This is a comprehensive summary of all lectures and readings for the course Violence and Security. I had a final grade of 8 using this summary to study. Good luck!
Pettersson et al: Organized violence 1989-2020, with a special
emphasis on Syria
- Uppsala Conflict Data Program: falling trend in fatalities of organized violence broke upwards in
2020, deaths from organized violence settled on a high plateau
- decrease in violence in Syria and Afghanistan countered by Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan,
Ethiopia
- number of active state-based and non-state conflicts, one-sided violence increased compared to 2019
⇒ 56 state-based conflicts in 2020, including 8 wars and 30 conflicts in Africa
- covid-19 did not lead to reduced violence
- shift from Middle East to Africa in organized violence
,State-based conflict, 1946–2020
- 2020 saw examples of escalating violence in conflicts that had been inactive (China-India border –
Galwan Valley, Azerbaijan)
- Tanzania: Islamic State was a completely new conflict
- 2019: much increase in conflict due to Islamic State moving to new areas
- trend of decreasing number of battle-deaths continued in 2020 but this number is largely driven by
Syria and Afghanistan and the reduction in violence here was not due to pandemic
- decrease in violence in Afghanistan due to peace process and drastic drop in airstrikes by US but still
this conflict accounted for 40% of conflict-deaths in 2020
- covid-19 was even driving force behind some conflicts flaring up in 2020 (DR Congo)
- 8 conflicts reached the level of war in 2020 → increase by 1 since 2019 (80% of deaths)
Non-state conflict, 1989–2020
- non-state conflict increased in 2020, in terms of both the number of active conflicts and the number
of deaths incurred in fighting between non-state groups
- 72 non-state conflicts in 2020
- Middle East replaced by Americas, esp. Mexico, then Brazil
- Mexican and US counter-drug efforts increased cartel fragmentation and in-fighting → increased
fragmentation associated with increased violence
,One-sided violence, 1989–2020
- 39 actors carrying out one-sided violence in 2020
- mainly in Africa (7,000 out of 7,700 intentional killings here) explainable by shift of IS from ME to
Africa (Mozambique, DR Congo)
Conflicts in Syria, 2011–2020
- Syria has dominated the trend of fatalities in the world since the start of the uprising in 2011,
remained the country with the most fatalities in state-based violence until 2018
- since 2016, the state-based conflicts in Syria have seen a massive decline in fatalities, from over
41,000 fatalities that year to just over 4,500 in 2020
- war in Syria not yet over as much of the country is controlled by non-state actors backed by Turkey
or US
- collapse of state authority in many areas in Syria contributed to the intensity of conflict
- this conflicts resembles conventional war rather than counterinsurgency
- peak of one-sided violence in Syria was 2011–2013 when the gov suppressed Arab Spring
- then the one-sidedness came from IS
- collapse of IS in Syria has largely driven the decline in non-state violence in Syria but globally this
was counteracted by a surge in non-state violence in Mexico
, Green: How to read Political Science: A guide in four steps
- empirical poli sci, single articles, chapters not whole books
- what to do when reading an article
1) title, headings, abstract
a) what is the article about?
2) skim for signposts
a)
3) read strategically
a) read twice: briefly and less briefly
b) then actually read
c) read more attentively where there are many signposts
d) describe each paragraph with 1-3 words
e) take notes on key assumptions, conclusions
4) review
a) new terms, concepts, main questions, arguments, evidence, assumptions
b) be critical about it
Stubbs: War and Economic Development
● war and the development of economies, states, and societies have historically been
intertwined
● however, the economic consequences of wars and preparation for war have received little
attention beyond Europe and major powers
● from the 1940s to the 1980s, East and Southeast Asia were beset by various wars, but they
also saw the emergence of strong states and expanding economies
● the location of East and Southeast Asia as a battleground in the second world war and
subsequent American attempts to contain Asian Communism has provided a significant
geostrategic context for rapid economic development
● the economies of the seven successful countries in East and Southeast Asia have moved in the
same general direction, achieving rapid economic growth primarily through changing from
import-substitution industrialization to export-oriented industrialization (Japan, South
Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand)
Effects of War
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller PoliticalScienceUvA. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £7.70. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.