POL1915: Contemporary Civil Wars

Why did civil war erupt in Syria, but not Jordan? Why has the Syrian regime targeted civilians so brutally? How will the rise of the Islamic State affect the conduct and conclusion of the civil war? How will the fractured nature of the rebels affect the possibilities for peace? Will additional international intervention prolong war or bring it to a close more quickly? Will the Kurdish minority that populates parts of Syria, Iraq, and Turkey finally gain an independent state? We will address these and other questions in this class, keeping in mind the effects that civil wars have on ordinary citizens in war-torn countries. We will focus particularly on developing an operational definition of civil war, understanding causes of civil war, examining strategies of violence employed in civil war, and civil war termination. Current events, such as those in Syria, Yemen, Colombia, Ukraine, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic will be brought into the class throughout the semester.

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