International Security and Armed Conflicts 2104-ERASMUS-ISAC

International Security and Armed Conflicts
Prof. Kamila Pronińska

1. Introduction to security studies. The changing security paradigm.
[The evolution of security studies: “the golden age”, “the renaissance”, and the critical security studies after the Cold War; redefinition of security: negative vs. positive approach, narrow vs. wide approach, state-centric vs. human security approach; securitization and the Copenhagen school]

2. The change and continuity in international security environment.
[a conceptual framework; the key factors/structural, long- and short-term trends influencing the international security; military, non- military, asymmetric threats to international security; understanding of power, polarity, balance of power, balance of threats, power transition, hegemony; the question of the end of western liberal order]

3. Military security and arms transfers.
[world military powers; trends in world military expenditure; arms production and trade; key military alliances; nuclear forces]

4-5. Trends in contemporary armed conflicts
[the new and old wars; geography, intensity, and casualties (UCDP/SIPRI/PRIO classifications), and internationalization; the new generation of warfare/hybrid warfare/information warfare; asymmetrical wars and strategies; the role and the use of media; the privatization of conflicts – PMC’s, warlordism; jihadism; transnational crime; just and unjust war/responsibility to protect (R2P)]

6-7. International Security Institutions (ISI). Reactions to contemporary armed conflicts – case studies.
[theory; types of ISI; alliances, collective security system, cooperative security systems, arms control; the effectiveness of ISI?]
Case studies: reactions of ISI to conflicts in MENA and Ukraine.

8. Energy Security.
[geostrategic, economic, institutional, environmental dimensions of energy security; threats to energy security; major oil supply disruptions in XX and XXI c.; oil, gas, RES market trends in XXI c.; links between military and energy security; weaponization of energy].
Case studies.

9. Natural resources and armed conflicts.
[the relationship between natural resources and conflict; theoretical approaches - economic theories of violence, resource geopolitics, environmental perspective; the concept of resource curse, state-weakness and over- dependence on natural resource revenues; global market and its influence on development of illicit trade of natural resources, access to CRM and armed conflicts]
Case studies.

10. Climate change and armed conflicts.
[environmental security; securitization of climate change, food and water scarcities; geostrategic implications of climate change; Arctic rivalrly; increasing environmental scarcity and armed conflicts, weaponization of food and water in armed conflicts]
Case studies.