MC 492 (5 credits): Senior Seminar in International Relations, Yael Aronoff

Sec 003- Tu/Th, 12:40-2:30 pm

This seminar will concentrate on the dilemmas of modern asymmetric warfare and will treat Israel’s conflicts with Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah forces in a comparative manner with NATO and U.S. actions in Afghanistan, drone strikes in Pakistan, and attacks against ISIS in Iraq. The focus of the course is the policy choices, and tradeoffs democracies face in these conflicts with non-state actors. The causes of war have long been the central question of international relations as a field, and the military doctrine of deterrence – responding to an attack with overwhelming force and severe punishment in order to prevent future attacks — has been a long-standing strategy to prevent or end traditional inter-state wars. However, an increasing number of wars are fought between states and non-state actors, in which non-state actors employ strategies that go against traditional military doctrines, e.g., intentionally operating from the midst of civilian populations, abjuring uniforms in favor of dress that make them indistinguishable from non-combatants and intentionally targeting civilians. This seminar will explore the tensions involved in such conflicts, especially dilemmas faced by democracies who on one hand, rely on traditional tactics of deterrence, while on the other, need to restrain their responses lest they violate the rules of war themselves. This seminar willexamine the evolving norms of asymmetric warfare, particularly with regard to state actors and the force of international humanitarian laws, the pressures of accountability to international and national audiences, and the need to project legitimacy in the media wars surrounding these conflicts. Examining the tensions and dilemmas faced by state actors, the seminar will examine both external international and internal domestic pressures in their varied ramifications. 

The seminar will investigate whether new rules of warfare are needed for asymmetric conflict and how militaries can minimize the cost to civilians. It will also examine the limits of these measures and evaluate diplomatic alternatives.