F1ID 4105 - Development and Peace: Thinking Politically

This graduate course takes an action-research approach to help equip future professionals who aim to work at the intersection of diplomacy, security and development to promote peacebuilding. It is organised around one central question: what still works in peacebuilding, for whom, and under what conditions? Our vision is to cultivate a community of forward-looking peacebuilders in diverse policy areas who will be able to identify and implement sustainable solutions, while recognising the trade-offs, political constraints and empirical limits of contemporary peacebuilding practice.

Target audience: This course is designed for graduate students in both international security and international development who are eager to understand and address violent conflicts through a multidisciplinary approach. It will also highlight how the diplomacy, defence, development, humanitarian, the intelligence, trade and investment and technology communities have different objectives and ways of working, and can easily work at cross purposes unless there is a deliberate joined-up effort.

Context and rationale: The numbers are unforgiving. 2024 was the fourth most violent year since the Rwandan genocide, with nearly 160,000 people killed in organised violence — — and, according to the Uppsala Conflict Data Programme, 61 armed conflicts active simultaneously, more than at any point since 1946. Ceasefire calls go unheeded; humanitarian principles that once seemed settled are now openly contested. At the same time, after a record high of $223 billion in 2023, official development assistance (ODA) fell 6% in 2024 and then collapsed by a further 23% in 2025 — the largest annual contraction on record — bringing it back to 2015 levels. The around 53,000 UN peacekeepers still deployed across 11 UN missions represent roughly half the force that existed at the system's peak in 2015 — and the numbers continue to fall. The 2025 decision by U.S. President Trump to cut USAID-funded activities by more than half, combined with reductions in aid budgets by France, the United Kingdom, Germany and others, is forcing a major reckoning: peacebuilding can no longer assume the availability of external assistance. This rollback in resources raises profound questions about how to do (much) better with less – or how to build peace in a world where international solidarity is politically contested and financially constrained. How to build peace in a multipolar world with no multilateralism; how to hold the line and protect minimum principles when multilateral cooperation is weakening; and how to decide what should be preserved, adapted or abandoned in current peacebuilding practice.

This high-conflict situation, the need for a development cooperation reset, the political backlash against multilateral norms, as well as broader geopolitical shifts and technological revolutions, all call for a rethink of peacebuilding approaches: What can development for peace really achieve when short-term realpolitik interests seem to take precedence? What is local peace worth if domestic conflicts are almost always internationalised and/or caused by global challenges? Across the semester, students will return to this question: what still works in peacebuilding, for whom, and under what conditions ?

Curriculum and methodology

This class employs a political economy lens to analyse peace, security and development programmes, focusing on identifying and understanding key actors and their influences. Students will learn to navigate beyond simplistic still widely-held assertions such as "all aid is good aid," to recognise the nuanced realities of conflict-affected settings. International cooperation, done without understanding the forces at play, can be ineffective or harmful. Or it can promote peace, by purposefully building bridges across communities; restoring state-society relations; and keeping spoilers in check.

The course will explore the evolving role of traditional (OECD) donors, of emerging countries, and of the private sector in peacebuilding. The course adopts a thematic approach: each session explores a key dimension of contemporary peacebuilding through cross-country comparisons.

• The first three sessions introduce key concepts and the theoretical and historical context of peacebuilding, as well as the actors and systems that shape the field.
• The next sessions examine the main political and security constraints, before turning to how peacebuilding can adapt through renewed attention to local ownership, inclusion, and institutional integration.
• The final sessions explore drivers of transformation (climate, finance, technology) and conclude with a forward-looking session on the future of peacebuilding.

This class aims to prepare for professions in peacebuilding and related area, and will emphasise case studies, role playing, and written deliverables as expected in the professional world. Because this class is case-study based, it can only work if students read the material before class. Guest speakers with first-hand experience will be invited regularly.

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The course encourages critical thinking and strategic planning, fostering oral and drafting skills necessary for effective peacebuilding. It is designed to make learning cumulative: students will work repeatedly on a chosen country, revisit core dilemmas across sessions, and practise frequent but short written, oral and analytical exercises besides more important assessments. By the end of this course, students will be equipped with the analytical tools and practical insights necessary to address causes of conflict and foster social cohesion — whether they work in governments, international organisations, NGOs, media, the private sector, or act as engaged private citizens.

Learning Outcomes

• Conduct a political economy analysis (or as relevant: conflict analysis; risk and resilience assessment; strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities analysis) presented both in writing and visually
• Identify ways international support can make a difference in these dynamics, e.g. providing incentives, sending signals, building alliances, and managing spoilers. Compare competing peacebuilding approaches and identify the trade-offs they create.
• Design a project or programme that will create social cohesion across social groups and/or trust between citizens and their government, and help implement a peace agreement (where there is one)
• Measure and demonstrate peace and development results (basic monitoring and evaluation skills)
• Adapting theoretical frameworks, empirical evidence, current affairs and past experience to contemporary peacebuilding challenges, and proposing new approaches.

Professional Skills

• Understanding stakeholders: Understanding and taking into account the values, priorities and ability to influence peace and development outcomes of the main stakeholders in a conflict situation
• Leadership and management: Leading, influencing and guiding other members of an organisation
• Conflict Resolution: Facilitating the peaceful outcome of conflict and retribution.

Ability to absorb the course material prior to class and come prepared with key take-aways and questions.

To prepare for the peace and development professions, the course will emphasise both oral and written work, both group and individual work. Guidance and examples for each assignment will be given well ahead of time. Feedback will be given through a template covering clarity of argument; use of evidence; relevance for the target reader’s mandate, setup and challenges; and quality of communication.

• Session 1 through 12:

>Individual participation: critical analysis of assigned course material (“What is the big idea? And what do I think about it?”); engagement in group discussions (10%)

>Regular micro-outputs, such as short ungraded in-class essays, quizzes, and voice notes on readings. (5%)

> Each student will “own” a country of their choosing throughout the semester, and be the “desk” or go-to reference on it. (5%)

• Session 4: Individual max. 2000-word policy brief on a peacebuilding opportunity. This should target a specific audience (state which) and therefore deliver value to them. (20%)
• Session 4 to 11: Panel discussions: Role-play panels in which five students embody different stakeholders debating a real-world peacebuilding dilemma, moderated by the lecturers (20%)
• Session 2 to 8: Individual three-min pitch for a peacebuilding idea. This should target the UN Secretary-General or a major philanthropist and convince them. Delivered in class over sessions 2 to 8 or by video by session 8. (20%)
• Session 10: Second policy brief (individual), in an interactive format, using AI . This should target an audience of ministers, directors or ambassadors and therefore deliver value to them.

This course uses UK English and bibliographic references are footnotes in APA style.

The first session will go over the use of artificial intelligence and over style guides on how to write logically and effectively.

In the absence of a genuine emergency or documented illness, points will be taken off for any lateness.

• Class: 24 hours a semester
• Reading and preparing for class: 48 hours a semester
• Research and preparation for group work (one oral briefing in teams of two): 12 hours a semester.
• Research and writing for individual assessments (i.e. two short policy briefs and one short oral pitch): 36 hours a semester.
• Other: 24 hours a semester