Case studies
How to use case studies well — depth over breadth, spiralling back, and what “contemporary” means to an examiner — plus the case bank itself.
This section grows during the year. Cases are added as we teach them, which is deliberate: the advice below is to go deep on a few rather than skim many, and the library should practise what it preaches.
Effective use of case studies
Depth over breadth. Teaching with a small set of well-researched cases beats skimming many. It supports stronger analysis and better use of evidence.
Integrate the course. A focused case bank makes it far easier to connect the core and the three thematic studies across the whole year.
Spiral back. Do not park a case in one unit. Revisit it from a new angle and the connections surface on their own.
Start Haiti's 2021 political unrest under Peace & Conflict — then return to it after the earthquake to examine Development & Sustainability. Same case, two units, twice the value.
Use concise background. The course centres on contemporary politics, but brief historical context is often what explains today's causes.
"Contemporary" means roughly the last two decades. Prioritise recent developments and current data.
Build confidence. Re-using familiar cases lets you go deeper, compare perspectives, and strengthen evaluation instead of starting from zero each time.
HL: extend, don't replace. A case you already studied can anchor an HL inquiry. Take it into a specific global political challenge — Security, Poverty — and you arrive at Paper 3 with richer, exam-ready evidence.
The case bank
| Theme | Cases |
|---|---|
| Core | Afghanistan · Syria · Sahel · Sudan · South China Sea · Belt and Road Initiative · Rohingya · Nagorno-Karabakh · Israel–Palestine · Russia–Ukraine |
| Peace & conflict | Kashmir · Ethiopia · Yemen · Kosovo · UN peacekeeping (DRC, South Sudan, Mali) · Colombia–FARC |
| Development & sustainability | China · BRI–Hambantota · Bhutan GNH · Costa Rica · Niger Delta · Grameen Bank · AGRA · Sarayaku and the Living Forest |
| Rights & justice |
Roe v. Wade · Rohingya Crisis and Gambia v. Myanmar · Dominic Ongwen and Child Soldiers · Hissène Habré and Universal Jurisdiction · Libya and R2P · China’s Treatment of the Uyghurs · US War on Terror and Guantánamo Bay · Mahsa Amini and Women’s Rights in Iran · Tunisia’s Truth and Dignity Commission · Rana Plaza and Workers’ Rights |
In this section
- South China SeaSovereignty, international law and power projection in one dispute — the most versatile case in the core.
- AfghanistanState-building, legitimacy and withdrawal — strong for Paper 2 peace questions and for the HL security challenge.
- SudanA conflict most candidates never mention — which is exactly why it earns marks when you do.
- SyriaBuilt with the class and divided by concept — context, power, intervention, accountability.
- The SahelCoups, external actors and human security — the case that makes “fragile state” concrete.
- Belt & Road InitiativeDevelopment finance as structural power — usable in development questions and in power questions.
Resources for this page
Type and length first, then why it is worth opening.