PCON 340 - Terror and Counter - Terror: Histories and Logics of Asymmetric Warfare

For as long as empires and states have been going to war, people have been fighting them with the tactics and technologies now known as terrorism and guerrilla warfare. Asymmetric warfare, however, is no mere historical artifact. It dominates headlines as much as it confounds leaders around the world. Central to this course are several in depth case studies of counter-insurgency and terrorism, including France in Algeria and Indochina; the British in Malaya, East Africa and Northern Ireland; state terrorism in Latin America during the Cold War; and the United States in the Philippines, Vietnam, and, after September 11, 2001, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. The evolution of non-state terrorism — from the violent acts of Anarchists in the late 19th Century to the potentially apocalyptic terrorism of radical religious groups the early 21st Century — also comes under scrutiny. From Clausewitz to General Petraeus, from Mao Zedong to Ayman Al-Zawahiri, this class explores how asymmetric war is lived and understood by various observers and participants.

Credits: 1.00
Corequisite: None
Prerequisites: PCON 111 or PCON 218 or ANTH 218 or SOAN 218 or PCON 225
Major/Minor Restrictions: None
Class Restriction: None
Area of Inquiry: None
Liberal Arts CORE: None

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