War, peace and intervention

Aims of the course

This course aims to help you:
1. Develop your understanding of the complex causes of war.
2. Appreciate the different meanings of the concept of peace.
3. Assess the benefits and perils of intervention in situations involving violent conflict.
4. Understand the difficulties and opportunities involved in achieving reconciliation after violent conflict.

Content

We may think we know what peace is. It’s when the fighting stops, isn’t it? Unfortunately, things are not that simple. Events like Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 and the vigorous Ukrainian defence, and the many civil wars of the past few decades, are not simple conflicts, but wars triggered by complex causes. People distressed by the suffering they see, through news and social media, pressurise politicians to do something. Yet even well-meaning interventions can just make matters worse. This course will explore the different meanings of the word ‘peace’, causes and impact of interstate and intrastate war, and what issues arise when outsiders intervene in civil wars.

We will start by placing the study of war and peace in today’s context, where the war in Ukraine has brought the concept of geopolitics back into public discourse. In this context, is aiming for peace simply a pipe dream? Why bother?

We will first look at the geopolitical situation of the moment and explore different paths to a more stable future. We will consider the morality of going to war and ways of regulating the conduct of those who make war, focusing on the ancient Just War tradition. As we look at the causes of violent conflict, we will try to grapple with complexity and recognise the different ways people understand the term ‘peace’.

After establishing this foundation, we will move on to the question of intervention in the complex systems that wars represent. With an emphasis on civil wars, we will examine the motivation of outsiders who intervene and the goals they pursue, especially that of bringing about a peaceful outcome. This will lead us into considering the different ways in which wars come to an end and the form of the resulting peace, followed by a brief history of the academic fields of International Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies. The history will draw out some of the ideas that have developed along the way and the conceptual ground will allow us to consider the spectrum of activities undertaken by those who try to bring violent conflict to an end.

After considering the hybridity of warfare through two specific examples - international terrorism and cyberwar – we will finish up with the most challenging question of all: how reconciliation can be achieved.

Presentation of the course

The course will be delivered via illustrated lectures and group discussions. No prior knowledge or experience is required, but students are asked to undertake the Pre-Course Reading listed below before coming to Cambridge.

Class sessions

1. Introduction: is peace even possible? The return of geopolitics.
In the context of the Ukraine war, we will examine hybrid warfare, options for returning to stability, different interpretations of the word 'peace', and the identities and objectives of those who (claim to) seek it.

2. Can war be just?
We will examine the development and current relevance of the ancient Just War tradition, lying somewhere on the spectrum between 'war is wrong' and 'anything goes' and forming the foundation of the modern law of armed conflict.

3. What's war about?
This session will focus on the complex causes of war.

4. Intervention: why, whether, who, how?
We will examine the motivations that lie behind military and civilian intervention in conflict situations. Considering such situations as complex systems, we will use examples of external civil war interventions from recent decades to draw out conclusions about what works and what doesn't.

5. How wars end.
Post-war settlements influence the sustainability of the subsequent ‘peace’. We will consider the ways in which world wars, civil wars and the Cold War have ended, with the implications for subsequent stability.

6. A brief history of studying peace.
Thinking about peace dates back at least to ancient Greece, but we will focus on the current academic fields of International Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies and identify the ideas of some key thinkers over the past seventy years or so.

7. Building stability, making peace.
This session looks at the spectrum of different forms of peace-making, including peacekeeping, 'peace enforcement', state-building and peacebuilding.

8. Terrorism as war.
International terrorism is an often-effective form of asymmetric warfare. In this session, we will consider where terrorism and counterterrorism sit in the field of warfare and whether one can ever talk of peace in this context.

9. Cyberwar, cyberpeace?
Increasingly, cyberspace is the ‘final frontier’ of political contestation. But is this war? We will consider how actors pursue their goals, including peace, in the interconnected digital environment.

10. Conclusion: approaching reconciliation.
As we look at the influence of history, education, symbols, apology and forgiveness, we will consider what has helped different societies to come closer to this most challenging goal.

Learning outcomes

As a result of the course students should be able to:
1. Analyse the causative factors involved in violent conflict.
2. Distinguish between different interpretations of ‘peace’ and their impact on the form of intervention.
3. Apply Just War criteria to crisis intervention.
4. Better understand news coverage of current conflicts and proposed solutions.
5. Contribute constructively and in a balanced way to discussion about war and peace.

Required reading

Dixon, Peter and Mark Simmons (2006), ‘The role of track two initiatives’, in Peace by piece: Addressing Sudan’s conflicts (Accord 18), pp, 60-63, Conciliation Resources - see VLE for details.

Lanoszka, Alexander (2016), ‘Russian hybrid warfare and extended deterrence in eastern Europe’, International Affairs, 92 (1), 175–195 - see VLE for details.

Ramsbotham, Alexander and Zahbia Yousuf (2016), ‘Making peace with the past: transforming broken relationships’, in Transforming broken relationships: Making peace with the past (Accord Insight 3), Conciliation Resources - see VLE for details.

Typical week: Monday to Friday

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students. 

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.

Evaluation and Academic Credit 

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses. 

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay.

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.

Certificate of attendance

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.