OADI 2430 - Managing Diplomatic Crises: from the front lines to the diplomatic talks (New course)

***UPDATED for 2025/26***

The course aims at studying recent international crisis (Afghanistan, Ukraine, Sahel, Sudan, Haïti,….) with each of the 12 courses dedicated to one crisis spot and to go as deep as possible to analyze the studied crisis : historical background, actors and forces in presence, triggering factors, steps and evolution on the ground, role and influence of the big players (at the UN, EU positioning, regional bodies,…), humanitarian aspects, protection of civil populations, immediate and mid-term impacts (sanctions, monitoring,…). The course will also study and detail how the main Western countries are organized to deal with crisis management (dedicated institutions, interactions between diplomatic and defense ministries). The last session of the course will be devoted to anticipation exercises with “early warning” work. The course will be very much practical and operational based on professional experience and lessons to be learnt (return of experience).

Learning Outcomes

• Acquiring a deeper knowledge of the most recent international crisis by a case study approach.
• Developing capacities of analyzing international crisis through their diverse angles.
• Complementing theorical background of international life by practical experience of crisis management.

Professional Skills

• Developing tools of analysis on international situations.
• Improving knowledge of international affairs by a case study approach
• Creating skills and reflexes to characterize next crisis which could occur.

No prerequisite for this seminar except a strong interest in international life, a daily reading of international pages of the main US and European newspapers.

The relations with the students will be very fluid and as instantaneous as possible through email exchanges. The teacher will be very much available between sessions to provide advice and assistance, individually and collectively, to the class.

For each course, a team of 2 students will be designated (which will allow, based on a class of 24 students, each of them to be mobilized/ 3 students if the class is larger) to work with the teacher on the presentation of the next session, especially on the use of graphics and maps to illustrate the analysis of the crisis which will be the topic of the lesson. The implication of the pair of students will be then assessed.

The two last courses will be an “early warning exercice”, trying to anticipate what could be the crisis to come.

The assessment will be based as follows :

• individual participation during the course 10%
• duo team involvement in the case preparation 40%
• early warning exercise : individual implication 30%
• early warning exercise : collective presentation 20%

• In Class Presence: 4 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 2 to 3 hours a week / 24 to 36 hours a semester
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 1 hour a week / 12 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 1,5 hours a week / 18 hours a semester