Peace and Conflict Studies Commons^™

Partial Coalitions And Peacemaking As Metaphor, Julie Hawke

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Pax Christi International’S Representation Within International Governmental Organisations, Fr. Paul Lansu, Giulia Bordin

The Journal of Social Encounters

Pax Christi International (PCI) has used its consultative status at the United Nations since 1979 to connect grassroots peacebuilding with international policymaking. Initially focused on disarmament and human rights, PCI contributed to key international treaties and advocated against human rights violations worldwide. Over time, its advocacy expanded to include active nonviolence, ecological justice, sustainable development, and the accompaniment of local peacebuilders. By strengthening collaboration across its global network and enabling partners from conflict-affected regions to engage directly with international institutions, PCI continues to promote human dignity, international law, and a just and lasting peace through inclusive multilateral advocacy.

Review Of Interrupting Violence: One Man’S Journal To Heal The Streets And Redeem Himself, Chris Hausmann

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Of Responses To Insecurity In Africa: The Challenge Of Peacebuilding, Peter J. Quaranto

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Restoring The Organization For The Security And Cooperation In Europe’S Role In Human Rights And Security After Russian Invasion, Roman Nekoliak

Human Rights Brief

This Article diagnoses a systemic erosion of rights-based multilateralism driven by geopolitical realignment, reduced leadership by traditional human rights defenders, the rise of authoritarian coalitions, and the growth of transactional and securitized diplomacy. This Article argues that revitalizing the Organization for the Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) around a rights-centered, cross-dimensional concept of security is essential to restoring both regional stability and the credibility of international human rights commitments. It places the war in Ukraine within broader patterns of democratic backsliding, institutional paralysis, and the rise of authoritarian governance, demonstrating how domestic repression and interstate aggression mutually reinforce one …

Women As Strategic Partners In Peacebuilding And Social Cohesion In Rural- Based Mining Areas: The Case Of Wards 1 And 2 Insiza District, Matebeleland South In Zimbabwe, Dumisani Maqeda Ngwenya, Sikhathele Mathambo

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article discusses the efficacy of the “women as strategic partners in peacebuilding” program, under the broader overarching Building Resilience, Inclusiveness, Social Cohesion and Healing Project, which is a response to the gendered conflicts and violence caused by the presence of artisanal mining in two wards of Insiza District, Matebeleland South in Zimbabwe. The intervention was premised on strengthening women’s capacity to create safe platforms for inclusive dialogue, consensus-building and decision making to address conflicts and creating a conducive environment for collaboration and trust, to enhance social cohesion and build a more peaceful society. Peace committees (PCs) established by Emthonjeni …

Women Peacebuilders At Risk: Analysis Of Threats Received In 2024, Briana Mawby, Arenne Taylor Flanders

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

This policy brief is drawn from the 2025 annual Women Waging Peace report, which serves as a guide for policymakers and funders and draws directly from the recommendations and priorities of women peacebuilders around the world. These findings have been provided by peacebuilders across countries, conflict contexts, types of peacebuilding work, and across age, sexual orientation, education level, disability and migration status. This report leveraged the perspectives and experiences of 106 women peacebuilders from 43 countries to identify peacebuilding priorities for 2025, reflect on the challenges and achievements of 2024, and provide the following recommendations for how international partners can …

Building Peace From Afar: Women-Led Peacekeeping From The Diaspora (Case Study: Afghanistan), Sveto Muhammad Ishoq

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

This case study examines the challenges, tactics and tools of Afghan women activists in the UK in their peacebuilding efforts for Afghan women and girls post-Taliban takeover. It shows how operating from exile, these activists employ innovative strategies to amplify Afghan women’s voices, advocating internationally and providing support despite facing complex security, funding, and community unity issues.

Building Peace From Afar: Women-Led Peacebuilding From The Diaspora, Elena B, Stavrevska, Sveto Muhammad Ishoq, Shadi Rouhshahbaz, Kay Soe, Briana Mawby, Carolyne Komen

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

Diaspora communities have long played critical roles in peacebuilding efforts in their countries of origin, yet the contributions of women within these communities remain significantly underexplored and underappreciated. This report seeks to address this gap by focusing on the unique roles, challenges and contributions of women in diaspora-led peacebuilding initiatives. Women in the diaspora — often navigating complex identities and facing distinct challenges — are vital actors in promoting peace, reconciliation and social change in their homelands.

Drawing on a comprehensive review of literature, research interviews, and detailed case studies, this report provides a nuanced understanding of how diaspora women …

Building Peace From Afar: Women-Led Peacekeeping From The Diaspora (Case Study: Burma/Myanmar), Kay Soe

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

This case study highlights the role and strategies of Burmese/Myanmar’s women in the diaspora in the US in contributing to political transformation in their homeland. It shows how through advocacy, mobilization, women’s networks and different types of organizing, these women navigate structural and cultural challenges, leveraging their diasporic networks and unique perspectives to support democratic ideals and envision an inclusive, federal future for Burma/Myanmar.

25 Years Of The Women, Peace And Security Agenda And The Reality Of Women-Led Peacebuilding, Briana Mawby, Arenne Taylor Flanders

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

This policy brief is drawn from the 2025 annual Women Waging Peace report, which serves as a guide for policymakers and funders and draws directly from the recommendations and priorities of women peacebuilders around the world. These findings have been provided by peacebuilders across countries, conflict contexts, types of peacebuilding work, and across age, sexual orientation, education level, disability and migration status. This report leveraged the perspectives and experiences of 106 women peacebuilders from 43 countries to identify peacebuilding priorities for 2025, reflect on the challenges and achievements of 2024, and provide the following recommendations for how international partners can …

Building Peace From Afar: Women-Led Peacekeeping From The Diaspora (Case Study: Iran), Shadi Rouhshahbaz

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

This case study examines how young Iranian women, at home and abroad, envision Iran’s futures, their role in change-making and the challenges they face. It shows how their aspirations reflect lived experiences and the limited civic spaces within which they champion change, and the difficult choices they face about leaving or staying, while their visions for Iran’s future transcend current insecurities, offering images of a more equitable society that may inspire meaningful, feminist-led transformation.

Building Peace From Afar: Women-Led Peacebuilding From The Diaspora (Executive Summary), Elena B. Stavrevska, Sveto Muhammad Ishoq, Shadi Rouhshahbaz, Kay Soe, Briana Mawby, Carolyne Komen

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

Diaspora communities have long played critical roles in peacebuilding efforts in their countries of origin, yet the contributions of women within these communities remain significantly underexplored and underappreciated. This report seeks to address this gap by focusing on the unique roles, challenges and contributions of women in diaspora-led peacebuilding initiatives. Women in the diaspora — often navigating complex identities and facing distinct challenges — are vital actors in promoting peace, reconciliation and social change in their homelands.

Drawing on a comprehensive review of literature, research interviews, and detailed case studies, this report provides a nuanced understanding of how diaspora women …

Enhancing Peacebuilding For Integral Human Development: Caritas Good Practices And Lessons Learnt, - Caritas Internationalis

The Journal of Social Encounters

Today’s geopolitical context, with big powers choosing bilateralism over multilateralism, is fostering a proliferation of conflicts and violence throughout the globe. The Caritas Confederation has been working actively for peacebuilding for decades, especially since the Rwanda genocide in 1994. Indeed, there is a growing consensus within the Confederation supporting the urgent need to enhance peacebuilding efforts globally. This document explores best practices and lessons learnt, with a strategic focus on the importance of involving women in peacebuilding. Each best practice is illustrated by one or two projects implemented by Caritas Member Organisations.

Defending Democracy: Women's Leadership In Preventing And Mitigating Election Violence, Briana Mawby, Arenne Taylor Flanders

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

The annual Women Waging Peace report provides a resource for policymakers and funders, created directly from the recommendations and priorities of women peacebuilders around the world. These findings have been drawn from peacebuilders working in different conflict contexts and across a range of sectors of peacebuilding work. Each year, the survey provides an analysis of the work of women peacebuilders, the progress they have made, and the challenges and opportunities they are facing. These questions are repeated yearly, allowing for the collection of longitudinal data and analysis of trends over time. In addition to the repeated questions, the survey has …

Defending Democracy: Women’S Leadership In Preventing And Mitigating Election Violence (Executive Summary), Briana Mawby, Arenne Taylor Flanders

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

Since 1999, Women Waging Peace members have been carefully selected to join the one-of-a-kind global network that works to end cycles of violence. With 1,000+ women peacebuilder members from 56+ countries and 30+ areas of peacebuilding expertise, the network drives forward evidence-based approaches to building more inclusive and peaceful societies. The network is hosted by the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice.

The annual Women Waging Peace report serves as a guide for policymakers and funders, drawing directly from the recommendations and priorities of women peacebuilders around the world. These findings have been provided by peacebuilders across countries, conflict contexts, …

Faith In Conflict: The Role Of Religion In Conflict And Peacebuilding Among Minority Christian Communities In Ukraine And Palestine, Julia Lats

Honors Projects

Religion has long influenced both the escalation of conflicts and efforts toward peace. The wars in Ukraine and Palestine are deeply rooted in historical narratives, national identities, and religious influences. While the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is often framed in terms of Jewish-Muslim tensions and the issue of politicization of religion and tensions within the Orthodox Church frame the Ukrainian-Russian War, these dominant narratives often overlook the role of minority religious groups. This paper examines the contributions of Protestant Christian groups in these regions, exploring how their beliefs and practices influence their actions, identity formation, interactions with others, and approaches to conflict …

Review Of Peacebuilding And Catholic Social Teaching, Peter R. Gathje

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Human Security And The Idiot: “Can Beauty Really Save The World”, Aaron Tyler

The Journal of Social Encounters

A key point of progress in the systematic considerations of the causality and cessation of violent conflict is found in the evolving idea of human security. In a collective effort to respond to the chaotic reality of violent engagement, human security emerged toward the end of the twentieth century as a multilateral, person-centered paradigm for thinking about and pursuing conflict transformation. As human security enters a third generation of development, scholars and policymakers continue to discern the usefulness of this holistic, multilateral paradigm for security. The efficacy of human security outcomes will depend on how the individual and collective within …

The Role Of Human Security In Addressing The Inclusion Of Women: Nuclear Security And The Women, Peace And Security Agenda In Jordan And Egypt, Yara Shaban, Jasmine Auda

International Journal of Nuclear Security

This paper argues for a human security approach to women’s participation in nuclear security that stems from the larger Women, Peace and Security framework. This approach incorporates a gender perspective and a feminist lens that argues that women’s participation should extend beyond the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to include an understanding of the centrality of women’s role from a human security approach in peacebuilding participation, negotiation, and conflict prevention. The paper explores this nexus by reviewing Egypt and Jordan’s approach to Women, Peace and Security and argues for framing women’s inclusion within a human security perspective. The review revealed …

Agents Of Change: Women’S Leadership In Peacebuilding And Social Transformation In Abu-Shouk Camp, Mawa Mohamed, Shamsia Ramadhan

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Employing Multi-Agent Ai To Model Conflict And Cooperation In Northern Ireland, Katherine O'Lone, Michael Gantley, Justin E. Lane, F. Leron Shults

New England Journal of Public Policy

In this article, we outline the development of a multi-agent artificial intelligence (MAAI) model for post-conflict Northern Ireland. We discuss the insights it provides into the primary drivers of conflict and cooperation in the post-Agreement era. Analyses reveal that leading drivers of cooperation in the model are fairness and sadness, while the main drivers of conflict are related to anxiety and perceived moral authority. We examine these findings in the context of previous computational modeling efforts in Northern Ireland, the social psychological literature on intergroup conflict, and the current geopolitical landscape. We conclude by advocating for the application of this …

Coping With The Complexity Of The Changing Character Of War: Toward A New Paradigm Of Adaptive Peace, Cedric De Coning

New England Journal of Public Policy

The world has entered a period of heightened geopolitical instability that is compounded by climate change and the emergence of new technologies. The number of conflicts and related deaths are increasing. Dramatic failures in Afghanistan and elsewhere show that the mainstream approach to peace and conflict is no longer effective. The aim of this article is to contribute to re-thinking peace and security in two ways. First, by explaining why trying to influence complex social change process with a determined-design approach is self-defeating. Second, by introducing adaptive peace theory as a normative and functional approach to ending violent conflicts and …

New Perspectives On Peace Settlements: The Significance Of Power-Sharing And Hierarchies On Negotiation Dynamics, Alejandra Vásquez Gutiérrez

Department of Political Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

By examining the impact of the commitment problem between the FARC and the Colombian government, this paper seeks to answer the following question: What led the government and the FARC to finally agree to end the conflict through a peace accord? This research addresses a notable gap in the literature by examining the pivotal role of power-sharing arrangements and hierarchical structures on negotiation dynamics. I conducted in-depth interviews with public officials in Colombia, complemented by the utilization of secondary data. I aim to ascertain whether power-sharing arrangements mitigate the commitment problem and to advance our current understanding of whether rebel …

Review Of Our Brains At War: The Neuroscience Of Conflict And Peacebuilding, Laura Sinville

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Of Selected Essays On Peacebuilding And Reconciliation, Rita Merhej, Bashar Rahme

The Journal of Social Encounters

This paper is a review of selected essays on reconciliation and peacebuilding in conflict-affected and post-conflict societies delineating the fundamental key factors that promote peacebuilding, and the approaches to reconciliation which have proved to be effective over the past 20 years. Acknowledgement of wrongdoing, empathy and the promotion of open dialogue stand out as the factors common to all reconciliation initiatives. The paper examines five approaches to peacebuilding, namely contact theory, restorative justice, making apologies, sharing narratives and reconciliation through education, conceptualizing each in light of its benefits, as well as its challenges, with examples from the real world illustrating …

A Short Supplemental Reading List For The Environment: Issues In Justice, Conflict And Peacebuilding, Ronald Pagnucco

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Opening Remarks For The 34th Annual Peace Studies Conference, Dr. Brian Bruess

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Introduction: The Environment: Issues In Justice, Conflict And Peacebuilding, Ronald Pagnucco

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Face Peace Design Brief #3: Facilitating Training And Education Programs In The Peacebuilding Field, John Porten

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

Trust-building and social bonding are easier in person — and to some extent in synchronous rather than asynchronous distanced learning. Distance and time differences can make organization of synchronous learning difficult. Differences in access to the internet and other infrastructure issues can exacerbate this problem. Cultural differences and other forms of diversity can also make building trust among students, and between students and teachers, more difficult.

While advances in technology and technique have improved the outcomes of distanced educational programs in recent years, distanced educational models still result in underperformance for the participants when compared to face-to-face programs. Research shows …