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    International Conflict - Lecture

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    Alejandro Pérez Giménez
    The document discusses various types and causes of international and civil conflict. It examines interstate wars between countries, internal wars like civil wars within states, and terrorism. Systemic explanations for war include anarchy in the international system and power transitions between dominant and rising states. State-level explanations include differences between regime types like democracies and non-democracies. Dyadic explanations focus on relationships between specific state pairs like rivals. Individual causes consider the role of leaders and elites. Internal wars have multiple potential causes like independence movements, failed states, ethnic rivalries, and disputes over resources. Ethnic conflict is a major factor in many civil wars.

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    International Conflict - Lecture

    Uploaded by

    Alejandro Pérez Giménez
    36 views21 pages
    The document discusses various types and causes of international and civil conflict. It examines interstate wars between countries, internal wars like civil wars within states, and terrorism. Systemic explanations for war include anarchy in the international system and power transitions between dominant and rising states. State-level explanations include differences between regime types like democracies and non-democracies. Dyadic explanations focus on relationships between specific state pairs like rivals. Individual causes consider the role of leaders and elites. Internal wars have multiple potential causes like independence movements, failed states, ethnic rivalries, and disputes over resources. Ethnic conflict is a major factor in many civil wars.

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    International_Conflict_-_Lecture

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    International_Conflict_-_Lecture

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    The document discusses various types and causes of international and civil conflict. It examines interstate wars between countries, internal wars like civil wars within states, and terrorism. Systemic explanations for war include anarchy in the international system and power transitions between dominant and rising states. State-level explanations include differences between regime types like democracies and non-democracies. Dyadic explanations focus on relationships between specific state pairs like rivals. Individual causes consider the role of leaders and elites. Internal wars have multiple potential causes like independence movements, failed states, ethnic rivalries, and disputes over resources. Ethnic conflict is a major factor in many civil wars.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    36 views21 pages

    International Conflict - Lecture

    Uploaded by

    Alejandro Pérez Giménez
    The document discusses various types and causes of international and civil conflict. It examines interstate wars between countries, internal wars like civil wars within states, and terrorism. Systemic explanations for war include anarchy in the international system and power transitions between dominant and rising states. State-level explanations include differences between regime types like democracies and non-democracies. Dyadic explanations focus on relationships between specific state pairs like rivals. Individual causes consider the role of leaders and elites. Internal wars have multiple potential causes like independence movements, failed states, ethnic rivalries, and disputes over resources. Ethnic conflict is a major factor in many civil wars.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 21

    International Conflict

    RafaelGrasa
    Why Study International
    Conflict?
    International relations studies both conflict and
    cooperation that underlying the relationships
    between countries.
    Traditionally been concerned with conflict and its
    consequences

    Since 3600 B.C., only 292 years without war


    Since 1816, each decade averages 22 wars
    Since 3000 B.C., an estimated 150,000,000 war-
    related deaths
    96% occurred from 1500-2000
    Since 1990, over 2,000,000 of war-related deaths
    have been children

    The preoccupation with war studies is not


    surprising
    Types of International Conflict
    Types of Conflict
    Interstate wars: wars between two or
    more states in the international system

    Internal wars: civil wars occurring


    within states
    Domestic unrest (insurgencies)
    Sharp increase in internal wars since WWII

    Terrorism: politically motivated


    violence
    Unconventional means
    Noncombatant targets
    What is War?
    “War is the continuation of
    politics by other means” -
    Carl von Clausewitz

    War is a political act for


    political goals

    Diplomacy by other means


    How Should War be Defined?
    Specifically, what are the
    criteria for defining war?
    Cannot study something if we do
    not know what it is

    Criteria
    Actors involved?
    Deaths?
    Number of military personnel
    engaged?
    Losses in $?

    Standard criteria: Over 1000


    battle deaths
    Best measure?
    Studying the Causes of War
    What causes war?
    What causes peace?

    Depends on the level of analysis


    System (Anarchy)
    States (Regime Type)
    Dyad (Rivalry)
    Groups (Ethnicity/Religion, Bureaucratic Politics)
    Individuals (Human Nature, Perception/Misperception)

    Level of analysis determines not only the questions


    asked but also the answers
    Systemic Explanations of War
    Systemic analysis: characteristics of the international
    system primary cause of war between states

    Int’l structures cause consequences not intended by the


    constituent states

    Realism: Anarchy is the primary cause of interstate


    war

    System of self-help

    Distribution of power in the international system


    conditions the probability of war – Balance of Power

    Causes the security dilemma


    Alliances, Arms Races – self-
    self-help tools
    Creates paradox – more powerful you become, the less
    secure you are
    Systemic Explanations of War
    Liberalism
    Degree of interdependence conditions the
    likelihood of war
    ↑ interdependence = ↑ costs of war = constraints
    placed on state policy
    International Organizations alleviate hostility –
    share info, 3rd party grievance process
    Systemic Explanations
    Power Transition Theory
    Anarchy overcome by the presence
    of a dominant state

    System split between satisfied and


    dissatisfied states

    Mechanism:
    Rising state challenges the dominant
    state in a bid for power
    Dominant state launches a pre-
    emptive war against the rising power

    Power transitions ↑ probability of big


    wars (Napoleonic, WWI, WWII)
    Power Transition
    State-Level Explanations of War
    Type of Regime:
    Marxist Tradition: Capitalist countries more conflict-prone
    – fight over resources, markets
    Liberalism (Kant): Democracies less war-prone than non-
    democracies
    Expectation of ‘peace-loving’ democracies because of social norms
    and institutions

    What institutions would constrain a democracy from


    engaging in war?
    How?
    Dyadic Explanations – Democratic Peace

    Dyad = pair of states


    Concerned with relationship, interaction

    Democracies are not generally more peaceful than


    non-democracies
    Engage in war with non-democracies

    Democracies are more peaceful with other


    democracies
    No two democracies have ever fought a war

    Democracies never launched a pre-emptive war


    Dyadic Explanations – Democratic Peace
    Why?
    Cultural explanation: Expectation that conflicts be
    resolved peacefully (compromise instead of violence)

    Institutional explanation: Conflict is a bargaining process


    and democratic institutions reduce uncertainty
    Democratic institutions make it easy to observe opposition

    Different from Kantian liberalism – peace is


    consequence of interaction, not inherent quality
    Dyadic Explanations - Rivalry

    Certain pairs of states are more war-prone


    than others

    Rivalries formation: disputes over territory


    or policy
    Escalate over time

    Rival perceived as ‘enemy’ by decision-


    makers

    Territorial rivalries are the most war-prone


    dyads in the international system (example:
    India-Pakistan)
    Individual Causes of War
    Leader and Elite Focused

    Two Arguments:
    War is product of rationality
    Cost/benefit analysis
    When is war rational?

    War is product of deviation from rationality


    Perception and Misperception
    Cognitive Bias
    Groupthink – Echo Chamber
    Sound familiar?
    Summary
    Primary causes of war
    Distribution of power, territory, rivalry

    Factors for peace


    Democracy, economic interdependence, international
    organizations

    What might be some future issues that may cause


    conflict?
    Oil?
    Environment?
    Water?
    Internal Wars
    Multiple causes of Internal Wars
    Independence
    Failed States
    Ethnic rivalries
    Resource disputes

    All of these can be interrelated – makes it hard to


    definitely pinpoint cause

    Another difficulty: many internal wars are linked to


    outside influences (i.e. South Africa and neighbors in
    late 1970’s and 1980’s)
    Civil Conflict

    Civil conflict is not new - but increasing since the end of WWII
    End of colonialism (1960’s) – wave of independence
    Cold War – proxy conflicts
    End of Cold War – new wave of independence and ethnic identity
    Ethnic conflict: A leading cause of civil war?

    Ethnic conflict:
    militarized conflict
    between two or more
    groups organized along
    ethnic divisions
    Ethnic groups: shared
    culture, history, and
    language
    Many ‘ethnic’ groups =
    recent inventions by elites
    (Yugoslavia or Rwanda)

    Alternate explanation: wars fought for other goals, but elites


    use ethnicity as an ‘organizing principle’
    Ethnic Conflict
    Estimates for the number of ‘ethnic groups’ range
    from 275 to 875.

    One source estimates that there are 575 groups with


    aspirations to create an independent nation-state

    Ethnic groups are often associated with insurgencies,


    which seek to destabilize the state (i.e. Spain, Peru,
    Russia, India, Israel)
    Distinction between ‘terrorists’ and insurgencies are often
    unclear
    Usually decided by the winner of a conflict
    Ethnic Conflict
    Other causes
    Failed states: states that lack the capacity to
    maintain order over its territorial borders
    Breeding ground for insurgencies and civil war

    Lack of Resources
    Theory of relative deprivation: groups that perceive
    themselves as relatively worse off to mobilize in an
    attempt to seize goods
    An explanation for ethnic political mobilization

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