Description
Goal: The main goal of this course is to familiarise students with the role of arms control and disarmament in current international affairs.
Contents: Arms control and disarmament were high on the international agenda during the Cold War (1945 – 1990). It was recognised that arms control was an important instrument to mitigate the arms race between East and West and to prevent an escalation of violent conflict in a bipolar world. After the end of the Cold War, disarmament treaties such as the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty or the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty facilitated the end of the Cold War. Added to the attention for weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, biological and chemical weapons) was an increasing attention to conventional weapons, including ‘small arms and light weapons’ and anti-personnel landmines. Small arms and light weapons came to be regarded as fuelling intrastate conflicts, the occurrence of which had increased significantly in the 1990’s. Landmines were increasingly considered to be a humanitarian problem as civilians were seriously affected by these weapons. At the same time, weapons of mass destruction remained prominently on the international agenda. India and Pakistan carried out nuclear tests in 1998 and during the first decade of the 21st century crises evolved around the nuclear programs of Iraq, Iran and North Korea. In this course, the international attempts at arms control and disarmament are studied. Among others, the following topics will be addressed: specific treaties and organizations such as the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, the mine ban treaty and the Organisation on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the role of international institutions such as the UN, EU and NATO and the role of Dutch arms control and disarmament policy. These and other relevant topics will be discussed in the context of the current academic debates about arms control and disarmament. Therefore, the course also includes a section on international relations theory.
Study Material
A selection of articles (to be announced on blackboard two weeks prior to the start of the course)
Examination
Papers, presentations and contribution to group discussions.
Deadline final paper: 24 October 2009
Schedule
Tuesday 1 September from 18.00-19.00
Tuesday 8 September from 20.15-22.00
Tuesday 15 September from 20.15-22.00
Tuesday 22 September from 20.15-22.00
Saturday 26 September from 10.00-12.00 and 13.00-15.00
Tuesday 29 September from 20.15-22.00
Tuesday 6 October from 20.15-22.00
Tuesday 13 October from 20.15-22.00
Tuesday 20 October from 20.15-22.00
Registration
Registration through U-twist before 24 augustus 2009 4 pm.