CWI: Causes of Conflict CBA
• Objective: to choose a
broad topic to write a
persuasive paper about
• Agenda:
1. Expectations
2. ABC Brainstorm
3. Requirements
4. Preliminary Searching
5. Complete Finished
Task
• Date: 05/16/14
• HW: None
• Entry Task: You
need your laptop
out and ready to
go.
Expectations/Consequences
• Expectations
1. 100% focus
2. 100% effort
3. 100% respect
4. 100%
completion
• Consequences:
1. Warning
2. Move Seat
3. Conference
4. Code Blue
Positive Reward:
Complete your work
and you get to listen
to your music!
Task/Goal
• You will pick a conflict or a broad category of
issues that create conflict and create a solution
for it.
• This is a time honored tradition of trying to learn
from the past and increase the incidence of
peace.
• Success Criteria: We know we are successful
when we have chosen a topic and we have
located background information on the topic.
• Remember “the pen is mightier than the sword.”
• Utilizes reading and writing skills
ABC Brainstorm
• Label your paper from A-Z
• Come up with a word for each
letter of the alphabet related to
the concept conflict.
Organizing Questions
• What causes conflict?
• How can conflict be avoided/reduced?
• How can self-interested nations be made
to cooperate rather than fight?
• How can the problem of “order” be
overcome?
Inter-State Conflicts
U.S. and
Afghanistan
U.S. and
North Korea
U.S. and
Chinese
relations
U.S. and
Russian
relations
U.S. and
Iranian
relations
(nuclear
weapons)
The U.S. and
Human Rights
policy
The U.S. role
in the IsraeliPalestinian
conflict
The U.S. and
nuclear
proliferation
(broadlya0
The U.S. and
Predator
Drone Strikes
The U.S. and
Global
Climate
Change
The U.S. and
globalization
The U.S. and
Syrian
relations
The U.S. and
Egyptian
relations
The U.S. and The U.S. and
Saudi Arabian Iraqi relations
relations
Intra-State Conflicts
Afghanistan
Somali Civil War
War in North-West
Pakistan
Conflict in the
Central African
Republic
Israeli-Palestinian
Conflict
Colombian conflict
(1964-present_
Mexican Drug War
Egyptian Crisis
Syrian Civil War
Iraqi insurgency
South Sudanese
Conflict
Kurdish Separatism
in Iran
Korean conflict
Kashmir conflict
Balochistan conflict
Internal conflict in
Peru
Xinjiang conflict
Casamance conflict
(Africa)
Al-Qaeda insurgency
in Yemen
Kurdish-Turkish
conflict
Insurgency in the
Maghreb
Internal conflict in
Burma
Communist
insurgency in the
Philippines
Lord’s Resistance
Army insurgency
War in Darfur
Papua conflict
(Indonesia)
Insurgency in
Northeast India
More insurgency in
the Philippines
Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict
Shia insurgency in
Yemen
Conflict in the Niger
Delta
South Thailand
insurgency
Paraguayan People’s
Army insurgency
ADF insurgency
Sudanese nomadic
conflicts
Insurgency in the
North Caucasus
South Yemen
insurgency
Sudan-SRF conflict
Syrian Civil War
spillover in Lebanon
Post-civil war
violence in Libya
Northern Mali
conflict
2014 pro-Russian
unrest in Ukraine
Naxalite-Maoist
insurgency
The Advantages and Disadvantages of
Inter-State Conflicts
Advantages
Disadvantages
More straightforward
recommendations for the
solution.
They are more high stakes.
Their resolution is much more
popularized in the literature.
Most of them involve the
United States.
We can use political theory to
deal with them.
Most of our conflicts are now
intra-state.
They might be higher stakes
but not as important to human
rights.
The resolution of intra-state
conflicts requires our skilled
analysis.
The United States has a good
handle on inter-state conflicts.
There is very little theory to
deal with these.
How to approach the topic from a broader
angle: (this would require multiple case studies)
Warfare
Terrorism and
Crime
Malfunctioning
and
Uncooperative
States
Resource
Scarcity
Pandemics
Environment
Weapons of
Mass
Destruction
Proliferation
Economic
Insecurity
Areas to study concerning solutions:
Humans: How
are humans
being affected by
the conflict?
How are humans
contributing?
What solutions
can be found?
Networks: How
is technology
being utilized in
the conflict to
share
information,
ideas and
resources? Is
technology
making the
conflict worse or
better? How can
technology be
used to fix the
problem?
State: Is the
internal political
structure (the
government)
contributing to
the conflict? Can
anything be
done to the
government to
alleviate the
problem?
System: How
does the
anarchic state
system play into
the conflict
itself? What
sorts of political
and economic
relationships
exist? Are states
or NGOs and civil
society
organizations
playing the most
important role?
Global: Does the
conflict include a
threat that could
make the earth
uninhabitable or
imperil the lives
of most or all of
the world’s
population?
Requirements
Requirements: Core
Requirements: Honors

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At least one conflict or one broad category of
conflict. For example: Syria or Global terrorism.
A full introduction including background
information on the issue and a thesis stating
your argument considering the causes of the
conflict.
At least three fully developed body paragraphs
with at least three concrete details each
explaining the causes of the conflict and
providing evidence.
A paragraph including specific and concrete
reccomendations concerning how to fix the
conflict.
You must include at least three sources
documenting your research. At least one of the
sources must be from a KM/KSD database.
You must include a detailed bibliography
documenting your sources.

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At least one conflict or one broad category of
conflict. Or multiple conflicts within one broad
category. For example: You could be studying
the topic of “ethnic conflicts” and study Sudan,
Iraq and Israel-Palestine. A much more
ambitious study!
A full introduction including background
information on the issue and a thesis stating
your argument considering the causes of the
conflict.
At least three fully developed body paragraphs
with at least three concrete details each
explaining the causes of the conflict and
providing evidence.
A paragraph including specific and concrete
recommendations concerning how to fix the
conflict.
You must include at least eight sources
documenting your research. At least four
sources must be from a KM/KSD database.
You must include an annotated bibliography
with a three sentence summary of each source
and an OPVL paragraph for each source.
Timeline
• Choosing a broad topic and getting an overview of the topic (May
16th)
• Narrowing the topic (May 19th)
• Develop a thesis or statement of purpose (May 20th)
• Formulate questions to guide research and plan for research and
production (May 21st)
• Find/Analyze/Evaluate Sources (May 22nd, May 23rd and May 26th)
• Evaluate evidence/Take notes/Compile bibliography (May 27th, 28th
and 29th)
• Establish conclusions/Organize information into an outline (May
30th and June 2nd)
• Write the paper (June 3rd, 4th and 5th)
• Peer Assessment (June 6th)
• Turn in paper (June 9th)
Specific Task: Must be completed and
emailed to me by the end of the class
period.
• Select a conflict and do some preliminary background
research on it.
• Find out and write down the following facts:
1. What is the name of the conflict?
2. How long has the conflict been going on?
3. Where is the conflict?
4. What are some interesting details about the conflict?
5. What are some preliminary reasons why the conflict is
occurring?
• Please email me your response. Complete the task and
earn four points. Any questions are of course welcome.
Mr. Foltz do
• Topic: The Iraq War of 2003 (too many personal
and political reasons)
• Name: 2003 Invasion of Iraq or the Iraq War:
• Time: 2003-2011, to the present
• Location: Iraq in the Middle East
• Details: Intentions thwarted, Not greeted as
“friendlies”, U.S. “surge” and on-going tensions
• Hypotheses: Iraqi mistakes, U.S. search for power,
oil, money, WMD’s, Saddam Hussein