Politics 133 - Politics and Economics of Peacebuilding

This course focuses on the theory and practice of peacebuilding and post-conflict economic recovery in the aftermath of mass violent conflict. Some questions we will explore are: how has the theory and practice of post-conflict recovery evolved since World War II? How and why does policy making during peacebuilding phases differ from 'normal' governance? How do economic policies interact with social, political and cultural factors to produce positive (or negative) outcomes? In what ways do internal and external actors support or inhibit the process of peacebuilding? The course will examine various cases of post-conflict recovery in the last thirty years and then focus on the Middle Eastern countries of Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon. As part of the course, students will form groups and participate in a mock post-conflict conference.