Peace that Lasts: Civil Society in Peace Accords

Featuring

Desirée Nilsson

Assistant Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, Sweden, and Kroc Institute Visiting Fellow

Many peace processes involve only the main warring parties. Yet research suggests that peace is more likely to prevail when the peace process is open to a broad spectrum of civil society actors, including political parties, religious groups, and women’s groups. Using unique data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, Desirée Nilsson has conducted the first statistical study to examine this claim. She will describe the results of her research, which have important implications for policymakers and peacebuilders worldwide.

Desirée Nilsson is an assistant professor in the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University. Her research focuses on multiple parties in civil war termination, the role of civil society in peace processes, and the management of spoilers (people or groups who use violence to undermine attempts to achieve peace) in West Africa. She has been a visiting fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University, and the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo. Her articles have appeared in the Journal of Peace Research and Conflict Management and Peace Science.

At the Kroc Institute, her research project is entitled “Peace by Piece: Multiple Actors in Peace Processes in Civil Wars.” The project employs unique data on peace agreements in the post-Cold War period and a study of the Liberian peace process.