Civil Wars and Regional Security

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Civil Wars and Regional Security

• PI3036 International Security
• Week 7

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Civil Wars and Regional Security

• What do we mean by regional security?
• How do the traditional approaches to security
  address regional security?
• What do we mean by civil wars?
• Why are civil wars important for international
  security?
• How does the domestic become regional become
  international?
• What is the role of international organisations
  in maintaining security and what challenges do
  they face?
• What can thinking about civil wars tell us about
  international relations theory?

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What do we mean by regional security

• Regional security (Complexes)
• How does this differ from international Security?
• How can we examine regional security?

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How do the traditional approaches to security
address regional security?

• (Neo-)Realism
• (Neo-)Liberalism
• World Systems theory

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Civil Wars and Regional Security

• If we go back to the view of regional security
  complexes, we can see several important aspects
  of the traditional theories in RSCT.
• Neo-realism
• Neo-liberalism
• World-systems theory

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What do we mean by civil wars?

• Henderson et al A civil war is a sustained,
  violent conflict between the military forces of s
  a state and insurgent forces comprised mainly of
  citizens (or residents) of the state.
• Types of domestic conflict
• Turmoil
• Conspiracy
• Internal war
• Civil war

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Why do civil wars occur?

• Proposition 1 The presence of semi-democracy
  increases the likelihood of conflict.
• Proposition 2 the greater the level of economic
  development, the lower its likelihood of
  conflict.
• Proposition 3 the larger a states level of
  military spending, the less chance of conflict.
• Proposition 4 the greater the cultural
  polarisation, the greater chance of conflict.
• Proposition 5 the presence of ethnic political
  groups increases the chance of conflict.

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Why do civil wars occur?

• Proposition 1 The presence of semi-democracy
  increases the likelihood of conflict.
• Proposition 2 the greater the level of economic
  development, the lower its likelihood of
  conflict.
• Proposition 3 the larger a states level of
  military spending, the greater chance of conflict.

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Civil wars as nationalist conflicts

• What are the options for nationalist movements?
• Greater autonomy
• Secession (independence)
• Irredentism
• Why do some groups wish to go further than
  greater autonomy?

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What is the impetus for nationalism?
Potential Secessionist, by group and regional
position
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Why are civil wars important for international
security?

• Local Wars, Global Casualties
• Terrorism
• Economic ruin
• Famine
• Immigration
• Arms Race
• No-Go Areas
• Environmental Damage
• Global Civil Society

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Regional Security and IOs

• What is the role of international organisations
  in maintaining security and what challenges do
  they face?
• Theoretical review
• Liberal institutionalism
• Neo-liberal institutionalism

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Regional Security and IOs

• Collective security is based on three main
  conditions
• that states must renounce the use of military
  force to alter the status quo
• that they must broaden their view of national
  interest to take in the interests of the
  international community
• that states must overcome their fear and learn to
  trust each other.
• - Based on defence, that is inter-regional.

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Regional Security and IOs

• But for domestic security we should look at
  common security
• Changing role of organisations
• Regional organisations today are aimed at
  settling intra-regional disputes.
• Examples
• NATO, OSCE, EU
• OAU
• ASEAN

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Regional Security and IOs

• What right do regional organisation have to
  intervene in domestic conflicts?
• Two views
• Restrictionists
• Counter-restrictionists

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Regional Security and IOs

• What can organisations do other than intervene
  militarily?
• Non-forcible humanitarian intervention
• Role for regional organisations?
• Yes
• But, there are political problems

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Civil Wars and IR theory

• Conflict is conflict?
• Given the same conditions, shouldn't a rational
  actor, whether state or individual act the same?
• What does this mean for the concept of anarchy?

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Civil Wars and Regional Security Recap

• What do we mean by regional security?
• How do the traditional approaches to security
  address regional security?
• What do we mean by civil wars?
• Why are civil wars important for international
  security?
• How does the domestic become regional become
  international?
• What is the role of international organisations
  in maintaining security and what challenges do
  they face?
• What can thinking about civil wars tell us about
  international relations theory?