War in the Modern World

In the course's inaugural episode, begin to explore the transformation of violent conflicts between major world powers by delving into a particularly recent example: America's 20-year war in Afghanistan.

The factors that explain why wars between great powers look different nowadays, and explore what future conflicts could look like between the United States and two of its major adversaries.

How five contemporary technologies-the Kalashnikov assault rifle, improvised explosive devices, guided missiles, drones, and cyber warfare-redefined the rules of battle and leveled the playing field between world powers and insurgent groups.

The series of events that followed World War II from the allied occupation of Germany to the Greek Civil War; how the Soviet Union contended with insurgencies and the beginnings of conflict between the United States and the USSR.

The future of occupied Asia becomes murky after 1945; few people want to see colonial occupiers reassert their influence; zeroing in on conflicts in Indonesia, the Philippines, and India to see how geopolitics in the region transform after the war.

As war rages on across the globe, China has to contend with civil war; exploring the war from its colonial roots to the establishment of the People's Republic of China; how the U.S.S.R. and the United States get involved in the conflict.