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Journal Article 1: Hultman, L., Kathman, J. D., & Shannon, M. (2016). United Nations peacekeeping dynamics and the duration of post-civil conflict peace. Conflict Management and Peace Science, 33(3), 231-249. doi:10.1177/0738894215570425

Summary: This article finds that the quality of UN peacekeeping matters. As the number of peacekeepers, specifically military personnel increases, the likelihood that civil war will reoccur decreases.

Questions to Consider

1. Historically, the UN has struggled to fully fund peacekeeping missions. If this article’s findings are correct, what does it suggests about the importance of increasing the size and funding of missions?

2. The authors suggest that the causal logic for why the size and quality of the mission matters is that the peacekeepers help the sides overcome commitment problems. Explain how peacekeepers can help overcome such problems.

3. This article does not fully address how force levels for peacekeeping missions are addressed. Might there be other factors that affect the willingness to send peacekeepers into a country that may also affect the success of the mission?

 

Journal​ Article 2: Levine, P., & Smith, R. (2000). Arms export controls and proliferation. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 44(6), 885-895. doi:10.1177/0022002700044006011

Summary: This article presents a formal explanation for how arms control efforts, particularly the limitation of arms sales, may spur countries to pursue domestic production of arms. However, it is largely theoretic in nature in that it does not include empirical analysis of the central claims.

Questions to Consider

1. What does this article show us about the importance of theoretical analysis? What does it show us about the importance of empirical analysis?

2. If the article’s central claim is correct, attempts at certain types of arms control may lead to efforts by states to develop domestic capabilities. How might this lesson apply to ongoing tensions with states such as North Korea and Iran and their pursuit of complex weapons (including nuclear weapons)?

3. Do you find the use of formal models without empirical findings to be persuasive?

 

Journal Article 3: Wallace, G. P. R. (2017). Supplying protection: The United Nations and public support for humanitarian intervention. Conflict Management and Peace Science, Online First. doi:10.1177/0738894217697458

Summary: The authors use an experimental design to determine whether or not the UN can influence public support for humanitarian intervention. The authors find that people in the United States are more willing to support humanitarian intervention when it is endorsed by the United Nations.

Questions to Consider

1. The findings suggest that individuals support interventions when the UN endorses them – why do the authors theorize that this is the case?

2. The authors used an experimental design to test their theory. What are the contours of that experimental design? Did you find the authors method persuasive?

3. This article suggests another role for international institutions – providing public information on interventions. Do you believe this institutional role is an important part of creating a norm of liberal intervention?

 

Journal Article 4: White, P. B., Cunningham, D. E., & Beardsley, K. (2018). Where, when, and how does the UN work to prevent civil war in self-determination disputes? Journal of Peace Research, 55(3), 380-394. doi:10.1177/0022343317744826

Summary: The authors use quantitative analysis to examine UN preemptive intervention (that is, intervention designed to prevent a conflict). They find that the UN is most likely to intervene before violence has broken out in a situation where violence has previously been used and there is a likelihood for violence to spillover. It also finds, however, that when armed conflict is especially likely, dynamics on the Security Council may limit UN involvement.

Questions to Consider

1. What is the difference between preventive diplomacy and traditional UN peacekeeping?

2. What are some of the tools that the UN uses to engage in preventive diplomacy?

3. Based on the combination of readings above, when and how do you believe the UN can be most successful at preventing or resolving violent conflict?

 

Journal Article 5: Wohlforth, W. C., Little, R., Kaufman, S. J., Kang, D., Jones, C. A., Tin-Bor Hui, V., . . . Brenner, W. L. (2007). Testing balance-of-power theory in world history. European Journal of International Relations, 13(2), 155-185. doi:10.1177/1354066107076951

Summary: The authors conduct an extensive empirical test of balance of power politics and find that traditional IR theory does a poor job of explaining the tendency of states to balance (or not).

Questions to Consider

1. This particular case study asserts that given the universal claims made by balance of power theorists, any case studies can be used to prove (or disprove) the theory. They then use cases from several systems outside of the traditional European one. Do you find the use of such cases persuasive?

2. One conclusion of these findings may be that our understanding of global politics is overly reliant over interpretations from more recent European and American dominated systems. Might it be the case that state dynamics are largely dependent on the era in which they occur?

3. Do you believe IR scholarship would benefit from studying more cases from past systems that do not strictly resemble the current state system?