Universidad del Rosario
Analysis of
Internal Conflict
School of Social, Political and International Studies
Mathew H. Charles, PhD
Session 2:1
Concepts and classification
What Is Civil War?
Compare definitions of civil war and explore conflicts that blur the boundaries between armed conflict, political violence and organised crime.Session 2:1
Reading-group activity
Defining Civil War and Testing Its Boundaries
Work in three reading groups to construct, compare and revise definitions of civil war, then test them against factional-economic conflict.Session 2:2
Basic quantitative analysis
The Recruitment of Children and Teenagers into the Colombian Conflict
A step-by-step introduction to descriptive statistics, rates, correlations, scatterplots, coefficients and cautious causal claims.Session 2:2
Data pack and variable guide
Municipal Recruitment Evidence Base
Download the enhanced Excel dataset and the matching guide to variables, original sources, limitations and quality-control flags.Session 3:1
First midterm
MIDTERM 1 · Interpreting Quantitative Evidence
Interpret the findings presented in class through five one-mark questions, with an optional question offering the chance to recover one mark.Session 3:2
Causes of civil war
What Causes Civil War?
Compare theories of exclusion, insurgency, regime instability and resources, then apply them to Syria, Sudan, Myanmar, eastern DRC and Haiti.Session 4
Simulation
The Breaking Point: Why Civil Wars Begin
Analyse the fictional Republic of Ardania, test competing explanations for civil war and submit a final evidence-based account.Session 5:1
Participation, recruitment and selection
Who Fights Civil War?
An interactive session examining who participates in civil war, with case studies from Sierra Leone and Colombia.Session 5:2
The PKK and the wider Kurdish question
The PKK and the Kurdish Question: Terrorism or Internal Armed Conflict?
An interactive timeline tracing the PKK insurgency in Turkey, its regional connections and the current peace process.Out-of-Class Activity
Rebel governance and civilian resistance
Who Governs Here?
Read Ana Arjona, test the concepts of aliocracy and rebelocracy, and apply her theory of civilian resistance.Session 6
Reading group activity
Violent Jihadism Beyond Terrorism: Religion, Radicalization and Insurgency
A reading group activity examining when violent jihadist organisations should be analysed as terrorist networks, insurgencies and parties to civil war.Session 7:1
Counterterrorism and counterinsurgency
When Can States Use Lethal Force?
Compare strategic approaches and test the legality of U.S. strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels and Colombian bombardments of armed-group camps containing recruited children and teenagers.Session 8
Interactive coding lab