An online course equipping practitioners with theoretical knowledge of current key trends and practical tools to conduct analysis of armed groups in order to understand the implications of engagement.
In the last decade, preventing conflict and sustaining peace have become increasingly complex. National armies and armed opposition groups are no longer the sole perpetrators of armed violence. Violence is being perpetrated more and more by a range of hybrid actors, such as armed groups, criminal organizations, and illicit trafficking networks. Understanding these emerging trends presents analytical challenges.
Developed in collaboration with the Global Security Programme at Oxford University and the University of Regina in Canada, this online course explores the political context driving the genesis of armed violence and the forces shaping armed group inception, structures and resources. It explores the links between criminality and insurgency, and analyses the different implications for engagement. By focusing on multidisciplinary investigative approaches, this course will strengthen your analytical skills and provide practical tools that can support your analysis of armed groups.
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
This course offers the opportunity to engage in a dynamic online learning experience which combines learner-centred online design principles, recorded video segments, carefully chosen academic readings with stimulating webinar presentations from practitioners with interactive discussion fora.
In this course, you will look at contemporary armed violence through a multidisciplinary lens and discuss different ways to analyse, interact and understand implications for engagement with armed groups.
A final assignment will allow you to apply the tools to an armed group of your choice.
Accompanying the self-paced modules, 4 live webinars will always occur each week on a Tuesday.
UN staff as well as practitioners and representatives from governments, non-governmental organizations, civil society and academia. It is geared to those who are either deployed in duty stations that are affected by the presence of armed groups or whose job description involves the analysis, interaction, and possible engagement with armed groups.
The course fee is $1,000