IREn5019 No War, No Peace: Unresolved Conflicts in the Caucasus.

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2023
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Zinaida Bechná, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Zinaida Bechná, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Wed 10:00–11:40 U41
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 9/20, only registered: 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course is designed to familiarize students with unresolved conflicts in one of the most volatile regions of the world – the Caucasus. Frozen conflicts in Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh, Chechen wars, the Ingush-Ossetian conflict, along with the multi-ethnic clashes in Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria make incredibly complex and unique cases for the analysis. The major objective of this course is to provide a solid, elaborate picture of the conflict processes and mechanisms in the Caucasus region. This small area has a high number of unresolved “frozen” conflicts, which might lead to an escalation in the future. One of the primary goals of this course is to develop the analytical skills and practice critical analysis of the students. Understanding the fragile peace arrangements or the reasons for the impossibility for resolution is significant. Studying the evolution of changing nature of these conflicts along with the packages of factors (both internal and external) that may reignite large- scale violence, students will explore the possible ways of resolution of these conflicts in future.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the semester, students will be able to identify, analyze and evaluate who were the conflict parties? What were the parties ́ incompatible goals, values and interests? What were the trigger events and issues at stake? How the conflicts evolved and why they have never been resolved? The learning outcomes of the course will enable students upon completion to: 1. Engage critically with different theories of ethnic conflicts. 2. Obtain a broad knowledge of the conflict escalations process in the Caucasus region. 3. Acquire insights of how political developments, socio-economic process and systemic features resulted into the outbreak of violence. 4. Examine the nature of conflicts in the Caucasus with respect to factors that generates those conflicts and their change in time. 5. Acquire knowledge of international engagement towards conflict settlement and establishment of democratic institutions in the Caucasus.
Syllabus
  • Week1: Introduction to the course goals and requirements. No readings. Week 2: Definitions and trends of different types of internal armed conflicts. Mandatory readings: Shevchuk, Z. (2014): “Towards the Typology of Armed Conflict,” chapter 3 in Kříž, Z. and Urbanovská, J.: Examining Armed Conflict: Theoretical Reflections on Selected Aspects, MUNI Press, pp: 87-114. Smetana, M. and Ludvík, J. (2019): “Between War and Peace: a dynamic reconceptualization of “frozen conflict”, Asia Europe Journal, Vol. 17, pp:1-14. Cederman, L., Wimmer, A., Min, B. (2010): “Why Do Ethnic Groups Rebel? New Data and Analysis”, World Politics, Vol. 62, No. 1., pp.: 87-119. Week 3: From Conflict to Autonomy in the Caucasus Mandatory readings: Cornell, S.E. (2002): “Autonomy as a Source of Conflict: Caucasian Conflicts in Theoretical Perspective”, World Politics, Vol.54. No.2. pp.: 245-276. Week 4: Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. Mandatory readings: Cheterian, Vicken (2009): War and Peace in the Caucasus: Ethnic Conflict and the New Geopolitics. New York: Columbia University Press, chapter 3, pp: 87-154. Week 5: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict today. Mandatory readings: Broers, Laurence (2019): “Land for Peace,” chapter 8 in “Armenia and Azerbaijan, Anatomy of a Rivalry”, Edinburgh University Press, pp.: 276-316. Thomas de Waal (2013): “Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War,” chapter 19: “2001-2012: Deadlock and Estrangement,” NewYork: NYU Press, pp: 284 – 304. Week 6: Georgian conflicts I. Mandatory readings: Nodia, Ghia (1997): “Causes and Visions of Conflicts in Ablkhazia,” Berkley Program in Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies, Working Paper Series, pp.: 1-52. Week 7: Georgian conflicts II. Mandatory readings: Felgenhauer, P. (2009): “After August 7: The Escalation of the Russia-Georgia War”, chapter 9 in Cornell, S. E., Starr, S. F.: “The Guns of August 2008 Russia’s War in Georgia”, M. E. Sharpe, Armonk, New York. pp. 162-180. Welt, Cory (2010): The Thawing of a Frozen Conflict: The Internal Security Dilemma and the 2004 Prelude to the Russo-Georgian War, Europe-Asia Studies Vol. 62, Issue 1, pp. 63-97. Week 8: Armed Conflicts in the Northerns Caucasus: the Russian-Chechen armed conflicts Kramer, Mark (2004): “The Perils of Counterinsurgency. Russian’s War in Chechnya”, International Security, Vol. 29, No. 3., pp.: 5-63. Week 9: Armed Conflicts in the Northerns Caucasus II. Mandatory readings:Cornell, E. Svante (2001): “Conflicts in the North Caucasus,” chapter 6 in “Small Nations and Great Powers. A Study of ethnopolitical conflict in the Caucasus”, London and New York, Routledge Curzon, pp.: 241-274. Week 10: National holiday, no classes, reading week, preparation for the first take. Week 11: Round table with the Georgian ambassador. Week 12: No peace no war: the role of Russia in the Caucasian conflicts. Mandatory readings: Rotaru, Vasile (2018): “Russia, the EU and the Eastern Partnership: Buildinh Bridges or Digging Trenches?”, Chapter 2: “EU-Russia Relations between the Cold War and Georgian War” , Columbia University Press, pp.: 39-63. Kazantsev, Andrei.A., Rutland, Peter, Medvedeva Svetlana. M and Safranchuk, Ivan. A. (2020): “Russia’s policy in the frozen conflicts” of the post-Soviet space: from ethno-politics to geopolitics,” Caucasus Survey, Vol. 8, No. 2., pp.: 142-162. Russell, John (2006): “Obstacles to peace in Chechnya: What scope for international involvement?, Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 58, No. 6., pp.: 941-964. Week 13: No peace no war: the Western role in the Caucasian conflicts. Mandatory readings: Kornely Kakachia, Bidzina Lebanidze, Shalva Dzebisashvili (2020): "Game of (open) Doors: NATO-Georgian Relations and Challenges for Sustainable Partnership", Policy Paper No.18, Georgian Institute of Politics, pp. 1:22. Whitman, Richard.G, Wolf, Stefan (2010): “The EU as a conflict manager? The case of Georgia and its implications”, International Affairs, Vol. 86, No. 1., pp. 87- 107. Thomas De Waal (2017): “Enhancing the EU’s Engagement with Separatist Territories”, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, pp.: 1-6.
Literature
  • Thomas
  • Georgia's foreign policy in the 21st century : challenges for a small state. Edited by Tracey C. German - Stephen Francis Jones - Kornely Kakachia. First published. London: I. B. Tauris, 2022, xviii, 261. ISBN 9781788313650. info
  • BABAYAN, Nelli. Democratic transformation and obstruction : EU, US, and Russia in the South Caucasus. London: Routledge, 2015, x, 207. ISBN 9780415748667. info
  • The post-Soviet warsrebellion, ethnic conflict, and nationhood in the Caucasus. Edited by Christoph Zèurcher. New York: New York University Press, 2007, xii, 289 p. ISBN 0814797091. info
  • Black gardenArmenia and Azerbaijan through peace and war. Edited by Thomas De Waal. New York: New York University Press, 2003, xiii, 337. ISBN 0814719457. info
  • CORNELL, Svante E. Small Nations And Great Powers: A Study Of Ethnopolitical Conflict In The Caucasus. Richmond, Surrey, England: Curzon, 2001. info
Teaching methods
Lectures, class discussions, presentations.
Assessment methods
I. Readings: The syllabus lists required readings below. Students are responsible for completing all of these readings before every class and coming to class prepared to discuss issues indicated for every session. Required readings for the course are to be found in Study Materials folder in Information System. II.Take home exercises: There will be two take-home assignments during the semester. The length of the assignment should vary between 1800 and 3600 characters. Each of the assignments will be graded between 0 and 10 points. Thus the students can obtain up to 20 points. III. Presentation (10 points): Each student is required to present one presentation from the assigned literature. Presentation should have a clear structure and last for no more than 10-12 minutes. IV. Final written test: The final written test will contain 10 open questions from the mandatory literature. You will have a maximum of 60 minutes to complete the written test. Final Grading: The maximum is 60 points; the minimum to complete the course is 35 points.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Teacher's information
https://is.muni.cz/auth/ucitel/?fakulta=1423;obdobi=8743
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2020, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2023, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2023/IREn5019