Poli 360: Security: War and Peace

Winter 2011
Professor Jason Ferrell
WF: 2:35-3:55
Office Hours: MTR: 10-1
McConnell Engineering 204

Course Description:

Much of known history has been characterized by the waging of wars and the ongoing
search for peace. Countries fought wars on the basis of strategic myths and beliefs, while
peace-makers devised plans for reducing conflict and the eventual abolition of war itself.
This course deals with different concepts of war and peace in comparative and historical
perspectives. During the first half of the semester, we will discuss the concept of war as
found in different strategies of war. In the second half, we will devote our attention to
different conceptions of peace and strategies of peace.

There are no books or course packs for this class. Readings will be posted on WebCT.

Course Requirements:

Participation counts for 10% of the total course mark, the two midterms count for 25%,
and the final counts for the remaining 40%. The first midterm is currently scheduled for
February 9, while the second is scheduled for March 9.

Academic Integrity:
McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore all students must understand the
meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offenses under
the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures (see www.mcgill.ca/integrity for
more information).

Course Schedule

Lecture 1 (January 5th): Introduction

Part I Substantial Issues

Lecture 2 (January 7th): What is War?

• Carl von Clausewitz, “What is War?” and “On the Theory of War,” in On War
• J. David Singer, “The ‘Correlates of War’ Project: Interim Report and Rationale,”
World Politics 24 (1972): 243-270
Lecture 3 (January 12th): Types of War

• John Vasquez, “Capability, Types of War, Peace,” Western Political Quarterly 39

(1986): 313-327.
• Jack S. Levy, “Theories of General War,” World Politics 37 (1985): 344-374.

Lecture 4 (January 14th): What is Peace?

• Barry Buzan, “Peace, Power, and Security: Contending Concepts in the Study of
International Relations,” Journal of Peace Research 21 (1984): 109-25.
• Jack S. Levy, “The Causes of War and the Conditions of Peace,” Annual Review
of Political Science 1 (1998): 139-165.

Lecture 5 (January 19th): Types of Peace

• Immanuel Kant, Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Essay

Part II Strategies and War

Lecture 6 (January 21st): Causes of War: War as Accident

• Bruce Russett, “Cause, Surprise, and No Escape,” Journal of Politics 24 (1962):

3-22.

Lecture 7 (January 26th): Causes of War: War as Risk Taking

• Jack Levy, "Loss Aversion, Framing, and Bargaining: The Implications of

Prospect Theory for International Conflict," International Political Science
Review 17 (1996): 179-195.

Lecture 8 (January 28th): Causes of War: War as Dispute Settlement

• Kal Holsti, “Resolving International Conflicts: A Taxonomy of Behavior and

Some Figures on Procedures,” Journal of Conflict Resolution 10 (1966): 272-296.

Lecture 9 (February 2nd): Causes of War: War as Strategic Choice

• R. Harrison Wagner, "Bargaining and War," American Journal of Political

Science, 44 (2000): 469-484.

Lecture 10 (February 4th): Causes of War: War as Imperfect Information

• James D. Fearon, “Rationalist Explanations for War,” International Organization

49 (1995): 379-414.

Lecture 11 (February 9th): Midterm 1

Part III Peace as Absence of War

Lecture 12 (February 11th): Peace through Deterrence

• Thomas Schelling, “The Diplomacy of Violence,” in Arms and Influence

Lecture 13 (February 16th): Peace through Imperium

• Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud, Why War?, International Institute of

Intellectual Cooperation, 1933

Lecture 14 (February 18th): Peace through Collective Security

• Inis L. Claude, "Collective Security as an Approach to Peace," Classic Readings

and Contemporary Debates in International Relations ed. Donald M. Goldstein,
Phil Williams, & Jay M. Shafritz. Belmont CA: Thomson Wadsworth. pgs. 289-
302.

February 21-25: Reading Week

Lecture 15 (March 2nd): Peace through the Balance of Power

• R. Harrison Wagner, “Peace, War, and the Balance of Power,” American

Political Science Review 88 (1994): 593-607.
• Robert Jervis, “From Balance to Concert: A Study of International Security
Cooperation,” World Politics 38 (1985): 58-79.

Lecture 16 (March 4th): Peace through Sanctions

• George Lopez and David Cortright, “The Sanctions Era: An Alternative to

Military Intervention,” The Fletcher Forum on World Affairs 19 (1995): 65-86.
• David Cortright, George Lopez, and Alistair Miller, Winning Without War:
Sensible Security Options for Dealing with Iraq, Joan B. Kroc Institute for
International Peace Studies, 2002.

Lecture 17 (March 9th): Midterm 2

Part IV Strategies of Peace

Lecture 18 (March 11th): Peace through Global Government

• Richard Falk and Andrew Strauss, “Toward Global Parliament,” Foreign Affairs
80 (2001): 212-220.
 • Richard Falk and Andrew Strauss, “On the Creation of a Global Peoples
Assembly: Legitimacy and the Power of Popular Sovereignty,” Stanford Journal
of International Law 36 (2000): 191-220.

Lecture 19 (March 16th): Peace through Norms

• Werner Levi, “On the Causes of Peace,” Journal of Conflict Resolution 8 (1964):
23-35.
• Oscar Schachter, “In Defense of International Rules on the Use of Force,”
University of Chicago Law Review 53 (1986): 113-146.

Lecture 20 (March 18th): Peace through the Harmony of Interests

• Richard Ned Lebow, "The long peace, the end of the cold war, and the failure of
realism," International Organization 48 (1994): 249-277.

Lecture 21 (March 23rd): The Democratic Peace

• Michael W. Doyle, “Kant, Liberal Legacies, and Foreign Affairs, Part 2”

Philosophy and Public Affairs 12 (1983): 205-232.
• John R. Oneal and Bruce Russett, “The Kantian Peace: The Pacific Benefits of
Democracy, Interdependence, and International Organizations: 1885-1992,”
World Politics 52.1 (1999): 1-37.

Lecture 22 (March 25th): Peace through Institutions

• G. John Ikenberry, “Institutions, Strategic Restraint, and the Persistence of

American Postwar Order,” International Security 23 (1998-99): 43-78.

Lecture 23 (March 30th): Peace through Appeasement

• Jack Hirshleifer, “Appeasement: Can it Work?,” The American Economic Review

91 (2001): 342-346.
• Daniel Treisman, “Rational Appeasement,” International Organization 58 (2004):
345-373.

Part V Conclusions

Lecture 24 (April 1st): Conclusions on Theories of War

• Benjamin Most and Harvey Starr, “Conceptualizing ‘War’: Consequences for

Theory and Research,” Journal of Conflict Resolution 27 (1983): 137-159.

Lecture 25 (April 6th): Conclusions on Theories of Peace

 • Leo Tolstoy, “Attitude of Men of the Present Day to War” and “Significance of
Compulsory Service,” in The Kingdom of God is Within You

Lecture 26 (April 8th): Policy Recommendations and Review

Additional Considerations
a. “In accord with McGill University’s Charter of Students’ Rights, students
in this course have the right to submit in English or in French any written
work that is to be graded.”
b. In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University’s
control, the content and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to
change.