POLS4985 Nation-building

1. POLS4985Nation-building

2. Who am I? • Dr. Gregory C. Dixon • Specialty – International Relations • Areas of interest / research: • International Institutions • Conflict Management • Globalization and Global Governance

3. Office Hours and Contact • Office: Pafford 125 • Office Hours: • Before class (aprox 11:30 – class) • After class (as needed) • and by appointment • Email: gdixon@westga.edu

4. Online Content • http://www.westga.edu/~gdixon • Under “current courses” pick POLS4506 • CourseDen • All course information • Electronic Submission of Assignments

5. Learning Outcomes • Analyze the role of nation-building in the contemporary international system • Assess the types of nation-building efforts undertaken by both the international community and by individual nations • Assess the minimum resource requirements for a providing the conditions for successful nation-building • Appraise the challenges to nation-building • Appraise conditions for success in nation-building efforts • Assess the potential for nation building as part of an effort to reduce conflict in the world of the 21st century.

6. Assignments • Commentary Papers (4)25% each

7. Commentary Papers • 10 questions • You must answer 4 questions • You may answer 5 and drop the lowest score • Answers should be 3 - 4 single spaced pages

8. Grading • 90% and up = A • 80 – 89% = B • 70 – 79% = C • 60 – 69% = D • 59% and below = F • No curves or mathematical adjustments will be applied to the grades

9. Assumption of Adulthood • All students are assumed to be adults • You are expected to familiarize yourself with the requirements of the course • You are expected to meet the requirements of the course • It is expected that you will do the required reading for the course. • It is expected that you will complete all required assignments.

10. Class Participation • Daily discussion • Discussion will be based on the discussion questions

11. Late or Missed Assignments • Late assignments will suffer a penalty of one letter grade for each business day late • The commentary papers are take-home, so extensions will be extremely rare • Absolutely no extensions will be given for the final commentary paper due date

12. Special Needs • Students with special needs as identified by the University will be accommodated in accordance with University policy

13. Attendance • Attendance will not be taken and is not required as part of the course grade • Attendance is vital • Missing lectures may significantly reduce their chances of passing the course • It is the responsibility of the student to get the notes from that day of class from another student in the class

14. Acts of the Gods • On very rare occasions truly terrible things happen • If such an event happens, don't wait until the last day of the class to deal with it

15. Email Communication & Privacy • Nothing related to grades, exams, or any other course information specific to a student will be discussed via regular email - period • Grades and related information will only be discussed via one of these methods: • In person during office hours or after class • Via the CourseDen email system

16. Classroom Decorum • Please arrive on time • Please turn off any device that makes noise • Please do not read the newspaper, sleep, etc. during the class time • Mutual respect and politeness is required in the classroom at all times • Violations of appropriate classroom decorum will result in penalties

17. Academic Honesty • All students are required to be aware of the University rules regarding academic honesty. • Cheating, fabrication, and/or plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated. • Any student caught committing any violation of the Honor Code on any assignment will receive an F in the course and will be reported to the University for further action as per University policy • The professor reserves the right to seek the harshest possible penalty for any and all violations regardless of the value of the individual assignment

18. Academic Honesty • If you are unsure as to what constitutes academic dishonesty, please consult the University of West Georgia Student Handbook • Ignorance of the Code will not be accepted as an excuse for violations of it • Many things which are perfectly acceptable in high school are considered cheating in college • If you have a question about cheating, ask, don’t just assume that you are ok

19. Nationbuilding Basic Concepts and Frameworks

20. What is Nation-Building? • The basic subject of the course sounds simple • Nation + Building • Building the basic infrastructure of a functioning state

21. Problems of Definition • There are lots of terms used • Nation-building • State-building • Stability Operations • Etc. • We will not split hairs in this course

22. Potential Nation-Building Cases • Cases where NB is a policy option • Post-conflict • Post-disaster (natural or man-made) • Failed states • Fragile states • Each case offers challenges

23. Who Nation-Builds? • Nation States • IGO’s • NGO’s • MNC’s • Coalitions of some or all of the above

24. NB Is Not New • Pharonic Egypt used NB 5,000+ years ago • The US has engaged in NB efforts since the late 1800’s

25. NB Is Not Mysterious • The basics are widely known • We will cover them in this class • The world community knows how to engage in successful NB efforts

26. The Structure of the Course • Start conceptual • Paris and Sisk • Broaden the model • Ghani and Lockhart • From theory to application • Dobbins, et al.

27. Challenges • Applying specific logic broadly • Can we apply ideas across models? • How do the theories fit our cases? • Moving from theory to practice • Ideas are fun, but you need to make them work if they are to matter

28. There Is No Rabbit • At the end of the class, there will be no resolution of your questions • You will know more about the subject • You will probably have more questions than when you started • But it will be fun anyway…

29. What’s A Nation & Why Are We Building One? The Nation-State in the 21st Century

30. The Nation-State • Combination of two concepts • Nation • A group of people with a shared identity • State • A geographic space ruled by a central governing authority

31. Nation-State Characteristics • Geographically fixed location • Recognized government • Sovereignty • Monopoly on the use of force within boundaries • Population is made up of people with a “national identity”

32. Sovereignty • No outside authority can force a state to act • A foundation of international law • Enshrined in the UN Charter

33. Reality Check • Most states loosely fit the definition • Many nation-states do not fully fit the description • Identity conflict is a leading cause of civil war • Secessionist movements are common • Some nations lack effective government

34. Building A Nation-State • NB seeks to construct functioning nation-states • Functioning does not equal perfect

35. Central Problems • How can an outside power build a truly sovereign state? • And why would they?

36. A Second Reality Check • The world is complicated • There are many actors in the NB process • These actors interact with one another • Their interactions affect the outcome • Not everyone likes order

37. Herding Cats • Intervenors are not unitary • Policy makers • Policy implementers • Political supporters in the homeland • Various interest groups

38. Herding Cats • States targeted for NB are not unitary • All actors seek advantage • Local elites use the intervenor to their advantage • Intervenor ignorance makes it worse • Not all actors want effective government • Conflict can be beneficial • Sides may prefer conflict to peace

39. Spoiler Alert • Spoilers may seek to foil NB efforts • Groups want a better deal • Groups fear marginalization in new order • Groups fear prosecution or worse in new order • Power may be lost in a new system

40. The Problem • Building a nation-state requires support from many actors • Some will never accept the new order

41. Good Enough Solutions • You will never get perfection • It’s the real world • Your perfection is not everyone’s perfection • You need to settle for “good enough” • Good enough governance to keep people content to support the new order

42. What Is Good Enough? • Physical security • Food • Basic stability / predictability • Rule of law • The right economic direction • Hope

43. Getting to Good Enough • Local leaders • Local institutions • Local participation • Local economic development • All of which will be built by outsiders

44. Nobody Likes An Outsider The problem of external intervenors

45. The “Other” Problem • Humans separate “in” and “out” groups • We do not easily trust those who are from the out group • This is a factor of biology

46. NB Requires Outside Intervention • The intervenor will always be an outsider • This will generate tension and make the job harder

47. Difficulty Factor • The degree of difficulty for the intervenor varies • Nature of intervention effort • Historic context • Cultural context • Various other identity factors

48. Uncontrollable Elements • History • Identity • Geography

49. Controllable Elements • Resources • Communication • Preparation

50. Control What Can Be Controlled • Effective preparation can mitigate the problems of being an outsider • Transparency can make a significant impact