War in Global Affairs

Amongst all the chatter about smart power and soft power, it is almost as if the original concept¿hard power¿was somehow now passé. Whether we like it or not, war remains the reserve currency of global affairs. Leon Trotsky thought it was the locomotive of history. Hedley Bull believed it to be an institution of international society, on par with diplomacy, and international law. Ideally used as a last resort, sometimes used as a first response, war affects the international system, the state, and¿most of all¿the individual. In this course, we shall explore the ways in which war¿the use of military force¿is understood and applied around the world. Topics include war, political objectives, and military strategy; coercion, compellence, and deterrence; the ethics and laws of wars; war on land, sea, air, and in space; technology and war; the use of military force by terrorists, insurgents, and proxy forces; and the future of armed conflict.