Topics in Diplomatic History

The course focuses on wars and crises in modern times and in antiquity. Do we find some common features for wars and crisis in the Western world? This courses analyzes the longterm development in history, while the political and economic experiences of antiquity often have little relevance for present day society, the opposite is almost case when it comes to the military and strategic dilemmas facing the ancients. The seminar will examine a select number of wars and crises to determine the strategic relevance of the examples from antiquity to the present day experience. We will look in depth in the following order at The Peloponnesian War (431-404 B.C), The First World war (1914-18), Hannibal's War: The Second Punic War (218-201 B.C), The Second World war (1939-1945), and, finally, The Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962).

The central goal of the course is what, if anything, can we learn from history? We seek to answer this by analyzing key events in older and modern history.

Lectures and seminars