Admission requirements
Only students of the MSc Crisis and Security Management can take this course.
Description
Irregular warfare remains elusive and not particularly well understood in the armed forces despite decades’ worth of experiences. Nor have politicians demonstrated a good grasp of the vicious dynamics at work in this type of warfare. Often at heart is a fundamental different conceptualization of the nature and purpose of the struggle, in particular when ethnic, tribal, and/or religious motives are involved, as Western armed forces for instance experienced during the first two decades of the 21st century in Iraq and Afghanistan and continue to experience as part of ongoing strategic competition involving great and regional powers.
The course consists of six seminars and a guest lecture divided into three conceptual groupings: theory, actors, and practice. The first group of seminars looks theoretically at the logic of violence in irregular warfare and delves into the conceptual background of irregular warfare by studying how both irregular actors (I) and regular armed forces (II) seek to fight irregular wars. We will analyse the evolution of these concepts and discuss the value of historical notions and experiences in today’s operational environments.
The second section of the course builds on this foundation and explores questions related to the actors involved in irregular warfare. We will, therefore, discuss the organization and typical challenges encountered by both irregular actors (I) and regular armed forces (II). As part of both seminars we will also explore the societal landscape that constitutes the theatre of this kind of warfare.
The third and last group of seminars looks at the practical reality of irregular warfare and builds forward on the previous groups. First the analytical tools obtained thus far will be employed to better understand some of the formative experiences in 20th century irregular warfare as well as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the Global War on Terror (I). The subsequent seminar will provide a strategic outlook for the near future by analysing how irregular warfare now has become embedded in concepts like hybrid warfare and strategic competition (II). The course will be concluded with a guest lecture by an authority in the field who will focus on the enduring relevance of irregular warfare.
Course Objectives
At the end of the course, students are able to:
1. Explain the theoretical background of irregular warfare and explain the fundamentals and background of contemporary concepts of this type of warfare.
2. Analyse all involved actors, their organization and their role in the conduct of irregular warfare.
3. Evaluate the practical reality of irregular warfare –aided by the obtained understanding of theory and actors- in order to explain (successful) practices and outcomes and sketch an outlook for such conflicts.
Timetable
On the right side of programme front page of the studyguide you will find links to the website and timetables, uSis and Brightspace.
Mode of Instruction
The course consists of 3 themes that will be discussed in 6 three-hour seminars and a concluding lecture by a guest speaker from the field.
Assessment method
The formulated course objectives will be evaluated by:
Group assignment
20% of overall grade
Resit not possible
Grade must be compensated in case of a fail (grade <5.50).
Research paper
80% of overall grade
Resit possible
Resit takes the same form
Grade must be 5.50 or higher to pass the course.
The calculated overall grade must be at least 5.50 in order to pass the course.
Reading list
A collection of academic articles and textbooks will be used (to be announced). A detailed course guide, including the course outline and required readings per teaching session will be made available via Brightspace.
Registration
*Please note, registration for block 4 electives will be organised by the OSC in a different way from the regular course registration for semester 2. More information about this will follow in the beginning of semester 2.
Contact
prof. dr. Martijn Kitzen m.w.m.kitzen@fgga.leidenuniv.nl