International Studies

This is a graduate level course that is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course examines the theoretical and practical aspects of international criminal justice. Subsequently, the course proceeds to examine the concept of international crimes and the fundamental distinction between retributive and restorative justice models. Thereafter, the course focuses on the different and numerous mechanisms of international criminal justice.

The first part of the course is devoted to an examination of the fundamental tenets and historical development of international criminal law and justice. In particular, the course examines the experience of the Nuremberg Tribunals, as well as the development of further mechanisms and institutions, both at a national and international level, including the International Criminal Court (ICC). The latter represents a significant case study, which offers a convenient vantage point from which to discern the characteristic traits of international crimes (large-scale violence accompanied by the requisite of “gravity”) along with the related obstacles to effective prosecution. After an overview of the trigger mechanisms of the Court, the course examines some relevant features of the Court (e.g., the Court’s composition, the criteria for the appointment of judges) as well as some of the most controversial judicial decisions, which have prompted debate about the challenges of a potentially universal jurisdiction. These decisions include, for example, those in the situations of Libya, Burundi, Comoros Islands (incident of “Freedom Flotilla for Gaza”), Myanmar, Sudan and Afghanistan.

Particular emphasis is placed on other mechanisms of a retributive nature that have been established to prosecute international crimes. These include the experience of the ad hoc Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, but above all the mixed (or hybrid) tribunals, which have emerged as a manifestation of an alternative paradigm of international justice. This paradigm involves, in various forms, national players in the efforts to deliver justice (e.g. judges, lawyers, victims, activists). It is noteworthy that the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia were established to try the former leaders of the Khmer Rouge, while the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Prosecutor’s Office, and the Extraordinary African Chambers in Senegal were created to try former Chadian ruler Hissène Habré.

The second part of the course examines some of the most intriguing and pioneering experiences that are anchored in the tenets of restorative justice, including the various Truth and Reconciliation Commissions. In this regard, the course analyses the Latin American experience, with particular reference to the cases of Colombia, Argentina and Peru. The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission will be treated as a case study of particular relevance.

The last part of the course is devoted to an examination of the most notable rulings handed down by regional human rights courts (notably, the European and Inter-American Courts of Human Rights) and national courts (from Latin America, Spain, Germany, Italy and France) on international crimes. The objective is to identify and examine the salient issues pertaining to international criminal justice at both the national and international levels. In particular, the course focuses on the challenging task of balancing the pursuit of substantive justice with the maintenance of strict and formal legality, and the competing demands of peace and justice.

At the end of the course students will have learned: the foundational principles of international criminal law and justice; the historical evolution of international criminal justice and its current mechanisms; how to critically analyze the different responses to international crimes. Students are expected to acquire the necessary skills to identify the political and juridical main concerns of the selected different contexts and mechanisms - whether at the national or international level, retributive or restorative.

Game theory may be defined as the use of formal models in the study of strategic interaction. This course offers an introduction to game theory and its potential applications to the study of war. Game theory suggests at least three main sources of war. First, war may result from asymmetric information. Because countries may have incentives to misrepresent their military strength, they may be unable to settle a dispute peacefully. Second, commitment problems might result in war. If two countries want to settle a dispute peacefully but suspects that the other side is unlikely to abide with the terms of that settlement, they may resort to warfare. Finally, war could result when the main source of the dispute involves an indivisible good, so that a compromise is difficult or even impossible. The course places particular emphasis on explaining puzzles related to war in general and World War I in particular. Specifically, the course provides a primer in core issues concerning war, including (but not limited to): information problems; commitment problems; indivisibilities; arms races; coalition building; war termination; and differences between international and civil wars. The course recommends students have completed a course in international politics as a prerequisite.

This course offers an in-depth study of the international politics of East Asia. Topics include: the role of China, Japan, and the US in shaping the East Asian region we know today; the impact of China's rise on the region; regionalism; intra-regional security-- North Korea's nuclear diplomacy and the South China Sea.

This course provides an overview of the decision-making process under the Fifth Republic and introduces the various components of the French Army and the strategic environment within which France's action takes place (European Union, NATO, UN).  It then examines security evolutions and considers the place of nuclear dissuasion and the technological revolution on the battlefield. The second part of the course is dedicated to the analysis of the French military interventions since 2001: from Afghanistan to Iraq, to the Ivory Coast, the Central African Republic, Libya, Syria, and Sahel; the diversity of the French Army's theaters of operation showcases various key concepts: power, strategy, French Africa, common spaces, the responsibility to protect (R2P), et cetera.

This course introduces theoretical, analytical, and critical-reflexive approaches to cultural and creative industries (CCI) in an international perspective, emphasizing the field’s global implications on cultural, commercial, and media-specific transformations. The course covers various manifestations of CCIs from across the world, how they are structured and function within particular (trans)national contexts, and the production and circulation of cultural artifacts at varying geographic scales. The course examines the characteristics and components of several ‘models’ of CCI practices and interrogates topical issues in CCI research, such as structural challenges in the international division of cultural labor, and national and transnational CCI strategies. This course includes an excursion to a (European) metropolis with visits to relevant CCI organizations as well as related academic and research institutions to gain insights on how CCI practice and research are conducted in a different cultural and socio-political setting.

The course offers a multidisciplinary approach to international migration, its causes and consequences, and the challenges it presents to policy makers. Questions examined in the course include: Why has migration become one of the defining issues of the 21st century? How can one explain differences in national policy responses and their limited effectiveness? What role can international cooperation play in migration management? Why do immigrants do particular kinds of work? What are the problems of migrant integration? Has multiculturalism failed as an integration model?

This course introduces the politics, history and international relations of modern South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka). The course emphasizes communal (i.e., ethno-religious) conflict. The course covers colonialism and the independence struggle; partition; development; communalism and secularism, and the international politics of South Asia since independence.