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Does the structure of the international system make war inevitable? Or do state leaders regularly elect to fight unnecessary wars that serve no strategic purpose? If that is the case, then what types of leaders are most conflict-prone? This course will evaluate prominent theories on this topic against case material provided by the life history of Vladimir Putin, Russo-Ukrainian relations since 1991, and the current full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine that began in 2014. It will also introduce students to principles of empirical analysis and research design that are utilized widely across the social sciences.