feigenblatt, O.F.v. “The Human Security Theory of Integrative Negotiation for Sociopolitical Conflicts: the Thai Color Divide as a Case Study.” Asia Pacific World, 2010. 1(2), 61-82.
  6. Garrett, N. and Mitchell, H. Trading conflict for development: utilizing the trade in minerals from Eastern DR Congo for development. Resource Consulting Service. 2009.
  7. Hasina, S. 2003. Human Development, Poverty Alleviation and Peace in South Asia. South Asian Survey, 10(1), 5-11.
  8. IKEJIAKU, B. 2009. The relationship between poverty, conflict and development. Journal of Sustainable Development, 2(1), 15-28.
  9. IPA 2004. The security-development nexus: conflict, peace and development in the 21st century. International Peace Academy, New York.
  10. Jackson, S. 2001. The challenges and contradictions of development and conflict. INCORE.
  11. Karbo, T. and McCandless, E. 2011. Peace, Conflict and Development in Africa: A Reader. University for Peace, San Jose. Website: http://www.africa.upeace.org/documents/READER_webpages.pdf.
  12. World Bank 2011. World Development Report 2011: Conflict, Security, and Development.
Time Schedule
Faculty/Resource Person