Spotlight on peace & conflict studies . . .

How do emerging donors conceptualize the relationship between security and development? How, and why, do the policies they pursue in conflict-affected states differ from the liberal peacebuilding model of traditional donors? Addressing these questions, the authors of The New Politics of Aid shed light on the increasingly complicated and complex donor landscape. Their work is an essential    More >

The result of a long collaboration between a Kenyan-Somali mediator and a Swiss scholar-practitioner, Mediation and Governance in Fragile Contexts introduces an innovative, practical approach to resolving an enduring issue: How can conflicts be resolved in polarized societies? This approach breaks out of the insider/outsider dichotomy to develop a framework for achieving peace in the most    More >

What determines the outcome for rebels in contemporary African civil wars? How are "victory" and "defeat" measured?  Is there any connection between a rebel group's organization and its fate? What implications do the answers to these questions have for policymakers concerned with ongoing armed conflicts? Addressing these issues and more, Christopher Day explores the    More >

Alan Doss offers a rare window into the real world of UN peacekeeping missions in Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Doss's story is one of presidents and prelates, warlords and warriors, heroes and villains, achievements and disappointments—and innocent people caught in the midst of deadly violence. As he shares his front-line    More >

Though transitional justice has been hailed by many as the best path toward reconciliation and stability in postconflict and democratizing societies, criticisms of the approach also abound, with a significant number of TJ programs labeled failures. What accounts for this difference of opinion? How is success measured? Have the societies that sought to implement a plan for TJ followed the    More >

Long a source of contention and ambiguity in Washington, the US Institute of Peace (USIP) is seen by some as a vital part of the US national security apparatus, by others as a counter to the influence of militarism in US foreign policy, and by still others as an example of fiscal irresponsibility and bureaucratic redundancy—when it is noticed at all. Michael English traces the history of    More >