Accompanied by President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat shake hands at the Oslo Accords signing ceremony on September 13, 1993. (Image by Vince Musi of the White House. Source: Wikimedia Commons. This image is in the public domain.)
Instructor(s)
Prof. Stephen Van Evera
MIT Course Number
17.42
As Taught In
Spring 2018
Level
Undergraduate
Course Description
Course Features
Course Description
This course examines the causes of war, with a focus on practical measures to prevent and control war. Topics include causes and consequences of misperception by nations; military strategy and policy as cause of war; religion and war; U.S. foreign policy as a cause of war and peace; and the likelihood and possible nature of great wars in the future.
The historical cases covered include World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Seven Years' War, the Arab-Israel conflict, other recent Mideast wars, and the Peloponnesian War.
Other Versions
Other OCW Versions
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