1. WHY STUDY INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT AND SECURITY? What do we mean by conflict? What do we mean by security? Where can we get data? http://www.correlatesofwar.org/ Battlefield deaths (1000) vs. casualties (3:1) (1) Militarized inter-state disputes vs (2) extra-state disputes (above/below) vs. (3) intra-state (civil war) Number of actors (total war) Role and casualties of non-combatants (terrorism, genocide, elimination) Where the war takes place: in one state, in cities, in state-controlled territories Type of weapons How big of a problem is intl. conflict today?: http://www.humansecurityreport.info/ http://www.humansecurityreport.info/

9. HOW DO WE STUDY THE CAUSES OF CONFLICT? What are the three main types of PSC theories? – Normative theory – Descriptive theory – Explanation & prediction Why isn’t correlation the same as causation? Does prediction = prescription? If we can anticipate that variable x will cause war, can we then solve for war? (AIDS and HIV) Are the causes of war = causes of peace?

10. HOW DO WE STUDY THE CAUSES OF WAR AND PEACE? What is necessary for a good explanatory theory that we’ll be able to do something with: Generalizability What is falsifiability and theory testing? What is operationalization? What is replicability? What is the difference between a necessary and a sufficient cause of war or peace?

11. WHY STUDY CONFLICT WITH KENNETH WALTZ’S THREE “IMAGES”? What’s the difference between an “image” and a “level” of analysis? Both are useful metaphors Are images the same as theories? They tell us where to look What does he mean by the first image? What is the second image? Some key terms: What are the core assumptions of the third image theories?: (1) Anarchy (2) Self-help and sovereignty (3) The security dilemma Are these images mutually exclusive? Nope, but it’s helpful to look for contradictory assumptions.