Level of studies: Postgraduate, 1st Semester
Type of course: Compulsory, M.A in Mediterranean Studies
Place in project: Taught on the 1st (months 1-6), 3rd (months 13-18) & 5th semesters (months 25-30)
ECTS: 8 (student workload includes 24 teaching hours: 12 weeks X 2 hours)
Teaching methods: Lectures & Interactive teaching with student engagement (incl. essay presentations)
Prerequisite: None, Language of instruction: English
Description: Conflict prevention, peace building, mediation and crisis management are central pillars of the European Union’s (EU) commitment to act as a global actor that promotes international peace and security as the basis of a rules-based multilateral order. The course examines the EU as a sui generis foreign policy actor that is firmly anchored on the principle of peace and discusses the evolution of the EU approach to conflict management and resolution across time and specific cases. It explores a series of “old” and “new” crises and conflicts focusing on the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean, two regions of great EU foreign policy concern and engagement, which are home to several—often interconnected yet disparate—examples of EU conflict management. In this context, the course traces and analyses traditional and more innovative approaches to conflict management; from conflict resolution and crisis management to supporting mediation, strengthening inclusivity and facilitating multi-track coordination. The course will be divided into four parts; each taught by a different expert. The first part (3 weeks) will introduce the students to the main concepts, tools and debates on EU foreign policy in conflict management. The following three parts will explore specific cases of conflicts and crises and respective EU initiatives, starting from the Balkans and moving clockwise down to the southern shore of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Learning Outcomes: By the end of the course students are expected to have fully grasped the EU’s multifaceted role in conflict management in the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean. Moreover, they are expected to be fully acquainted with the EU conflict analysis guidelines and to be able to apply theoretical and methodological tools to comprehend and assess specific cases studies. Finally, the students will be equipped with the analytical concepts and necessary contextual knowledge to analyze and critically evaluate the impact of the EU policy in the field of conflict management, while acquiring the capacity to evaluate potential scenarios and make policy prescriptions.
Assessment Method:
- Background papers: 30% of grade. A short paper of no more than 1.500 words that outlines the key aspects and components of a specific conflict or wider issue that is of EU foreign policy concern. The backgrounder should be compiled following the EU conflict analysis guidelines and among other things should identify conflict drivers and their historic context, map key actors and stakeholders and analyze recent conflict dynamics.
- In-class presentations: 30% of grade. A 15’ presentation (with the projection of a powerpoint file) of an issue of EU foreign policy concern, discussing the Union’s ongoing initiatives and their objectives, the adopted policies and the attained results. The selected case study may be any specific conflict or crisis where EU has undertaken some type of conflict management initiatives.
- Written Essays: 40% of grade. It concerns academic essays of around 3,000 words that examine at greater depths a specific case study focusing on the EU’s decisive and/or transformative role in leading or supporting mediation efforts. Essays should fully observe academic rules of writing (e.g., structure, documentation) and should take note of the relevant scholarly literature.
Course Layout (by week)*
Week 1: The Evolution of integration and the dynamics of political unification in the EU
Week 2: The EU as a sui generis foreign policy actor
Week 3: The EU’s response to emerging and ongoing conflicts: from conflict resolution and crisis management to peace mediation
Week 4: Conflict prevention through state-building: the EU in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Week 5: The EU’s mediation role in the Serbia-Kosovo dispute
Week 6: The EU’s crisis management capabilities and interethnic tensions in North Macedonia
Week 7: The EU’s conflict management approach to the Greek-Turkish dispute
Week 8: The EU and conflict resolution in the Cyprus question
Week 9: The EU’s mediation support in the Syrian civil war
Week 10: The EU’s multi-phased and multi-faceted role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Week 11: The EU’s crisis management efforts during Egypt’s post-Mubarak transition
Week 12: The EU and the Balkan-EastMed security complexes: between old conflicts and new security challenges
* Detailed lists of suggested readings per week/theme are in the course’s handbook.
