Types of Conflict

Readings For This Lesson

Read these three sections of the OUP text by Max Kirsch

The Pearson text provide several examples of the different types and parties to conflict

From Last Lesson

What are some of the arguments proponents of nonviolence might make for nonviolent conflict over violent conflict?

Prescribed Content

This lesson contains a fair bit of content and will be longer than some of the others. We will be exploring the different types of conflict and what these conflicts look like when they occur. As well, we will look at the parties/groups involved in these conflicts.

Prescribed Content:

  • Parties to conflict

  • Types of conflict

  • Conflict: interstate war, intrastate war, terrorism, strikes, demonstrations

  • Manifestations of conflict

  • Social movements, resistance movements and violent protest movements

Activating Your Thinking

Introducing Interstate and Intrastate Conflict

Check out Foreign Policy Magazine's Ukraine Page

Check out this Council on Foreign Relations backgrounder on the civil war in Yemen

Lesson Content

Types of and Parties to Conflict Briefing

Guiding Questions

  1. As an introduction to this reading, research our case study and a case of your choosing on the Uppsala Conflict Data Program. How many fatalities occurred as part of state-based violence and non-state violence? You may also want to click on the "download charts, graphs and maps" button here and wait for it to load. What generalization might you be able to draw from this information or any of the other charts and graphs you looked at?

  2. Provide one example of each of the four types of conflict (the terms) outlined in the briefing.

  3. Provide one example of each of Moore's five types of conflict.

  4. Provide one example to support von Clausewitz's 'rational nature of war' theory and one example (perhaps even the same one) that is more inline with critiques of von Clausewitz's position.

  5. In general, what might be one benefit and one downside of RMA?

  6. What has caused war to become based to a greater degree on economics that politics? Look for at least two reasons.

  7. What has caused war to become more asymmetrical (the circumstances)?

  8. What helps facilitate asymmetrical warfare (make it more prominent and effective)? You should be able to note several.

  9. How has asymmetrical warfare changed the nature of the parties involved in conflict?

  10. Provide two real world examples of effective COIN.

  11. Outline the arguments in favour of nuclear weapons control and the arguments in favour of greater proliferation. Which do you think provides a stronger rationale and why?

  12. Based on the Arms Control Association website, why is the nuclear weapons question often framed as a USA - Russia issue? Are you surprised by any of the countries who have nuclear weapons? What are the three categories of warhead inventories?

  13. Choose one of the treaties outlined on the Arms Control Association website and:

    • Describe what it is about.

    • When was it negotiated?

    • Who was involved?

  14. Why is the Iran Nuclear deal so high profile? Why is it creating so much controversy? Perhaps start by looking at this BBC article and this CFR article.

  15. Using this website, devise a diagram that reflects the primary, secondary and third parties in conflict.

Guiding Questions

  1. Before starting this reading, read this article from The Economist. What are some examples of how Russia using cyberspace as a weapon of war?

  2. Why are cyberattacks difficult to stop/easy to carry out?

  3. Why are cyberattacks an effective "short of war" approach to conflict?

  4. What are some of the different types of cyberattacks?

  5. While the direct costs are expensive, so are many of the indirect costs. What are some of these costs?

  6. Why have sanctions been ineffective in combating cyberattacks?

  7. The article suggests taking a liberal approach with a greater focus on multiple stakeholders. Why do the authors suggest this approach?

Do you want to learn more about this? Check out this Foreign Affairs article by Joseph Nye on international cyber agreements or this article by Dmirti Alperovitch.

Terrorism Briefing

Guiding Questions

  1. Before you begin this briefing, choose any of the groups listed in the United States' Director of National Intelligence site to research.

  2. Where are they located? How long have they been in existence?

  3. What are their primary terror tactics?

  4. What are their grievances and their goals?

  5. In what ways might one's perspective be key to how terrorism is understood?

  6. Of the four types of terrorism outlined by Heywood, which do you think is most common? Why?

  7. In what ways might those sympathetic to terrorist causes argue that terrorism differs from criminal violence?

  8. What are some of the purposes/rationales for terrorism?

  9. What are some of the weaknesses of terrorism; why doesn't it have a very broad appeal?

  10. In what ways has globalization been both a cause of and support to terrorism?

  11. What element of religious terrorism can make it particularly difficult to defeat?

  12. How is jihad understood differently by extremist muslim terrorist groups?

  13. Continue your research of the terrorist group you chose in questions 1-4. How might you apply the five approaches to countering terrorism to the group you have chosen? In what ways might each of these approaches be unsuccessful in countering the terrorist group you are researching

  14. Visit the Global Terrorism Index map and the six takeaways page of their site. Based on what you learned from the index and what you have learned about terrorism from the briefing, in groups, develop 5, one to two sentence policy statements for addressing the issue of terrorism in the world today.

Viewing Prompts

  1. Why has al-Jolani adopted terrorism as an approach to conflict? What rationale does he provide?

  2. Why do you think the correspondent faced backlash as a result of doing the interview?

  3. Do you think the interview was an effective approach for al-Jolani?

Approaches to National Security

Guiding Questions

  1. Which theory seems likely to be the most effective in addressing addressing national security issues.

  2. Which approach is likely to be more effective in addressing:

    • inter-state conflict?

    • intra-state conflict?

    • cyber warfare?

    • nuclear conflict?

    • terrorism?

  3. Is it possible to make an argument that all three approaches are reasonable approaches to ensuring national security? If so, why so and if not, why not?

Social and Political Movements

A political movement is a social movement in the political arena. Social movements are a type of group action. They are large, often informal groupings of individuals and/or organizations focused on specific political or social issues, on carrying out or resisting a social change or a political state of affairs. A political movement may be organized around a single issue or set of issues, or around a set of shared concerns of a social group. In contrast with a political party, a political movement is usually not organized to elect members of the movement to government office; instead, a political movement aims to convince citizens and/or government officials to take action on the issues and concerns that are the focus of the movement. They are often represented by non- or even antistate groups. A political movement may be local, regional, national, or international in scope. Some aim to change government policy, such as the antiwar movement, the ecology movement, the antiglobalization movement, and the peace movement.

    • Barash, David P. Peace and Conflict Studies (p. 307). SAGE Publications.

Start at the 11 minute mark

Viewing Prompt:

  1. Greg Satell explains a number of ways in which movements succeed. Record these explanations in your notebook.

Importance of Social and Protest Movements

Guiding Questions:

  1. What does Naomi Klein suggest is a key mindset/perspective to a successful social movement, particularly as it relates to climate change?

  2. What, does she suggest, needs to be in place in order for today's movements to be successful?

  3. In what ways is the Blockadia movement an embodiment of what Klein is advocating for in the first two questions/first part of the article?

Social Movement Inquiry Activity

  1. Define a social movement by looking at the different definitions under the subtitles "What is a Social Movement" in these two articles:

  2. Choose a social movement to research, you might have something in mind, if not, you can start with this list. Do not choose anything from outside of your lifetime so you are able to use your research in your Global Politics assessments.

  3. David Aberle identified four types of social movements, what type of social movement have you chosen? The video at the top of the link might also be helpful.

  4. Herbert Blumer identified four stages of social movements. Because you know about the social movement you have chosen, it is likely already at least stage 2. Explain why that is so. You might also find this site useful (with more current examples) to help you answer this question and the next few.

  5. How did your social movement reach stage 2. What event occurred? What leader(s) came to the fore to so that there was widespread mobilisation?

  6. Is your movement at stage 3? If so how so? What types of bureaucratisation are in place? If not, why has your movement not reached this stage yet? What is missing from your movement so that would not be defined as being at stage 3?

  7. Is your movement at stage 4? If so why so and if not why not? Which of the five "decline" stages (see the image below) do you think it is in (or likely to be in if it isn't at this stage). Remember, as explained here decline isn't a bad thing.

  8. Chart your social movement according to the Resource Mobilization Theory which components of the Frame Alignment Process has your social movement gone through or could go through in order to be more successful/continue to be successful (see the Framing/Frame Analysis section of the article)?

  9. Start a new social movement. It can be imaginary or something real, either way, explain how you will meet each of the five steps described here in what makes for a social movement.

  10. Run your social movement through the Frame Analysis: the diagnostic, prognostic and motivational frames.

  11. Adbusters Magazine as a social movement

    • According to Aberle, what types of social movement would the Metamemetic Insurrection be?

    • What stage would you say the metamemetic insurrection social movement is at? What might make this a difficult question to answer?

    • Which "Spoof Ad" do you like best? Which one do you think is the most effective? Are they the same?

Global Politics in Action

Inquiring into Protest Movements/Demonstrations and Strikes

  1. Visit one of these sites or one of your own choosing:

  2. Summarize in your own words (do not copy and paste) the reason for the protest movement/demonstration.

  3. To what extent has the movement been successful?

  4. Why did you choose to study this movement, why were you drawn to it?

  5. Do the same activity for a current strike. A simple Google search will provide many strikes to research.

Revenge of the Patriarchs _ Foreign Affairs.pdf

Guiding Prompt

  1. Why, according to the authors, are women necessary to successful nonviolence social movements?

  2. How have leaders, both authoritarian and otherwise, attempted to suppress the voice of women to as to limit their efficacy in social movements?

You can find here the most recent Woman, Peace and Security Index that is referenced in the article.

Checking For Understanding