PSCI 3209 Study Guide - Summer 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes -
12 Oct 2018
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PSCI 3209
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
PSCI 3209 - Exam Review: Readings & Lectures
1) Conflict: Why does it happen in some places? What does it fail to happen in other places?
Given tensions between ethnic groups, why has conflict arised in some states, and not others?
HALE: Leader Politics
-Elites in the communist party enjoyed privileges and power; Gorbachev’s drastic reforms
empowered some leaders and not others.
-Leaders experience/skill and their intentions/values and propensity for risk taking matter a lot.
-A prime example of how leaders contribute to why conflicts can arise in some places and not
others is Georgia during its post-Soviet transition.
-Gamsakhurdia won the election after the Soviet transition; he used nationalist and ethnic
rhetoric to mobilize citizens, while also pushing for ethnic purity and exclusion of non-
Georgian ‘settlers’ from political power.
-He used force and violence to dissipate criminal activity within the state; arresting the leader
of a large criminal group, Jaba Ioseliani.
-He destroyed previous alliances, and isolated himself politically; claimed that his ‘former’
allies were plotting against him.
-The conflict culminated when a group of anti-government protesters were fired upon. In Sept
1991, Gamsa banned most political organizations; this is when his appointed commander,
Kitovani, allied with the former prime-minister to form an opposition.
-Ultimately, this opposition joined forces with Ioseliani and ousted Gamsa out of office. As a
last standing effort, Gamsa launched a civil war to retake power, but failed, and costed
Georgia dozens of more lives in the process.
GIULIANO: Relationships in the Russian Federal System (Chechnya)
-Giuliano argues that the Russian Federal System is set up in such a fashion that it was
interdependent.
-1994: Yeltsin sent troops to Chechnya to dissipate the growing separatist movement therein.
-After the Chechnya conflict began, the Russian gov’t had a strategy of resorting to force. This
conflict served as an example that if you don’t cooperate, the result will be war.
-Giuliano argues that attacking Chechnya was a mechanism to forestall the secession of other
ethnic republics; which it did - “successfully intimidated those who had supported opposition
nationalist movements in other republics”
-Other republic leaders, like those in Tatarstan, were quick to point out that that their republic’s
moderate behaviour compared to Chechnya, allowed them to avoid conflict and violence.
-Several Republics served as testing grounds for authoritarian techniques that were adopted by
the Putin administration.
-However, these conflicts did not strengthen Russia; in fact, the war weakened Yeltsin’s
government in many ways, exemplified by a piece of the text that claims the war forced
Moscow to compromise with other regions to avoid another crisis that could lead to 2
simultaneous civil wars (which Russian sure as hell couldn't afford).
-Ultimately, the decision to engage in conflict with Chechnya made the re-emergence of
nationalist separatism less likely at the end of the 1990s.
!1
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find more resources at oneclass.com
KING: Economic Aspects of Conflict (Frozen Conflict) (Making States = Making War)
-Argued that in some areas, leaders actually benefit economically from conflict. It was in their
interest to maintain frozen conflicts; in conflictual times, levels of corruption, smuggling and
illegal activity rise - leaders can benefit from this if they chose to.
-King argues that to resolve frozen conflicts, you need to remove the economic incentives that
inherently exist therein.
-Military engagements are highly profitable enterprises. The armed conflict of Soviet
succession in Nagorno-Karabakh is a prime example. This conflict was the first that involved
the interest of 2 separate Republics; Armenia and Azerbaijan. NK was populated mostly by
ethnic Armenians (80%). Karabakh Armenians were ethnically discriminated and relative to
their Azerbaijani counterpanes - seriously underdeveloped economically.
-From the AZBJ perspective; Armenians were undermining the nationalist movement
-Violence broke out between the two entities, with NK Armenians received military support
form Armenia. Hostilities increased post-Soviet collapse. Little progress has been made in
terms of determining NK final status.
-Ultimately, Karabakh Armenians demand independence from AZBJ, and unification with
Armenia. This has not yet happened, but AZBJ has little power over NK Armenians.
Karabakh is now more an autonomous district of Armenia that a part of AZBJ.
-NK is super low on development scale; poverty stricken, little industry or agriculture.
-However, they have been able to construct something resembling a state with its own armed
forces, police and court system.
-Russian troops left NK in 93; but a small group remained, and are attributed to aiding both
Armenian and NK troops during the war. They also supply subsidized gas NK.
-Argentina sent assistance and help built a highway in Armenia.
-Ultimately, all these factors are mechanisms by which war produced economic benefits,
therefore validating the claim that frozen conflicts are actually good for the state.
CLEMENS: Different Political Cultures (Baltic: Latvia, Lithuania & Estonia)
-Discusses the different outcomes of post-Soviet transition in Balkan and Baltic states; Baltic
republics gained independence with little conflict, and soon after flourished politically and
economically.
-The lack of political violence in the Baltic was remarkable because of the ethnic differences
that were persistent and could have exploded - as was the case in the Balkans.
-In the Baltic States: (Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia) (Independent during WW1 and WW2**)
-Political rights and civil liberties established soon after independence (similar to those of
Czech) - and were seen as “consolidated democracies”. Had the highest ranking in UN
Human Development Index of all former republics. Had ‘free’ media according to Freedom
House. Joined NATO. Joined the EU in 2004.
-In the Balkan states: (Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Romania, etc.)
-Semi-consolidated democracies or semi-consolidated authoritarian regimes. Ranked low af
on UNHDI. All 9 Balkan republics had ‘non-free’ media outlets.
-Neo-realists argue the hierarchy of power determines how nations behave. The Baltic states
prove to be a counter-argument to this claim, because they knew they had no chance in
prevailing in a war against Soviets, so instead they used “non-violent protest, people’s self-
control and calm endurance” as weapons against the USSR.
!2
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Elites in the communist party enjoyed privileges and power; gorbachev"s drastic reforms empowered some leaders and not others. Leaders experience/skill and their intentions/values and propensity for risk taking matter a lot. A prime example of how leaders contribute to why con icts can arise in some places and not others is georgia during its post-soviet transition. Gamsakhurdia won the election after the soviet transition; he used nationalist and ethnic rhetoric to mobilize citizens, while also pushing for ethnic purity and exclusion of non- He used force and violence to dissipate criminal activity within the state; arresting the leader of a large criminal group, jaba ioseliani. He destroyed previous alliances, and isolated himself politically; claimed that his former" allies were plotting against him. The con ict culminated when a group of anti-government protesters were red upon. 1991, gamsa banned most political organizations; this is when his appointed commander, Kitovani, allied with the former prime-minister to form an opposition.
