Politics of Peace after Civil War - POL00068H

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Module summary

This module critically analyses the politics of contemporary peace-making and the conditions under which they are effective, investigating specific case studies as well as the logics and practices underpinning contemporary peace-making across the globe.

Module will run

Occurrence	Teaching period
A	Semester 1 2025-26

Module aims

In a global context where armed conflicts seem to be on the rise and leading to intensified human suffering, displacement and atrocities, there is a dire need for deeper understanding of how peace can be achieved, in the short and long-term. This module addresses this conundrum through a combination of theoretical, practical and case-specific approaches and insights. We ask; how do armed conflicts come to an end? What kind of peace is being forged? Why are some countries more successful at maintaining political stability while others experience chronic instability for decades after the war has formally ended? How do changes in the geopolitical security landscape influence contemporary peacebuilding? What explains the relative success of democratic reforms in some places and the transition to authoritarianism in others? How do the actors who were fighting – the rebel groups and the militias – adapt to post-war politics and what role do they play in shaping the post-war political order?

This module is anchored in exciting, ongoing research and policy engagement about peacebuilding and post-war politics addressing some of the most pressing issues of our times. The module equips students with a range of theoretical tools and practical knowledge about peacebuilding and conflict resolution in specific cases of contemporary conflict and peace.

Module learning outcomes

• Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the challenges facing countries emerging out of civil war. (PLO 1)

• Apply and evaluate competing views and explanations of the causes of variation in outcomes, using both quantitative and qualitative evidence. (PLO 2)

• Independently compare across types of countries and post-war experiences, and identify key dynamics that can account for similarities and differences. (PLO 3)

• Work independently and collaboratively to evaluate different peacebuilding policies and approaches, and to critically assess their consequences and applications across different types of cases and contexts (PLO 4)

Module content

Likely structure to include:

1. Introduction: Transitions from war to peace

2. Democracy after civil war: Trajectories and dilemmas

3. Local and everyday peace

4. Elections: a way out of civil conflict?

5. Rebel group political inclusion

6. Ex-combatants and war veterans: Gender and representation

7. Reconciliation and transitional justice

8. Peace and sustainability

9. Illiberal and authoritarian peace

10. Thinking critically about peace

Indicative assessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100

Module feedback

Students will receive written timely feedback on their formative assessment. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor’s feedback and guidance hours.

Students will receive written feedback on their summative assessment no later than 25 working days; and the module tutor will hold a specific session to discuss feedback, which students can also opt to attend. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor’s regular feedback and guidance hours.

Indicative reading

Cheng, C. a. 2018. Extralegal groups in post-conflict Liberia : how trade makes the state. Oxford University Press.

Curtis, D. & G. Sindre (2019) Transforming State Visions: Ideology and Ideas in Armed Groups Turned Political Parties. Government and Opposition, 54, 387-414.

Lyons, T. (2016) From victorious rebels to strong authoritarian parties: prospects for post-war democratization. Democratization, 23, 1026-1041.

O'Reilly, M. a. 2018. Gendered Agency in War and Peace: Gender Justice and Women's Activism in Post-Conflict Bosnia-Herzegovina. Palgrave Macmillan UK.

Piccolino, G. 2015. Winning wars, building (illiberal) peace? The rise (and possible fall) of a victor's peace in Rwanda and Sri Lanka. 1770-1785.

Söderström, J. (2011) Dissent and opposition among ex-combatants in Liberia. Democratization, 18, 1146-1167.

Söderström, J (2013) Second Time Around: Ex-Combatants at the Polls in Liberia. Journal Of Modern African Studies, 51, 409-433.

Toft, M. D. (2010) Ending Civil Wars: A Case for Rebel Victory?? International Security, 34, 7-36.

Tønnessen, L. & S. Al-Nagar (2013) The women's quota in conflict ridden Sudan: Ideological battles for and against gender equality. Women's Studies International Forum, 41, 122-131.

Wood, E. (2001) An insurgent path to democracy: popular mobilization, economic interests, and regime transition in South Africa and El Salvador. Comparative political studies, 34, 862-888.

Wood, E. (2010) The social processes of civil war: the wartime transformation of social networks. Analisis Politico, 23, 100-124.

Özerdem, A. (2012) A re-conceptualisation of ex-combatant reintegration: 'social reintegration' approach. Conflict, Security & Development, 12, 51-73.