Through advanced didactics such as seminars, class discussions and presentations of individual research project, this course aims to provide students with the analytical tools necessary for a critical understanding of the evolution of the international system since the late Eighties, especially through of the evolution of the concept of international security. Therefore, particular attention will be given to conflict management and international crises, as well as to the emergence of new forms of threat and finally, the difficulties encountered by national states and international and supranational organizations in forging widespread consensus around the instruments with which to intervene in time of crisis to preserve security and stability.
teacher profile teaching materials
The main topics of the course are:
- End of the Cold War
- German reunification
- Iraq-Kuwait 1990-1991 war and the international reaction
- collapse of Jugoslavia
- the crisis in Somalia
- Rwanda genocide
-the crisis in Kosovo
- 9/11 attacks and War on Terror
- evolution of arms control and challenges related to nuclear weapons
The focus of the course will be on the kind of international reactions in each crisis, the behavior of the main players of the international system (national states, organizations and alliances, coalitions, non-state actors) and on the evolution of the threats to the security during the period analyzed (mid 1980s; 1990s, and the first decade of the XXI century).
Antonio Varsori, Le relazioni internazionali dopo la guerra fredda, 1989-2017, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2018 or subsequent editions;
Volumes of choice included in the list published on Moodle.
Non-attending students:
Antonio Varsori, Le relazioni internazionali dopo la guerra fredda, 1989-2017, Bologna: Il Mulino, 2018 and subsequent editions;
Stefano Marcuzzi, L'Europa e la NATO alla fine della Guerra Fredda. Il crollo dell'ordine bipolare e il dilemma della sicurezza collettiva, Bologna: Il Mulino, 2025;
Chapters 5–6–7–8 of the following book: Calandri, Elena, Ruggero Ranieri, and Maria Eleonora Guasconi, Storia politica e economica dell’integrazione europea: dal 1945 ad oggi, Napoli: EdiSES, 2015.
2 course packs (Dispense) that will be available on Moodle (digital format) and at the stationery shop “4 Appunti” in printed format (Ennio Di Nolfo, Storia delle Relazioni Internazionali, Editori Laterza, 2003, Part V; Odd Arne Westad, La Guerra Fredda Globale, Il Saggiatore, 2015, pp. 372–409).
Programme
The course analyzes the History of International Relations from the mid 1980s till the Obama Administration (with some hints to the more recent years).The main topics of the course are:
- End of the Cold War
- German reunification
- Iraq-Kuwait 1990-1991 war and the international reaction
- collapse of Jugoslavia
- the crisis in Somalia
- Rwanda genocide
-the crisis in Kosovo
- 9/11 attacks and War on Terror
- evolution of arms control and challenges related to nuclear weapons
The focus of the course will be on the kind of international reactions in each crisis, the behavior of the main players of the international system (national states, organizations and alliances, coalitions, non-state actors) and on the evolution of the threats to the security during the period analyzed (mid 1980s; 1990s, and the first decade of the XXI century).
Core Documentation
Attending students:Antonio Varsori, Le relazioni internazionali dopo la guerra fredda, 1989-2017, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2018 or subsequent editions;
Volumes of choice included in the list published on Moodle.
Non-attending students:
Antonio Varsori, Le relazioni internazionali dopo la guerra fredda, 1989-2017, Bologna: Il Mulino, 2018 and subsequent editions;
Stefano Marcuzzi, L'Europa e la NATO alla fine della Guerra Fredda. Il crollo dell'ordine bipolare e il dilemma della sicurezza collettiva, Bologna: Il Mulino, 2025;
Chapters 5–6–7–8 of the following book: Calandri, Elena, Ruggero Ranieri, and Maria Eleonora Guasconi, Storia politica e economica dell’integrazione europea: dal 1945 ad oggi, Napoli: EdiSES, 2015.
2 course packs (Dispense) that will be available on Moodle (digital format) and at the stationery shop “4 Appunti” in printed format (Ennio Di Nolfo, Storia delle Relazioni Internazionali, Editori Laterza, 2003, Part V; Odd Arne Westad, La Guerra Fredda Globale, Il Saggiatore, 2015, pp. 372–409).
Reference Bibliography
Antonio Varsori, Le relazioni internazionali dopo la guerra fredda, 1989-2017 (Bologna: Il Mulino, 2018) Ennio Di Nolfo, Storia delle relazioni internazionali (Laterza, 2023) Odd Arne Westad, La guerra fredda globale. Gli Stati Uniti, L'Unione Sovietica e il mondo. Le relazioni internazionali del XX secolo, (Il Saggiatore, 2022) Stefano Marcuzzi, L'Europa e la NATO alla fine della Guerra Fredda. Il crollo dell'ordine bipolare e il dilemma della sicurezza collettiva, Bologna: Il Mulino, 2025; Calandri, Elena, Ruggero Ranieri, and Maria Eleonora Guasconi, Storia politica e economica dell’integrazione europea: dal 1945 ad oggi, Napoli: EdiSES, 2015.Attendance
Attendance is optional; however, the course is designed for regular attendance and active participation in class. Students will be considered attending students if they attend at least 70% of the course and take part in all assessed activities. The study program differs for attending and non-attending students. Attending students are required to complete ongoing assessments (participation in collective discussions, presentations of assigned readings in class, critical analyses of specific texts, short written assignments, and a simulation). It is also possible to take the exam as a non-attending student, by sitting the entire exam in a traditional oral examination during the regular exam sessions.Type of evaluation
Attending Students – LM 52 / LM 81 For attending students, assessment is carried out on an ongoing basis, through active participation in class and several mid-term tests assigned by the lecturer. To be considered an attending student, one must attend at least 70% of the classes. Students are required to decide whether or not they will be attending students by the second week from the beginning of the course. The final grade will be divided as follows: Oral exam – general part: 30% of the final grade. Questions will cover all the topics addressed during the course. The reference textbook is: Antonio Varsori, Le relazioni internazionali dopo la guerra fredda, 1989–2017, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2018 or subsequent editions; Oral exam – presentation of a selected text: 25% of the final grade (max. 10 minutes). Students will present a book assigned during the first weeks of the course, according to the instructions provided by the lecturer in class. Presentations that do not comply with the assigned criteria will be negatively evaluated. Simulation of the North Atlantic Council (NAC): 25% of the final grade, ONLY for LM52 students. The procedures of the simulation, which will take place in May, will be presented during the first weeks of the course. During the simulation, students will be required to produce a short written document. Class participation: 20% of the final grade. Active participation during classes and in any debates based on materials provided by the lecturer will be positively evaluated. To complete the exam, attending students must register regularly for the official exam sessions. Non-attending students are required to prepare the following texts: Antonio Varsori, Le relazioni internazionali dopo la guerra fredda, 1989–2017, Bologna: Il Mulino, 2018 and subsequent editions. Stefano Marcuzzi, L'Europa e la NATO alla fine della Guerra Fredda. Il crollo dell'ordine bipolare e il dilemma della sicurezza collettiva, Bologna: Il Mulino, 2025. Chapters 5–6–7–8 of the following book: Calandri, Elena, Ruggero Ranieri, and Maria Eleonora Guasconi, Storia politica e economica dell’integrazione europea: dal 1945 ad oggi, Napoli: EdiSES, 2015. ONLY FOR LM52 STUDENTS: 2 course packs (Dispense) available on Moodle (digital format) and at the stationery shop “4 Appunti” (printed format).