Contemporary Security in International Relations: Providers and Challenges DL (PO)

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Develop a proposal for an independent project in a relevant field of contemporary security politics.
• Critically assess the major challenges to stability and security in contemporary international politics.
• Engage in critical debate about the changing meaning of security and processes of securitisation.
• Critically assess the competences, capabilities and credibility of security providers.

1 Strategic and Security Studies from classical approaches to contemporary concepts of human, political, economic and environmental security. The changing referents of security post 9/11, a return to statism?

2 The state as a security provider: external security dilemmas, domestic resources and constituencies. Democratic states contrasted to autocratic regimes in the management of security.

3 The media and security: from Vietnam to the invasion of Iraq, war reporting, society and leadership. Governments, agenda setting and information control, Al Jazerra and Middle East conflicts.

4 The state as a security provider, strategies of deterrence, alliance and pre-emption. Israel and its neighbours. The United States, unilateralism and security after 9/11.

5 Institutions as security providers, capacity, credibility and the post Cold War security agenda.

6 NATO in the New Europe: relations with Russia, regional strategy in the Black Sea as a case study.

7 The European Union as a new security actor: from soft to hard power?

8 The United Nations and human security, development, democratisation and security.

9 Intervention and peace enforcement, regional case studies: Legitimacy, alliance cohesion and military intervention. Ethnicity, identity and conflict management.

10 Jihad and International Security: Jihadist ideology from Taymiyya to Bin Laden, the organisation of Jihad from 9/11 to London 7/7, popular support for Jihad. The war on terror and the reconceptualisation of security, counter terrorism strategies and military force, pre-emption and intervention, human rights and the new security agendas.

Teaching and learning methods

Tutorial 24

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.