Handbook

Civil wars are inherently complex and hard to define, spanning wars of national liberation, insurgency, and succession as well as political and social violence involving non-state actors in weak, fragile or failed states. The real determinants of violence are often overlapping, including ethnic and religious division, economic inequalities, class, social or political exclusion, and competition for scarce natural resources. Drawing on a selection of case studies from different historical periods and regions, this course investigates the dynamics and drivers of civil wars, the course and conduct of particular conflicts including the strategies used by armed factions to sustain conflict, and their localised and international impact.