PS 5380 Political Economy of Civil Wars
Fall 2010
N.Richani
Political Science Department
J 105-B
Phone: 908-737-4097
nrichani@kean.edu
Office: Political Science Department (J-105-B)
Office Hours: M 10:00 – 11:00 AM, 12:15 – 1:15 PM
T, 10:45 AM – 12:55 PM
W, 12:00 – 2:00 PM
Th, 12:30 – 2:30 PM
In this seminar we will study the dynamics and political economies of civil wars. Three
important thematic questions will be addressed. The first theme tackled is whether civil
wars during the Cold War are distinct than the ones in the Post-Cold War. The second
question is why some conflicts protract more than others. And finally, how do civil wars
terminate.
Course Requirements
Students are required to present in each session a critical review of the reading in which
methodology, conceptual framework, and findings are assessed. Each review must be
circulated among the members of the seminar. These reviews will constitute the bases of
the class discussions. These reviews are evaluated and will constitute 30% of your total
grade. The remaining 70% is on your research paper.
Required Texts
Mary Kaldor, Old and New Wars, Organized Violence in a Global Era. Stanford
University Press, Second edition 2007.
Nazih Richani, Systems of Violence, The Political Economy of War and Peace in
Colombia. SUNY Press, 2003.
Paul Collier, Breaking the Conflict Trap: Civil War and Development Policy. World
Bank 2003.
Recommended Texts:
Charles Tilly, The Politics of Collective Violence. Cambridge University Press, 2003
Stathis Kalyvas, The Logic of Violence in Civil War, Cambridge University Press, 2006
Dates to Remember:
September 8 - Last day to WD with 100% refund
September 15 - Last day to WD with 75% refund
September 22 - Last day to WD with 50% refund, declare course as audit, pass/fail
October 28
- Last day to withdraw with W grade
Students are responsible for becoming familiar with, and will be held accountable for, the
Kean University Academic Integrity Policy and the Student Code of Conduct. The
Academic Integrity Policy is available at www.kean.edu/forms/AcademicIntegrity,pdf or
the Web site for The guide at www.kean.edu/publications/TheGuide2007.pdf., and the
Student Code of Conduct is available at www.kean.edu/~conduct or the Web site for The
Guide at www.kean.edu/publications/Theguide2007.pdf
Course Schedule of Readings
September 7. Introduction
September 14 Framing the Debate: Old versus New Civil Wars Greed Versus
Grievance
Readings:
Mary Kaldor, New and Old Wars, chapters 1-3
Paul Collier and Anke Hoeffler. 2001. Greed and Grievance in Civil War. Unpublished paper;
World Bank. [October 21, 2001)
Recommended
Michael Ross. How Does Natural Resource Wealth Influence Civil War? Unpublished paper
September 21 Framing the Debate (continue)
Collier, Paul, Brealing The Conflict Trap.chapter 1-4
Mary Kaldor New and Old Wars chapter 4-8
Sept 28 Framing the Debate (Conclusion). Is it “Grievance” and “Old” After All?
Readings
Collier, Paul. Breaking the Conflict Trap, 5 & 6.
Stathis Kalyvas. 2001. ‘New’ and ‘Old’ Civil Wars. A Valid Distinction? World Politics 54: 99118.
Recommended
Berdal, Mats and David Malone (2000), Greed and Grievance: Economic Agendas in
CivilWars, Lynne Reinner.
October 5 Typology of Civil Wars
Readings
James D. Fearon. 2001 Why Do Some Civil Wars Last So Much Longer than Others?
Unpublished paper (on line)
Richani, Nazih (1997) Political Economy of Violence: the War system in Colombia,
Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs 39(2):37-81
Sambanis, Nicholas. 2001. Do Ethnic and Non-Ethnic Civil Wars Have the Same Causes? A
Theoretical and Empirical Inquiry (Part 1). Journal of Conflict Resolution 45(3): 259-282.
The Cases
October 12 Colombia
Nazih Richani, Systems of Violence. Chapter 1-4
October 19 Colombia (cont.)
Nazih Richani, Systems of Violence. Chap, 5-7
Nazih Richani, Multinational Corportations Rentier Capitalism and the War System,
Journal of Latin American Politics and Society.
Nazih Richani. Political economies of the war systems in Lebanon and Colombia . World
Bank Conference on the Economics of Civil Wars, June 2001.
October 26 Angola
Cilliers, Jakkie and Christian Dietrich (2000). Angola’s War Economy: The Role of Oil
and Diamonds. Institute of Security Studies, Souh Africa.
November 2 Sierra Leone
Hirsch, John (2001) Diamonds and the Struggle for Democracy. International Peace
Academy.
November 9 Rwanda, Burundi,
Scott Straus. (2003). Order in Dis-Order: A Micro-Perspective on Violence in Rwanda. Paper
Presented at the annual meeting of the APSA.
Jeremy Lind and Kathryn Sturman (2002). Scarcity and Surfeit: The Ecology of Africa’s
Conflicts.African Center for Technology Studies and Institute for Security Studies,
November 16 Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia (Continue)
Jeremy Lind and Kathryn Sturman (2002). Scarcity and Surfeit: The Ecology of Africa’s
Conflicts. Chapters 4 to 8.
November 23 States’ Violence
Readings:
James Ron. (2003). Frontiers and Ghettos: State Violence in Serbia and Israel. University of
California Press.
Charles Tilly. (1985). War Making and State Making as Organized Crime. In Peter R. Evans,
Dietrich Ruesdchemeyer, and Theda Skocpol, eds., Bringing the State Back In. Cambridge U.
Press
Recommended
Mark Mazower. (2002). Violence and the State in the Twentieth Century. American Historical
Review. 197(4): 1158-78.
Stanley, William. (1996). The Protection Racket State. Temple University Press.
November 30 paper Due Date
December 7 Paper’s Due Date and Presentations