Lehrveranstaltungen

Prof. Dr. Katharina Holzinger, A-Kurse

Mechanisms of Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation (A1, Core Course, Winter)

The course builds on the basic seminar entitled “Introduction to International Administration and Conflict Management.” It deals with basic mechanisms of conflict resolution and reconciliation and with their empirical applications to intrastate conflict. In particular, the following mechanisms are analyzed:

• Negotiation, mediation, and alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
• Conflict transformation and deliberation
• Law, courts, and the International Criminal Court (ICC )
• Truth and reconciliation committees
• Traditional mechanisms of conflict resolution in various cultures

For each of these mechanisms, the class will read conceptual texts and empirical case studies with a view on their performance. The goal is to arrive at a comparative assessment of each mechanism’s merits and adequate fields of application.

Causes of Intrastate Conflict (A2, Core Course, Summer)

Since the end of the Cold War, most armed conflicts have taken place between states, not within them. Armed rebel groups and secession movements have widely proliferated, and some of the major conflicts (like that in the Great Lakes Region in Africa) are taking on increasingly regional patterns. Although many of these wars are being fought in Africa and Asia, armed conflict is not confined to the so-called Third World, as was demonstrated by the civil war in Yugoslavia. In addition, the phenomenon of weak states and state failure has gained prominence.

The first part of the course gives an overview of the most important theoretical discussions on the causes of civil wars. Is resource abundance or resource scarcity related to armed conflict? Are ethnic, religious, or other political identities among the root causes? Or are civil wars the outcome of a combination of various factors?

In the second part of the course, the insights gained from analysis of these and other questions will be related to selected case studies. In the final part, the case studies will be discussed comparatively to explore the value of the theoretical explanations that are offered.

Negotiation and Mediation (A3, Elective)

Apart from the victory of one side in an armed conflict, the most frequently used ways to terminate internal wars are negotiation by the parties to the conflict and third-party mediation. Mediation is a form of negotiation in which a third party, be it an individual, a state, or an international organization, assists the former combatants to achieve an agreement by consensus. The mediator may use various more or less intrusive strategies, such as facilitation or manipulation. Mediation is distinct from arbitration; however, the mediator has no right to take decisions.

The seminar begins with the basic concepts of negotiation and mediation theory. Students then proceed to the study of the success of mediation as opposed to other forms of negotiated settlement, reading conceptual and empirical literature on mediation success in general and on internal-war mediation in particular. Several cases of successful and unsuccessful mediation of internal wars will be analyzed in the light of the theoretical contributions.

The course is designed to encourage research and is aimed especially at MA students who want to write their master’s thesis in this area. It is, however, also open to students who want to improve their knowledge about mediation. The aim of this seminar is not to provide practical mediation training but to provide students with a scientific background that allows them to evaluate mediation as a peace-making tool. Nevertheless, it will serve as solid preparation for practical training.

Transitional Justice and Truth Commissions (A4, Elective)

Following the example of various Latin American countries and the prominent case of South Africa, many states have created truth, reconciliation, or historical clarification commissions after the end of civil wars.

The aim of this course is to study these commissions closely on the basis of empirical cases. How and under what circumstances are such commissions created? What functions should they perform? What tasks do these commissions have and what goals do they set themselves? How did their actual work take shape and how successful were they in achieving their tasks? Are the type of commission, the people working in it, and its remit related to the nature and length of the preceding conflict and the level of destruction? Or do other factors determine the form chosen for reconciling parties and coming to terms with the past?

After a general introduction, the aim is to reconstruct individual cases, with students working together to achieve a comparative overview in order to answer the questions posed above. The course is intended to encourage original research and has been designed especially for MA students seeking to write their master’s thesis in this area, but it is also open to others who are interested in the topic. In addition to the reading of the secondary literature, the emphasis of the course is on in-depth investigation of primary documents on individual cases.

Conflict Settlement in Different Cultures (A5, Elective)

Conflicts and conflict settlement are important for every society and social group. All societies therefore possess a wide range of procedures for settling conflicts. In modern western societies, there are more or less differentiated systems consisting basically of different combinations of the delegation of decision-making authority to individuals or institutions (e.g., courts), voting rules within the group (e.g., the principle of consensus), and, where necessary, measures for exacting compensation or administering penalties.

Be it in western societies or other cultures, the methods of settling conflicts often have traditional roots. This course addresses the question of whether there are fundamental differences in the methods of settling conflicts within different cultures or whether there are certain universal principles for settling conflicts. If the first conjecture is correct, then there are limits on the applicability of models of conflict resolution within different cultures. For example, attempts by the international community to settle conflicts in countries ravaged by civil war would have to take account of the local traditions for doing so. It may be, however, that traditional methods in nonwestern cultures follow the same basic principles but vary significantly within each culture.

The aim of the course is to identify the universal and culturally specific principles of conflict resolution by reviewing the literature on the traditional methods of conflict resolution in different cultures. The course is designed to encourage research and is aimed in particular at those MA students who want to write their master’s thesis in this area.

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Seibel, B-Kurse

International Administration (B1, Core Course, Summer)

International Administration is a particular kind of bureaucracy whose commonalities and deviances relative to standard national bureaucracies will be analyzed in the seminar.

Section I gives an overview of the relevant research literature, reviewing its achievements and deficiencies. It specifically centers on the question of why it makes sense to conceive of international bodies as International Administration rather than as just international organizations. Section II introduces the students to the variety of International Administration at the global and the regional levels. Section III addresses International Administration’s governance structure, which is characterized by both multinationalism and an international organizational infrastructure. Section IV focuses on typical patterns of organizational behavior and the various degrees of politicization in various fields of activity. (Why, for instance, are Bretton Woods institutions less politicized than UN institutions?) Section V addresses typical pathologies of International Administration, such as incoherent policy and the gap between effectiveness and democracy.

International Administration and Peace Operations (B2, Core Course, Winter)

Peace operations, typically under the auspices of the United Nations, are complex administrative entities. Accordingly, “peace-building” is very much an issue of organizational behavior and administrative performance. This course addresses the basic features of peace operations as a form of International Administration and examines the attendant challenges of organizational control, performance, integration, and learning.

Section I of the seminar concentrates on the overall system of UN peace operations, its administrative structure and organizational principles, and its character as an international bureaucracy. In section II classic literature on various aspects of administration (administration as a tool, an arena, an integrator, and a learning and unlearning organization) will be discussed. In section III the analytical dimensions derived from section II will be applied to UN peace operations as International Administration.

Modern Protectorates (B3, Elective)

Modern Protectorates are a particular form of International Administration that primarily responds to the collapse of regular domestic governmental and administrative structures or to the removal of the latter in a postwar situation.

Section I gives a historical overview of the emergence of protectorates, with special emphasis on the post-World War I situation, the League of Nations, and its conversion into the United Nations system. Section II centers on the legal aspects of Modern Protectorates and their justification through court decisions and political discourse. Section III addresses the particularities of Modern Protectorates as a transitional administration designed to disappear but constructed as a robust institutional arrangement. Section IV analyzes the way in which key actors cope with the inevitable political and administrative dilemmas associated with Modern Protectorates.

Humanitarian Intervention (B4, Elective)

Humanitarian Intervention is a prominent cause of International Administration, as illustrated, for example, by the consequences of forced migration, mass starvation, mass crime, and massive human rights violation. Dating back to the 19th century, the notion of (international) humanitarian intervention is closely linked to the emergence of international norms and the spillover effects of armed conflicts.

Section I addresses the historical phenomenon of humanitarian intervention, drawing on exemplary cases. Section II examines current examples illustrating the actual shape and institutional setting of humanitarian intervention. Section III gives an account of the normative political and legal debate on external humanitarian intervention throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries. Section IV analyzes the context of humanitarian intervention, focusing on triggering events, triggering factors, and conditions of implementation.

Pathologies and Disasters in International Administration (B5, Elective)

International Administration has an impact on transnational social and political conditions not only through its very existence and performance but also through underperformance and failure. Mismatches between the jurisdiction of international organizations and the administrative capacity to assume the respective tasks and responsibilities have led to severe crises and disasters, sometimes at the expense of human lives. The failure of the UN mission to Rwanda in 1994 and the subsequent genocide, the failure to protect the “safe area” of Srebrenica in 1995, and the UN’s corruption-infested Iraq Oil-for-Food Program (1995–2003) are all cases in point.

Section I is devoted to a look at generic theories of failure and their applicability to International Administration. In section II individual cases of failure and disaster are analyzed on the basis of those theories. Section III undertakes a cross-case assessment of general pathologies and potential countermeasures.

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