A civil war followed the Arab Spring. A majority of the population is displaced from their homes. Regional powers have intervened to support opposing sides in the conflict. International NGO’s and the United Nations accuse all sides of human rights...

The Mongols are reputed to have used a system of colored tents to warn the people of cities they were besieging of their fate. They began with a white tent, offering passage out of the city if the city surrendered. Then they erected a red tent, indicating...

IS burst into the thinking of people around the world when it seized significant parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014. The rapid progress of the group caught many observers by surprise and was seen as a sign of the spread of the turbulence generated by the...

The war started in 1964 and has killed over 200,000 people, but it has finally neared its end with the peace accord agreed to by the government of Columbia and the FARC rebel group. While obstacles remain, most notably the requirement for the agreement...

Under the best of conditions, international negotiations are often likened to herding cats. The peace talks over Syria are taking place in an environment that is far from the best of conditions. Negotiations to end armed conflicts can often be like herding...

Russia surprised the world with the announcement that it was withdrawing its main military forces from Syria. While a limited number of forces will remain to protect Russian facilities, most of Russia’s forces began withdrawing the day after the...

Peace talks aimed at ending the civil war in Syria were suspended today after it became clear that the sides were unable to get the talks off the ground. Incompatible demands and an uptick in fighting make the peace talks untenable at the present time...

It is often said that revolutions tend to eat their young. Starting with great hope and promise, revolutions can devolve into chaos and violence once groups move past removing an old regime to the problems of building a new one. Five years since the start...

Starving people forced to eat dirt and leaves. Siege lines where entire populations are prevented from receiving food aid. While these are most familiar to modern readers as images from descriptions of medieval warfare or perhaps from watching Game of...

As a source of examples of international relations in the news, you just can’t beat the conflict in Syria. This point was demonstrated again this week as Turkey shot down a Russian warplane that had strayed into its airspace. Russian intervention...

Civil wars can be complex, involving many sides whose grievances can drive sustained conflict over many years. Foreign intervention can add even more complexity as the civil war becomes internationalized and the interests of foreign intervenors become...

Since the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011 major powers have played a role in the conflict. Russian support for the Asad government has been continuous with military equipment, trainers, and diplomatic support in the United Nations Security Council...

What should be the response to the use of chemical nerve agents in a mass killing? Do American's, Chinese, Russians, and or the British have a duty to respond when such weapons are used to kill? What can and should the United Nations do if...

Syria's civil war is now in its third year and more than 70,000 people have been killed. Last week, President Obama said, "The future of Syria must be determined by its people, but President Bashar al-Assad is standing in their way. For the...

Today Prime Minister David Cameron and President Barack Obama made remarks that seem to indicate a move toward military intervention in Syria. The leaders of both states agreed that last week's alleged chemical weapon attacks by the Assad regime...

With very little international attention, the government of Sudan is dropping an average of five bombs a day on its own people - unarmed civilians not soldiers. This video, by the brave citizen-journalists in Nuba, attempts to shine a light on the...

As an advisor to the president, you have been closely monitoring the civil war in Syria. On 24 August you received a report from the very respected NGO - Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The NGO has long been serving the medical needs...

Today the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, warned the United States against launching any military action in Syria without approval from the United Nations Security Council. In an interview with Associated Press ( click here ), Putin said it...

Today President Obama decided that he will be seeking the formal backing of the US Congress before taking military action against Syria over the chemical weapons attack last week ( click here for more ). President Obama said, "after careful...

Tonight, there is good news from the United Nations. For the first time, the UN Security Council was able to unite and pass a resolution related to the Syrian conflict. The Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution to turn Syria's chemical...

Above Arab foreign ministers gather at the Arab League emergency session on Syria at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo on Nov. 12, 2011. Photo: Amr Nabil/AP/File Scholars of international relations are interested in civil wars, in part, because...

A "civil war" is an armed conflict between competing factions within a country, or between a government and a competing group within that country over control of territory and or the government. When does a civil war become an international...