The key issues- Constructing ‘broad’ and ‘narrow’ definitions and building data sets
- Quantitative/measurable parameters: duration, casualties, combatants
- Civil wars in the emerging world system
- Channels of inter-penetration of inter-state and intra-state conflicts
- The overlap and interplay between civil wars and terrorism
- Features of state failure: crime, mob violence, coups, revolutions
The format
Combining the discussions centered on commissioned papers with free-wheeling debates (round-tables) focused on particular topics
The venue: PRIO canteen
The plan for the brain-storm
August 18
Session 1 (13.00 – 15.00), Chair: Pavel Baev
Instrumentalizing definitions, challenging data sets.
Paper by Scott Gates, ‘Assessing the empirical nature of civil war’.
Comments by Jon Elster, Nils Petter Gleditsch, Håvard Strand.
Session 2 (15.30 – 17.00), Chair: Scott Gates
Governance, monopoly on violence and state failure.
Round-table discussion led by Robert Bates, Kaare Strøm, Jon Elster.
Dinner
August 19
Session 3 (09.30 – 11.00), Chair: Sven Gunnar Simonsen
The history of ideas, collection of definitions, key problems.
Paper by Greg Reichberg, ‘Internal vs. external war: Emergence of the distinction in the Christian Middle Ages’.
Comments by Henrik Syse, Torkel Brekke.
Session 4 (11.15 – 12.45), Chair: Kristian Berg Harpviken.
Post-Soviet conflicts and definitions of civil war.
Paper by Pavel Baev, ‘Fine-tuning definitions for re-evaluating conflict patterns’.
Comments by Jeff Checkel, Sven Gunnar Simonsen.
Lunch (13.00-14.30)
Session 5 (14.45 – 16.00), Chair: Hilde Henriksen Waage.
Domestic instabilities and international terrorism: focus on SE Asia.
Paper by Stein Tønnesson, ‘Distinguishing civil war from international war – and terrorism – in the Southeast Asian state system’.
Comments by Kristian Berg Harpviken, Bethany Lacina.
Session 6 (16.10 – 17.00).
Workshop summary discussion: World system and regional environment.
(Round-table led by Øyvind Østerud, Jeff Checkel, Stein Tønnesson)