Issues in International Security, Development and Conflict

The course will give a broad understanding of the environment in which a wide range of multilateral, national, and non-state actors public and private sector organisations in both developed and developing countries. It will address broader security, development and post conflict reconstruction challenges.

On successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

• Understand the evolution of security theory and the contributions made by international development and conflict management
• Critically understand the role of state and non-state security sectors and the constituent elements of the sectors across different transitional societies
• Understand and appreciate the contribution of both political and management science to international security trends and challenges
• Critically analyse the role played by international, regional and subregional security organisations
• Demonstrate an understanding of how international security management issues go beyond national boundaries and impact regional and sub-regional structures
• Critically evaluate a country’s overall security sector and assess the challenges it poses to the wider development agenda
• Communicate effectively to a specialised and non-specialised audience the concepts and finding associated with security sector management.

• Overview of security theories
• Issues and trends in state building and state formation
• Examining the concept of transitional societies and the role played by the security sector in a range of different transitional contexts by relating a wide range of vulnerabilities to both political and management science challenges
• Overview of global, national and human security trends
• Geopolitical trends and implications for state security sectors and subregional efforts to promote peace and security
• The relationship between security and development
• The evolution of security policy discourse and the gaps between policy and scholarly output
• Macro-government security policy and implementation frameworks
• Key actors, roles and responsibilities across the international, regional and sub-regional security communities.