Violent Conflict Research Articles

The Health Effects of Gender-Based Violence in Conflict

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Globalization and Conflicts: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Corporations in Africa

Abstract Using a novel georeferenced datataset on the affiliates and headquarters of multinational enterprises between 2007 and 2018 together with georeferenced conflict data for the African continent, this work establishes a causal link between the activities of multinational enterprises and violent conflicts: multinationals’ activity increases the number of conflicts. This applies particularly to sectors intense in scarce resources, especially land. As farming is the primary source of food and income for Africans, land-intensive activity on the part of the multinationals increases local grievance, escalating to violent actions. These effects are magnified in areas targeted for large-scale land acquisitions.

Electoral Incentives and Negotiated Settlements: Legislative Deliberation on the Mindanao Conflict in the Philippines

Some conflict‐experiencing countries undergo both violent and electoral competitions. In other words, electoral competition evolves while nonstate actors struggle to realize their political and cultural demands by arms. Although increasing attention has been paid to the interplay between domestic political dynamics and violent conflict, we still know little about how the electoral calculations of legislators shape their response to negotiated settlement, possibly influencing conflict processes. By examining the congressional records of the House of Representatives in the Philippines, this study conducts quantitative text analyses to assess the impacts of electoral incentives—shaped by executive popularity, district ethnic composition, and the occurrence of conflict‐related violence—on legislators' response to negotiated settlement. The results demonstrate that legislators are sensitive to constituents' views on conflict settlement by showing support or opposition to negotiated settlement, anticipating their electoral fortunes in the next election.

The impacts of climate change on violent conflict risk: a review of causal pathways

The potential impacts of climate change on violent conflict are high on the agenda of scholars and policy makers. This article reviews existing literature to clarify the relationship between climate change and conflict risk, focusing on the roles of temperature and precipitation. While some debate remains, substantial evidence shows that climate change increases conflict risk under specific conditions. We examine four key pathways through which climate affects conflict: (i) economic shocks, (ii), agricultural decline, (iii) natural resources competition, and (iv) migration. Key gaps include limited long-term data, insufficient integrated studies, and the inadequate understanding of causal mechanisms, necessitating transdisciplinary research that addresses social vulnerability and underlying pathways.

The Role Of Informal Intercommunal Dialogue On Sustainable Conflict Management In The Ilemi Triangle

Peace continues to be elusive in the Ilemi Triangle, which is located at the intersection of Ethiopia, Kenya and South Sudan. This study focused on the Dassanech and Turkana communities due to the increased frequency and intensity of violent conflicts between them. Drawing from the Systems Theory, the study explored how the local social organising through intercommunal dialogue impacts on how people respond to the conflict. Using qualitative case study methods, the study involved in-depth interviews with members of the Dassanech and Turkana communities who were purposively selected to include different members of the community structure who engage in intercommunal dialogue. These in-depth interviews were supplemented by focus group discussions (FGD) of participants through quota sampling. Each FGD had members who were immediately affected by the conflict from four kraals/kebele on either side of the conflict line. The data was subjected to a thematic analysis and organised into themes and sub-themes, from which patterns were identified and used for further research and reporting. There is compelling evidence these communities are familiar with each other, and during peacetime the acquaintance is characterized by friendship, visitation, and economic activity, which can facilitate and be a catalyst to sustainable conflict management.

Transnational corporate counterinsurgency in the Colombian conflict and its legacies today

ABSTRACT This study challenges common-sense thinking on internal violent conflicts in two ways: that they are merely domestic, with limited influence from external actors; and that doing business in conflict-ridden places is detrimental to profits. Drawing on empirical research and theoretical lenses from critical security studies and the political ecology of counterinsurgency, the paper explores the transnational dimensions of Colombia’s violent conflict in relation to the extractive sector. Conceptualising two overall generations of counterinsurgency, the article shows how, during the conflict, several transnational corporations, especially those in the extractive and agro-industrial sector, not only established themselves in Colombia and expanded, they also developed their corporate security schemes. Given that energy projects were strategic targets in the guerrilla war, the protection of corporate infrastructure by the state was justified. The paper argues that the internal conflict not only facilitated corporate extractivism, it also provided innovative ways of ensuring corporate security. This ‘social warfare’ approach includes strategic efforts to win hearts and minds, which continue to be pursued today through practices known as ‘corporate social responsibility’ (CSR). The paper relates this to the current challenges to hold economic actors accountable in transitional justice.

Conflict exposure and expected victimization in Nigeria

ABSTRACT Although the Northern Nigerian state of Kaduna has the second highest incidence of violent conflicts among Nigeria’s 36 states, the population generally reports a low level of expected victimization. A large-N survey conducted in the state in 2021 showed that 65% of the population believe they are unlikely to be directly affected by violent conflict in the future. This is surprising, given that 42% of respondents experienced at least 10 conflict incidents within a 10 km radius around their dwellings between 1997 and 2020. Ordered logit regressions reveal that the more individuals are exposed to conflict, the less worried they are about getting victimized. The negative correlation between violent conflict and expected victimization might be due to the existential threat posed by violent conflict, which prompts people to rely more heavily on their ethnoreligious kinship ties for both material and non-material support. This, in turn, attenuates their fear of victimization.

Will They Continue to Endure: How Conflict and “Climate-Induced” Migration is Affecting the Lake Chad Region

The effects of climate change are undoubtedly global. Reports show that West Africa is in a precarious position, regarding some of the worst consequences of climate change, occasioning extreme events, such as violent conflict, insecurity, and loss of livelihoods in the Lake Chad region. The impact on human lives is full-blown as ‘climate-induced’ migration results in drought, desertification, and the intensifying water stress has on human migration in the region. Notably, the deterioration of individual and local living conditions has compelled inhabitants of the region in Nigeria to migrate to neighboring states as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) or ‘environmental refugees” in neighboring countries. However, existing studies focused on the impact and patterns of migration in West Africa thereby creating a “knowledge gap” on how ‘climate-induced’ migration is affecting the Lake Chad region. This paper employs secondary data collection, analyzing dynamic trends and patterns of climate change and challenges management. Findings revealed that while the activities of terrorists and insurgent groups have strongly impacted migration within the Lake Chad region, the continuous “dryness” and the ever-changing climate conditions, such as rising temperature, desertification, flooding, and drought have dramatically worsened and contributed to the mass decision to leave the region.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of United Nations Peacebuilding Operations

The study addresses how to find legal solutions that are accepted by most countries in the world within the framework of maintaining international peace and security by ensuring the international public good, reflecting the dissemination of justice among all the peoples of the world. It also emphasizes equality for all individuals within a single nation under the concept of citizenship, away from discrimination. Recently, the intensity and violence of conflicts and armed disputes between countries have increased, along with the suffering of people everywhere on earth. These tragedies witnessed by millions of people have driven the need to think about mechanisms by which humans can resolve their disputes without resorting to the use of armed force to protect their vital and strategic interests. Attention has turned to what represents the international community, which is supposed to be impartial and objective, in addition to the expertise gained from exposure to many such difficult situations where the parties involved are suspicious of each other. The United Nations was the means to maintain international peace and security. However, over time, it became evident to everyone that this organization, despite its significant international standing, was unable to maintain peace and security in many regions around the world. This led to widespread calls for reforming the United Nations system, which revolves around the five major victorious countries of World War II, to become an organization that truly represents the international community and not just the five permanent members of the Security Council. The international community, through the United Nations General Assembly, should play an active role in compelling all parties in a dispute to resort to the International Court of Justice, whose rulings would be binding on all parties, at least in matters of a humanitarian nature. Considering the above, the research will demonstrate the significant shortcomings in the role of the United Nations in building peace and economic reconstruction of countries emerging from chaos and armed conflict. Therefore, it is necessary to activate the international system to consider the humanitarian aspects related to the post-armed conflict phase by amending the United Nations Charter to clearly include the roles to be undertaken by each member of the international.

Public attitudes towards immigrants: A curious case of Croatia

AbstractThe Croatian population has been subjected to violent ethnic conflicts during the war in the 1990s and has more recently experienced large‐scale irregular and refugee migrations, as well as a notable increase in regular labour migration. Using data from the most recent wave of the European Social Survey, we have conducted an analysis of Croatian attitudes towards immigrants. Our study found that, despite Croatia's history of ethnic conflict and ongoing changes in its migration system, the Croatian population still exhibits relatively low levels of negative attitudes towards immigrants compared to other Eastern European countries. With regards to individual determinants of attitudes, one of the biggest surprizes is that political party preferences play a minor role in explaining attitudes towards immigrants. We discuss our findings and conclude that there is an urgent need for better theoretical and empirical framework for understanding illiberal tendencies in Eastern European societies, particularly within the current context of rapidly worsening security situation in Europe.

Conflicts, crop choice, and agricultural investments: Empirical evidence from Nigeria

Conflict remains a major driver of poverty in Africa. Conflicts and political instability in the region have been increasing recently and are drawing more attention in public discourse. While it is widely acknowledged that conflicts disrupt agricultural production and food systems, the full extent of the damage inflicted on the lives and livelihoods of farming households and the mechanisms to redress this harm remain poorly understood. In particular, the link between violent conflicts and households’ land allocation and related agricultural investment decisions remains understudied. In this study, we use geocoded longitudinal data along with detailed agricultural panel household surveys in Nigeria to assess the impact of violent conflicts on crop choice decisions and related agricultural investments. Specifically, we explore how farmers’ land allocation and agricultural investment decisions relate or respond to the outbreak and intensity of violent conflicts. We find that violent conflicts are associated with a reduction in the share of both land area cultivated and area harvested. We also find suggestive evidence that violent conflicts may shape farmers’ crop choices and related investments, as violent conflicts are associated with reduction in the share of land allocated to long-term crops (e.g., perennial crops, trees, roots and tubers). Overall, our findings suggest that violent conflicts can negatively influence farmers’ agricultural investments directly by affecting both land utilization patterns and portfolio allocation across activities with varying returns to investments.

The Effects of Identity Politics on Security in Baringo County, Kenya

Identity politics have been found to create divisions in societies with multiple ethnic communities due to varied cultural and ethnic dynamics leading to insecurity. Baringo County, situated in Kenya's North Rift Valley region, h hosts different ethnic communities and has historically grappled with protracted conflicts. However, there has been limited research exploring the effects of identity politics and the county's security landscape. This study sought to investigate the effect of identity politics on security in Baringo County. This study employed a descriptive survey design utilizing a mixed methods approach for data collection. The target population was comprised residents of Baringo County who had resided there for at least ten years. The findings from the two sets of tools were triangulated to obtain a thick description on the relationship between cultural dynamic and security. This study found that, identity politics had negative effects on security in Baringo County, Kenya manifested four pathways which were: fragmentation and polarization of communities, conflict and violence between communities, radicalization and extremism community members and diversion of resources from the localities. The findings demonstrated that these aspects mutually reinforced each other creating an environment of hostilities that led to violent conflicts. Therefore, rather than unite to fight challenges faced in development, identity politics created fissures whose end result is insecurity thus denying residents peace. To enhance peaceful coexistence there is need to address the underlying issues that that encouraged ethnic diversionary politics and instead embrace inclusivity to enhance unity in the region.

Fragile Geographies and the Climate-Conflict Nexus: Investigating Climate-Induced Security Risks, Migration, and Inequality in Balochistan, Pakistan

Although climate change has been recognized as a “threat multiplier,” its specific effects on conflict-affected areas remain underexplored. This study investigates the nexus between climate change and violent conflict within the “fragile geography” of Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province. Balochistan’s increasingly fragmented security landscape and recurring natural disasters, notably the 2022 floods, provide a pertinent background for examining the interplay between climate change and violent conflict. A qualitative approach was employed, whereby interviews and group discussions were conducted in two Balochistan districts. The analysis revealed that weak institutional capacity, deep-rooted socioeconomic and political inequalities, and notably, “migration patterns” are critical variables influencing the dynamic interplay between climate change and violent conflict in the region. By analyzing the vulnerabilities inherent in Balochistan’s diverse physiography, this study illuminates how climate change exacerbates violent conflict in a region already beset by instability, highlighting the urgent need for a more nuanced understanding to address these complex challenges.

The Many Faces of Environmental Security

This review surveys recent evidence on environmental security, bringing diverse approaches to the subject and evidence relating to different environmental issues into conversation with one another. We focus on the five environmental issues most commonly viewed as having conflict or security effects: climate change, water, forests and deforestation, biodiversity and conservation, and mining and industrial pollution. For each issue, we consider evidence along three dimensions: the impacts of environmental variables on violent conflict, the conflict impacts of policy and development interventions vis-à-vis these environmental issues, and their global policy framing and institutionalization. Through this, we draw particular attention to the poverty and/or inconsistency of the evidence relating to environmental variations, which stands in stark contrast to the extensive evidence on policy and development interventions; noting that policymakers have been much more concerned with the former theme than the latter, we call for this imbalance to be addressed.

The impact of economic, social and health crises on victims of domestic violence

Aim: The situation of victims of domestic violence and partner abuse becomes even more serious in crisis situations. There have been and are ongoing conflicts in the world, which have been scrutinised by economists, sociologists, criminologists, health professionals and lawyers alike in recent years. The latest related research worldwide provides a lot of important new information that can help prepare for the problem and provide professionally competent answers. Methodology: A selection of research conducted in different parts of the world. Summary reports were prepared to shed light on similarities and differences. Findings: It is clear from the processed literature that the individual forms of violence are connected in crisis situations and pose an even greater danger. Violence at the macro level, such as war, also increases violent conflict at the micro level. The crises caused by the fear of COVID, the lockdown, war conflicts, hunger, and the climate disaster spill over into family homes and make the victims of domestic violence and partner abuse even more vulnerable. Most of the processed materials analyse research born after COVID. The COVID–19 epidemic also provided many lessons regarding the management and prevention of the economic effects of future natural disasters and the associated increased domestic violence. Value: Analyses point to relationships that need further research and evaluation. In the future, macro- and micro-level violence research must be continued, common global results must be aggregated, and complex, global solutions must be developed. International organisations must continue to collect data and provide clear guidelines to public bodies and social organisations for the joint management of macro- and micro-level problems.

A gazdasági, társadalmi és egészségügyi válságok hatása a családon belüli erőszak áldozataira

Aim: The situation of victims of domestic violence and partner abuse becomes even more serious in crisis situations. There have been and are ongoing conflicts in the world, which have been scrutinized by economists, sociologists, criminologists, health professionals and lawyers alike in recent years. The latest related research worldwide provides a lot of important new information that can help prepare for the problem and provide professionally competent answers. Methodology: A selection of research conducted in different parts of the world. Summary reports were prepared to shed light on similarities and differences. Findings: It is clear from the processed literature that the individual forms of violence are connected in crisis situations and pose an even greater danger. Violence at the macro level, such as war, also increases violent conflict at the micro level. The crises caused by the fear of COVID, the lockdown, war conflicts, hunger, and the climate disaster spill over into family homes and make the victims of domestic violence and partner abuse even more vulnerable. Most of the processed materials analyse research born after COVID. The COVID-19 epidemic also provided many lessons regarding the management and prevention of the economic effects of future natural disasters and the associated increased domestic violence. Value: Analyses point to relationships that need further research and evaluation. In the future, macro- and micro-level violence research must be continued, common global results must be aggregated, and complex, global solutions must be developed. International organizations must continue to collect data and provide clear guidelines to public bodies and social organizations for the joint management of macro- and micro-level problems.

The Political Economy of Energy Security in Wartime Yemen

Abstract The politics of energy provision and the governance of the electricity sector are well-studied topics. However, there is a gap in information when it comes to comprehending how violent conflict interacts with the political economy of the electricity and energy sector. This paper examines the relationship between energy provision and conflict within the context of the ongoing war in Yemen. It illustrates how developments in the conflict trajectory since the war’s onset in 2015 have shaped new forms of energy politics. These developments are reflected in fragmented institutional arrangements, transformed subsidy politics, adaptive grassroots solutions, and emergent war economies, all of which highlight the changing nature of energy security beyond conventional state-centric paradigms. The Yemeni case thus demonstrates an emerging energy landscape in which the sector and war dynamics are deeply intertwined and evolving simultaneously.

The international (in)security order and the climate-conflict-security nexus

Much existing research on climate, conflict, and security asks a relatively narrow question: how does climate change trigger or exacerbate violent conflict in ways that threaten stability within the current international system? Far less attention has been paid to how the properties of that system contribute to climate-related risks of violence, conflict, and instability. In this article, we identify three aspects of the structure and workings of what we refer to as the ”international security order” that, in our view, must be brought much more centrally into future research: the multi-dimensional role of war and war preparation as drivers of the climate problem; the widespread use of violence to suppress climate activism; and the failure of climate-policy mechanisms to account for the conflict risk they may create or exacerbate (an effect sometimes referred to as “backdraft”). We argue that these three are not simply contextual factors for climate-related violence. Rather, they work through the climate variable to shape conflict risk. Models and conceptual frameworks that do not explore these and other such connections may be missing important causes and mechanisms of climate-linked insecurity.

Complex Hybrid Governance in the South American Borderlands: The Agency of Grassroots Actors in Transforming Violent Conflicts

ABSTRACTThis article examines the role of grassroots actors in regions of violent conflict where competing governance systems exists. Specifically, it focuses on those living in the borderlands of South America, where alternative forms of governance may be created in response to violence between state and criminal organizations. In this context, how can grassroots actors overcome protracted armed violence and establish new, legitimate forms of social governance? To explore this question, our methodology employs data triangulation, combining literature, news reports, and fieldwork data collected in two violence‐prone territories: the borderlands of Cúcuta (Colombia)/Táchira state (Venezuela) and Pedro Juan Caballero (Paraguay)/Ponta Porã (Brazil). We argue that grassroots actors can develop innovative and alternative governance structures that differ from those of the state and criminal groups. This research also contributes to the ongoing discussion about the agency of local actors in violent conflicts between nonstate actors and the state. The findings demonstrate that grassroots actors in violent border regions can actively transform conflicts and build peace, particularly in areas such as migration, security, health, and education.

Breaking the cycle: Presenting insights and strategies to overcome violent conflicts hindering social cohesion and progress in South African communities

ABSTRACT This study addresses the pervasive issue of violent conflicts that undermine social cohesion and hinder progress within South African communities. Thus, the study explores the root causes and contributing factors of these conflicts to provide a foundation for developing effective, evidence-based intervention strategies. The investigation revealed five critical themes: (1) community awareness and perceptions of safety, (2) communication and information to ensure safety, (3) causes of violent conflicts in South Africa, (4) community engagement and membership influence and (5) Five Year/third-quarter 2019/2023 Crime Statistics. These themes underscore the complexity of violent conflicts in post-apartheid South Africa, where the persistence of a violent culture, pervasive corruption, and connections between criminal syndicates and government officials exacerbate the situation. The methodology used is desktop research that combined critical review of literature, reports and discussions of identified themes. The study is centred around the concept of Conflict Transformation, which plays a crucial role in fostering relationships and facilitating reconciliation processes in society. This includes grassroots initiatives and the participation of leaders at different levels. The study concludes that that violent conflicts can be mitigated through informed actions and strategic interventions. With these insights, this study offers recommendations as a framework for policymakers and practitioners to develop targeted measures aimed at fostering a safer, more cohesive society. The goal is to break the cycle of violent conflicts to pave the way for sustainable social progress in South African communities.