4.0

credits

Average Course Rating

Regional competition, competition for resources, ethnic, tribal and sectarian enmity, and Islamist extremism are features of civil wars in and around the Middle East. Weakened or collapsed state authority is both cause and result. Achieving security, rule of law, stable governance and economic and social well-being in this adverse context remains the formidable challenge. Failure to apply sound, context-appropriate principles can result in relapse, resort to authoritarianism, insurgency, and perpetuation of conflict. Drawing on case studies, academic literature and practitioner experience, students will learn and apply guiding principles for stabilization and reconstruction. In oral presentations, class discussion and written papers, students are encouraged to combine the theoretical and the practical, proffering their own ideas on how to manage on-going conflicts in countries like Libya, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Egypt and Mali, among others. Students will also learn essential skills in crafting and communicating effective, cogent policy proposals both orally and in writing. <a href="http://bit.ly/1bebp5s" target="_blank">Click here to see evaluations, syllabi, and faculty bios</a>