Proud to have contributed to this timely article!
We show that peace negotiations involving mediators who simultaneously provide military support to one of the parties are more likely to result in agreements. Yet, these agreements also tend to be short-lived.
Check out the article for details 👇
What happens when third-party mediators use the external military support they provide as leverage in peace negotiations? Check out our new open access article here:
doi.org/10.1093/isq/...
From a 2022 piece by Gledhill, Shay, & @allardduursma.bsky.social: "campaigns that are more creative, humorous, cathartic, and/or fun are also more likely to be large-scale" civil resistance campaigns bc of the "feelings of empowerment, solidarity, catharsis, or glee that accompany these events."
🔔 New IPI Issue Brief: Allard Duursma on how MINUSCA’s dialogue-based approach in Batangafo reduced communal violence in CAR. Protecting civilians requires political—not just military—solutions.
👉 http://bit.ly/46tsolg
@allardduursma.bsky.social
Armed conflicts involve governments, rebel groups, militias, communal factions, and foreign forces — all interacting in complex ways. The result? A web of violence that can feel overwhelming to understand.
That's why we launch the Conflict Networks Explorer
peaceobservatory.com/conflict-networks
By bridging conflict data with intuitive visuals, we hope this tool supports researchers, analysts, and policymakers in exploring the dynamics of multi-actor conflicts.
👉 Try it out here: peaceobservatory.com/conflict-networks. And let us know what you think!
In this working paper, we demonstrate its value with case studies on the Central African Republic, Syria, and Sudan — but the application is global in scope: www.allardduursma.com/uploads/conf...
🔍 What does it do?
• Visualizes “who fights whom” through interactive network graphs.
• Allow users to filter by time period, explore alliances and rivalries, and map violent events.
• No technical expertise required — designed for researchers, practitioners, and students alike.
Armed conflicts involve governments, rebel groups, militias, communal factions, and foreign forces — all interacting in complex ways. The result? A web of violence that can feel overwhelming to understand.
That's why we launch the Conflict Networks Explorer
peaceobservatory.com/conflict-networks
🙏 Grateful for past support from CSS at ETH Zurich, FBA, and SNSF.
📢 We’re already updating the dataset for 2024–2025 and seek funding to enable near real-time updates. Any leads or suggestions are very welcome!
✨ Key resources:
- Website: Explore summaries of peace negotiations by conflict → peaceobservatory.com
- Introduction paper: www.allardduursma.com/uploads/peac...
- Full compilation of summaries (large file): www.allardduursma.com/uploads/peac...
🔍Our mission is to help researchers, policymakers, and practitioners analyze peace processes by providing high-quality data and summaries.
Transparency is at the core of this project: every summary is referenced with sources, including news articles, UN and NGO reports, academic works, and memoirs.
🚀 Exciting news: The Peace Observatory is live!
👉 peaceobservatory.com
The Peace Observatory is now the world’s largest repository of peace negotiation summaries.
It covers 11,000+ rounds of negotiations and 3,000 agreements across 1,300+ armed conflicts worldwide (1989–2023).
🙏 Grateful for past support from CSS at ETH Zurich, FBA, and SNSF.
📢 We’re already updating the dataset for 2024–2025 and seek funding to enable near real-time updates. Any leads or suggestions are very welcome!
✨ Key resources:
- Website: Explore summaries of peace negotiations by conflict → peaceobservatory.com
- Introduction paper: www.allardduursma.com/uploads/peac...
- Full compilation of summaries (large file): www.allardduursma.com/uploads/peac...
🔍Our mission is to help researchers, policymakers, and practitioners analyze peace processes by providing high-quality data and summaries.
Transparency is at the core of this project: every summary is referenced with sources, including news articles, UN and NGO reports, academic works, and memoirs.
🚀 Exciting news: The Peace Observatory is live!
👉 peaceobservatory.com
The Peace Observatory is now the world’s largest repository of peace negotiation summaries.
It covers 11,000+ rounds of negotiations and 3,000 agreements across 1,300+ armed conflicts worldwide (1989–2023).
(3) "Peacekeepers Without Helmets: How Violence Shapes Local Peacebuilding by Civilian Peacekeepers" by Allard Duursma @allardduursma.bsky.social and Hannah Smidt
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
Congrats to @alichtenheld.bsky.social, winner of the 2025 CRS Book Prize. Read this important book on displacement! And special thanks from my side to the book prize judges: @allardduursma.bsky.social, Peer Schouten, and Isabel A. Phillips.
Check out these articles in @intpeacekeeping.bsky.social on Early Warning, Situational Awareness, and Intelligence in Peacekeeping. Now open access!
▶️ New Editor's Selection: In this selection, @allardduursma.bsky.social highlights publications on "Early Warning, Situational Awareness, and Intelligence in Peacekeeping" www.tandfonline.com/journals/fin...
Check out these articles in @intpeacekeeping.bsky.social on Early Warning, Situational Awareness, and Intelligence in Peacekeeping. Now open access!
The immense suffering in and around #ElFasher should receive significantly more attention.
Since January, no aid trucks have reached the 900k people, 700k of which are displaced. Almost 60% face acute food insecurity, reports UN OCHA. 1,930 civilians have been killed.
reliefweb.int/report/sudan...
Great panel at ISA on Diplomatic Interventions and Challenges in Global Peacebuilding. I presented my research on how extending or withdrawing military support in mediation processes undermines the prospects for durable peace. Worked on this for 4 years, but could add a slide just the day before...
Great panel at ISA on Diplomatic Interventions and Challenges in Global Peacebuilding. I presented my research on how extending or withdrawing military support in mediation processes undermines the prospects for durable peace. Worked on this for 4 years, but could add a slide just the day before...
It was clear there is still plenty of scope for research, as many questions remain regarding the effectiveness, adaptability, and political dynamics of peacekeeping. Looking forward to continued discussions!
Consider submitting your work to @intpeacekeeping.bsky.social and follow us for updates!
A big thanks to the excellent panelist and audience of the roundtable organized by @intpeacekeeping.bsky.social ‘Crisis or opportunity? The future of peace missions in an evolving world order’ @matejapeter.bsky.social @jennarusso.bsky.social @corinnebara.bsky.social Tom Buitaar and Chiara Ruffa.
Excellent roundtable ‘Crisis or opportunity? The future of peace missions in an evolving world order’ with @matejapeter.bsky.social @allardduursma.bsky.social @jennarusso.bsky.social Sara Hellmuller @corinnebara.bsky.social Tom Buitaar and Chiara Ruffa #ISA2025
How can UN peace operations integrate local-level political engagement into their broader mission strategies to foster sustainable peace?
Our latest publication highlights the critical role of UN Civil Affairs in supporting local peace.
Read more 👉🏼 www.ipinst.org/2025/02/prim...
Very much looking forward to this event tomorrow. I will talk about the new IPI report on the Primacy of Politics at the Local Level and the Work of UN Civil Affairs! Check it out here: www.ipinst.org/2025/02/prim.... It was a pleasure to work on this report with the amazing @jennarusso.bsky.social
