International security 2104-M-D1BEZM
1. International security – the evolution of security studies. Factors and stages in the development of security studies; traditional vs. contemporary conceptions of security; the evolution of the scope of security—regarding its subject matter, actors, and spatial dimensions, as well as the means and methods of security policy. The Copenhagen School – securitization.
2. The international security environment viewed through the lens of contemporary threats. The post-Cold War international order. Structural and traditional sources of security threats; the international security environment and the evolution of threats since the Cold War—international processes (megatrends), traditional, asymmetric, and non-military threats; the evolution of the post-Cold War international order—balance of power, unipolarity, asymmetric multipolarity, apolarity (the concept of power diffusion); the end of Western dominance / the decline of the Western liberal order?
3. Trends in global military spending. Post-Cold War trends in global military spending; drivers of rising military expenditure; regional trends; the contemporary arms race—global and regional military powers. Nuclear security.
4. International arms trade – security implications. The concept of power transition. Characteristics of the conventional arms trade; major global exporters and importers of conventional weaponry; post-Cold War trends in the arms trade—procurement patterns, geography, scale, and the dynamics of the contemporary arms trade. Implications for international security; theory – security dilemma, hegemonic cycle, and power transition.
5. Contemporary armed conflicts – geography, intensity, asymmetrization.
New vs. old wars. The concept of hybrid warfare.
War and armed conflict – traditional and contemporary definitions; new vs.
old wars (M. Kaldor’s concept); intensity of armed
conflicts (UCDP/SIPRI/PRIO classifications);
statistics and geography of armed conflicts (PRIO data);
asymmetrization of armed conflicts; the role of media. Hybrid
warfare.
6. Contemporary armed conflicts – privatization, commercialization,
internationalization, civilian casualties.
Privatization of conflicts (PMCs), warlordism; resource-based conflicts;
terrorist and jihadist groups as parties to armed conflicts; scale and causes
of the internationalization of armed conflicts; war crimes, civilian casualties,
child soldiers in contemporary armed conflicts.
Case studies of conflict response in:
Rwanda, Darfur, the DRC, Timor, Libya, Syria, Ukraine.
7-8. International security institutions – response to
contemporary armed conflicts. The right to intervene (R2P).
Types of international security institutions;
conflict resolution in theory – preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, peacekeeping,
peacebuilding, and peace enforcement; practice of peace and
security operations, i.e., the effectiveness of responses to
armed conflicts; and contemporary “just war” – the issue of
humanitarian intervention and the Responsibility to
Protect (R2P).
9. Energy security. The essence of energy
security; economic, geostrategic, environmental, and institutional dimensions of energy security; contemporary
market trends and the balance of power; nature and typology of threats;
principles of energy security; links between energy and military security;
militarization of energy policy; attacks on
energy infrastructure in Europe.
10. Ecological and climate security. Climate change as a threat to international security. Origins of the securitization of environmental issues and stages of climate change securitization; geostrategic implications of climate change; tipping points in the Earth's climate system; addressing climate change – the climate protection regime, the Paris Agreement, and subsequent COP meetings: commitments vs. outcomes.
11. Water and food security. Securitization of food and water issues; food crises and water shortages as security threats; food and water security indices; the problem of hunger and chronic malnutrition; the global water crisis; resource-related conflicts – ecological deficits as a source of armed conflict; weaponization of food and water supplies in armed conflicts.
12. Nuclear security. Nuclear powers; the NPT regime – functioning; contemporary nuclear issues – the "proliferation cascade" and the question of counter-proliferation; nuclear security in armed conflicts.
Type of activity / student workload:
- seminar – in-class participation – 30 hours
- participation in the exam session – 2 hours
- independent work – studying literature, preparation for ongoing classes – approx. 15 hours
- independent work – self-study and preparation for the test exam – approx. 15 hours
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Term 2025Z:
1. Introduction. International security - the evolution of security research. [Factors and stages of development of security studies; traditional vs. contemporary understanding of security; evolution of the scope of security - objective, subjective, spatial, scope of measures and methods of security policy; Copenhagen school - security sectors, securitization, regional security complexes.] 2. International security environment from the perspective of modern threats. [Structural and traditional sources of security threats; international security environment and the evolution of threats after the Cold War - international processes (tendencies and megatrends), new asymmetrical and non-military threats; practical contemporary security problems - the fight against terrorism, preventing WMD proliferation, managing conflicts and humanitarian crises, problems of economic, energy, ecological, water and other security; ] 3. Trends in global military spending. [Trends in military expenditure after the Cold War; reasons for the increase in military expenditure; regional trends; contemporary arms race - global and regional military powers; ATT] https://www.sipri.org/yearbook/2019 4. International arms trade - security implications. [The world's largest exporters and importers of conventional armaments; Trends in arms trade after the Cold War - shopping structure, geography, scale, dynamics of modern arms trade; Implications for international security; security dilemma; theories of the hegemonic cycle and power transition] 5. Security and international order [the role of powers in the sphere of international security - balance of power, unipolarity, multipolarity; Power - definitions, the concept of power diffusion; international order after the Cold War concepts of unipolarity, multipolarity, asymmetrical multipolarity, absence of poles] 6. Contemporary armed conflicts - geography, intensity, asymmetry. [War, armed conflict - traditional and 7. Contemporary armed conflicts - privatization, commercialization, internationalization, civilian victims. Right to intervene (R2P). [Privatization of PMC’s conflicts, warlorism; resource conflicts, Child soldiers; 8-9. International security institutions - responding to contemporary armed conflicts. [Types of international security institutions; conflict resolution in theory - preventive diplomacy, peace-making, peace-keeping, peace-building and peace enforcement; practice of activities for peace and security, i.e. the effectiveness of responding to armed conflicts] 11. Ecological security. Climate change as a threat to international security. [Threats to ecological security; stages of securitization of climate change; implications 12.Water and food security and the concept of human security [Securitization of food and water problems; resource conflicts; 13. Nuclear safety. 14-15. Regional security systems. [Euro-Atlantic system - NATO and EU; |
Course coordinators
Term 2026Z: | Term 2025Z: |
Type of course
Prerequisites (description)
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course, the student achieves the following learning outcomes:
Knowledge (W) K_W02, K_W04, K_W05, K_W06
- Identifies, at an advanced level, the determinants of international security, including the stages and conditions of the evolution of security studies and the paradigm shift regarding international security within the field of international relations;
- Classifies, characterizes, compares, and evaluates key concepts and schools of thought in security studies, including those concerning contemporary armed conflicts; identifies and analyzes fundamental contemporary international security issues;
- Identifies, characterizes, synthesizes, and evaluates contemporary international security issues—including military, political, energy, food, climate, and water security; identifies the evolution of the balance of power and the international order following the Cold War and, on this basis, analyzes and evaluates the changing dynamics of the security environment, including armed conflicts;
- Analyzes—based on statistical data—military expenditures, arms trade, and trends regarding armed conflicts and energy, food, and climate security from both global and regional perspectives;
- Defines and distinguishes between fundamental terms in the field of contemporary armed conflict studies, including identifying elements of the "new wars" concept within specific post-Cold War armed conflicts;
- Distinguishes between international security institutions and, based on case study analysis, evaluates their role and effectiveness in the context of contemporary armed conflicts; Skills (U): K_U01
- ability to analyze contemporary international security issues and formulate sound opinions on them, grounded in the discipline's key theoretical concepts;
- ability to analyze and simulate phenomena and processes affecting international security and to draw conclusions using theoretical frameworks, as well as the ability to use key specialized terminology in the field of security studies;
Social Competences (K): K_K01
- The student demonstrates a readiness for objective self-assessment of their own knowledge, including through participation in group discussions.
Assessment criteria
METHODS:
- engaging students in discussions based on the literature listed in the syllabus, as well as on observations of the dynamics of the contemporary international security environment (monitoring media, reading press articles)
- the course is interactive; each class follows a strictly planned schedule outlined in the syllabus and made available on kampus.come.uw.edu.pl (including detailed reading lists and material to be prepared prior to class); students discuss and resolve international security dilemmas together, focusing on understanding key schools of thought, concepts, and terms, and then applying them to current international security issues
- students develop case studies regarding the international community's (and international security institutions') responses to selected armed conflicts
ASSESSMENT:
- assessment of the quality of contributions and the logic of arguments presented during discussions – associated learning outcomes: K_W02, K_W04, K_W05, K_W06, K_U01, K_K01
- assessment of the ability to analyze problems within the scope of the course curriculum – associated learning outcomes: K_W02, K_W04, K_W05, K_W06, K_U01
- assessment of knowledge based on exam results – associated learning outcomes: K_W02, K_W04, K_W05, K_W06, K_U01
Course completion requirements:
- attendance is mandatory; two unexcused absences are permitted; this is a fundamental requirement for passing the course and being admitted to the final exam! - participation (20% of the final grade) – preparation for classes based on the literature listed in the syllabus and participation in discussions, as well as the preparation and presentation of agreed-upon case studies;
- final exam (test) (80% of the final grade) – a score of over 50% is required to pass.
Bibliography
Obligatory readings:
R. Kuźniar, A. Bieńczyk-Missala, P. Grzebyk, R. Kupiecki, M. Madej, K. Pronińska, A. Szeptycki, P. Śledź, M. Tabor, A. Wojciuk, Bezpieczeństwo Międzynarodowe, wydanie drugie zmienione i rozszerzone, Wyd. Scholar, Warszawa 2020 - basic handbook
P.D. Williams, Security Studies. An Introduction, Routledge 2008
D. Baldwin, Security Studies and the End of the Cold War, “World Politics”, vol. 48 no. 1 (October 1995).
S. Huntington, The Lonely Superpower, Foreign Affairs, 78:2 (1999).
J. Ikenberry, The end of liberal international order?, International Affairs, 94: 1 (2018), ss. 17-23.
Newest editions of: SIPRI Yearbook. Armaments, Disarmament and International Security. Summary, SIPRI 2026 oraz Trends in world military expenditure, 2024, SIPRI Fact Sheet April 2025 oraz Wezeman P.D., Gadon J., Wezeman, S. T., Trends in International Arms Transfers 2024, SIPRI Fact Sheet March 2025
M. Kaldor, B. Vashee (ed.), New Wars: Restructuring the Global Military Sector, London: Prinetr, 1997 (introduction i chapter 1) I M. Kaldor, Old Wars, Cold Wars, New Wars and the War on Terror,
International Politics, (2005)
Case studies: „Konflikty zbrojne” B.Balcerowicz i K. Pronińska w „Rocznik Strategiczny” od edycji 2011/12
Obermeier, Anna Marie; Håvard Strand & Georgina Berry, Trends in State-
B a s e d A r m e d C o n f l i c t , 1 9 4 6 –2022, Conflict Trends, 1. Oslo: PRIO,
S. A. Rustad, Conflict Trends: A Global Overview, 1946–2024. PRIO Paper 2025. Oslo: PRIO i późniejsze edycje na zajęcia obowiązują dane z najnowszej edycji (w zależności od cyklu akad.)
H. Munkler, The wars of the 21st century, IRRC March, 85:849 (2003) lub H. Munkler, Wojny naszych czasów, Kraków 2004, ss. 13-47.
J.S. Duffield, International Security Institutions: Rules,
Tools, Schools, or Fools?, “Handbook of Political Institutions”, Oxford Univ.
Press lub J.S. Duffield, The effects of International Security
Institutions: A Critical Analysis, AUEB International
Conference, June 2005.
Institutions (Part 3, chapters 20, 21, 22), w: w: P.D. Williams, Security Studies. An
Introduction, Routledge 2008.
Global Centre for Responsibility to Protect, What is R2P?, https://www.globalr2p.org/
what-is-r2p/ lub The Responsibility to Protect (Chapter 28) w: P.D. Williams, Security
Studies. An Introduction, Routledge 2008.
K. Pronińska, Świat i Europa w obliczu kryzysu energetycznego: konsekwencje
wojny, sankcji i rosyjskiej broni energetycznej, „Rocznik Strategiczny
2022/23”.
Ch. Edwards, N. Seidenstein, The Scale of
Russian Sabotage Operations Against Europe’s Critical Infrastructure, IISS research report, sierpień 2025.
K. Pronińska, Dynamika globalnego i europejskiego bezpieczeństwa
energetycznego w warunkach sankcji i kryzysu klimatycznego, „Rocznik Strategiczny 2023/24”.
Data on climate security: NASA https://climate.nasa.gov IPCC Special Reports https://unfccc.int/
https://www.ipcc.ch/reports/
IPCC, CLIMATE CHANGE 2024 Synthesis Report Summary for Policymakers, https://www.ipcc.ch/ report/ar6/syr/downloads/report/
IPCC_AR6_SYR_SPM.pdf
Data on food security: FAO, The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025, Rzym 2025. https://
openknowledge.fao.org/items/
ea9cebff-306c-49b7-8865-2aef3bfd25e2
T. Homer-Dixon, Environmental Scarcities and Violent Conflict: Evidence from Cases, „International Security”, 1994 or V. Percical, T. Homer-Dixon, Environmental Scarcity and Conflict, Journal of Peace Research, 35:3 (May 1998).
P. Gaeta, E. Henry, Hands Off Water in War: Weaponization of Water in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, lipiec 2025 https://opiniojuris.org/
S. Dalby, Environmental Change, w: P.D. Williams, Security Studies. An Introduction, Routledge 2008.
SIPRI Yearbook 2025 summary Nuclear Forces (chapter 7), SIPRI Yearbook 2025,
https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/
YB23%2007%20WNF.pdf
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Term 2025Z:
PODRĘCZNIK PODSTAWOWY: Literatura uzupełniająca: ATT - https://www.un.org/disarmament/convarms/arms-trade-treaty-2/ |
Term 2026Z:
Current SIPRI editions: SIPRI Yearbook 2026 and SIPRI Papers from 2026. |
Notes
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Term 2025Z:
- Attendance policy! Students are allowed two |
Term 2026Z:
Literature, links, PDFs, required case studies, and details regarding the order of topics are available at kampus.come.edu.pl. |