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Peace and conflict

DIIS researches the complex causes of conflict and provides in-depth analysis of peace processes in a number of countries.
More on this subject:
Peacebuilding and democratization
Genocide and holocaust
Violence, justice and policing
Fragile states

Research and activites

  • Muslim militant in sunset
    Photo/illustration by Shutterstock, Getmilitaryphotos

    Negotiating with jihadists? Assessing risks and opportunities

    DIIS Auditorium
    Why have we never seen peace negotiations with current or former affiliates of al-Qaeda or the Islamic State? And what could we expect to happen if such a strategy was in fact pursued?
  • Rigsarkiv Helsinki Finland
    Photo/illustration by Shutterstock, valerii eidlin
    Livestreaming

    The importance of archives in decolonisation processes in the North and the role of international law

    DIIS Auditorium
    Archives have played and continue to play a crucial role in decolonisation processes in the North. And control over archives regarding colonial histories today play key roles in truth and reconciliation processes playing out in the North.
  • Soldater i Vestafrika
    Photo/illustration by Joerg Boethling / Alamy Stock Photo
    Livestreaming

    West Africa now

    DIIS Auditorium
    This seminar sheds light on the myriad challenges shaping West Africa and discusses the recent political upheavals, the growing influence of Russia, and the complex web of migration patterns intersecting the region and beyond
  • Cover DIIS Report 2024 02.jpg
    DIIS Report
    2024

    Why Russia seeks to expand its influence in Africa – and what it means for the West

    In parallel to its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russia has ramped up its activities in Africa
  • Cover for brief on aid in Ukraine #2
    Photo/illustration by Abaca Ritzau Scanpix
    DIIS Policy Brief
    2024

    Humanitarian principles are under fire in Ukraine

    Ukraine presents a unique challenge for many international humanitarian organisations. Operating in a context of heightened geo-political and donor interest, and in close proximity to military actors, amateur volunteer groups and Ukrainian civil society are testing the core principles of neutrality and impartiality that once underpinned humanitarian work.
  • Cover for brief on aid in Ukraine
    Photo/illustration by Olga Maltseva AFP Ritzau Scanpix
    DIIS Policy Brief
    2024

    The war in Ukraine poses unprecedented threats to aid workers

    An interstate war in Europe presents new security challenges for humanitarians. Along the 960km Ukraine-Russia frontline, humanitarian infrastructure has been hit by shelling, missiles and drone strikes, and aid delivery disrupted by electronic warfare. Supporting specialised training and removing outdated bureaucratic burdens are some of the ways in which donors and policymakers can help humanitarian organisations adapt to this new context.
  • UN soldier
    Photo/illustration by UN Photo/Michael Ali
    Livestreaming

    What does the future of peacekeeping hold?

    DIIS Auditorium
    The closure of the UN mission in Mali in 2023 is bound to open up many questions about the future of peacekeeping as a form of multilateral intervention. Join this seminar to learn more from leading experts in the field
  • Illustration of William Pitt and Napoleon Bonaparte cutting the world
    Photo/illustration by James Gillray, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
    Livestreaming

    Geopolitics and international relations (1899-2024) in Europe and beyond

    DIIS Auditorium
    Past, present and future
  • Everyday Humanitarianism in Tanzania
    Photo/illustration by Everyday Humanitarianism in Tanzania (EHTZ)
    Livestreaming

    Humanitarianism in crisis?

    DIIS Auditorium
    This seminar brings together leading scholars on humanitarianism to discuss the state of humanitarianism today, its historical entanglements and its future
  • Bloomsbury
    Book Chapter
    2024

    Saudi Arabia's Rhetorical Construction of the Houthis as an Iranian Proxy

  • Somaliland
    Photo/illustration by Feisal Omar/Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix
    DIIS Policy Brief
    2024

    Somaliland at the centre of rising tensions in the Horn of Africa

  • Cover Gender-responsive development DIIS WP 2023 11.jpg
    DIIS Working Paper
    2024

    Gender-responsive development

    opportunities for co-operation between the African Union, its member states and Denmark
  • IMR - International Migration Review cover
    Journal Article
    2023

    Mediating mobility in West Africa

    Improvisation, culture, and volatility in migration infrastructures
  • Myanmar people waiting outside prison
    Photo/illustration by AFP/Ritzau Scanpix

    Myanmar in multiple crisis

    DIIS Auditorium
    This seminar discusses what it means for people in Myanmar to ‘live with crisis’ in the context of escalating and intersecting forms of crisis
  • Biometric fingerprint
    Photo/illustration by EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid via Flickr.com copyright license
    Journal Article
    2023

    Humanitarian ignorance

    Towards a new paradigm of non-knowledge in digital humanitarianism
  • Ship and boats with immigrants
    Photo/illustration by MSF/Stefan Pejovic

    Deadly borders: politics of aid and people on the move on the Mediterranean

    DIIS Auditorium
    What does it mean to rescue at sea? And how does it feel to be rescued? This seminar sheds light on the work of Doctors without Borders on the current situation on the deadliest migration route in the world, the Mediterranean Sea
  • South China sea disputes, water cannon against Philippines
    Photo/illustration by China Coast Guard/Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix
    Livestreaming

    Deeply immersed: Taking stock of South China Sea developments

    DIIS, Auditorium
    Viewed as an important strategic waterway from a regional and global perspective, the South China Sea has long constituted a critical arena for various maritime and territorial disputes that are now resurfacing.
  • Paying the price
    Photo/illustration by Maxar Technologies/Google Earth copyright license
    Report
    2023

    Paying the price

    Major new study reveals how al-Shabaab and government-affiliated actors extract wealth from trade and vulnerable populations.
  • Inauguration ceremony for Somali MPs
    Photo/illustration by AMISOM public information via Flickr.com copyright license
    Journal Article
    2023

    Divided loyalties

    Somalia’s political landscape is increasingly fragmented due to regional and clan differences. Is this the end of the centralized state and a unified, national identity?
  • Somali Diaspora
    Photo/illustration by AMISOM public information via Flickr.com copyright license
    Podcast
    2023

    Diaspora groups have become key humanitarian actors

    The case of Somalia
  • banner diis event africa
    Webinar

    Experiences of women, peace and security in diverse African contexts

    Online Zoom meeting
    In this webinar, national and regional practitioners of the women, peace and security agenda exchange their experiences in advancing women’s role in peace governance and challenges for policy implementation in Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali and beyond
  • Post-Sovjet Affairs
    Photo/illustration by Информационное агентство БелТА via Wikipedia copyright license
    Journal Article
    2023

    How the Wagner Group became legal in Russian discourse

    Before the war in Ukraine the Wagner Group was considered illegal according to Russian law. In the public Russian discourse however, they are increasingly considered to be a legal private company.
  • Hand-over of reoport in Norway's Stortinget
    Photo/illustration by Stortinget, CC 2.0 copyright license
    Web Article
    2023

    Will Norway’s truth and reconciliation process bring change?

    A public reading of Norway’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission final report took 35 hours and was broadcast live. But during its five years of work, the TRC rarely made national headlines. Most Norwegians know little about Indigenous and national minorities’ language, culture and history. Those groups are still struggling to have their rights respected, the report found. Follow-up of the TRC recommendations is therefore crucial, say three scholars.
  • DIIS_PB_Women_Peace_Security_WEb_Cover.jpg
    DIIS Policy Brief
    2023

    Women, peace and security beyond resolutions

    Experiences of implementing the women, peace and security (WPS) agenda in African countries indicate a need to focus on engaging civil society and grassroots actors as well as developing adequate reporting systems. Denmark’s candidacy for the non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in 2025-26 would benefit from a strong position on the implementation of the women, peace and security agenda both nationally and locally by all UN member states.
  • zimbabwe-election-emmerson-mnangagwa-zanu-pf
    Photo/illustration by Dj CkyBlue, screenshof from youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVupfa-sWYQ, license: CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons copyright license
    DIIS Comment
    2023

    Zimbabweans want a leader who can build a strong economy, create jobs, and provide a decent living

    Something they've been lacking for most of the post-colonial period. But is the lack of progress during the post-colonial era only a fault of Zimbabwean leaders? Or should Western countries also shoulder some responsibility?
  • Muslim militant in sunset
    Photo/illustration by Shutterstock, Getmilitaryphotos

    Negotiating with jihadists? Assessing risks and opportunities

    DIIS Auditorium
    Why have we never seen peace negotiations with current or former affiliates of al-Qaeda or the Islamic State? And what could we expect to happen if such a strategy was in fact pursued?
  • Rigsarkiv Helsinki Finland
    Photo/illustration by Shutterstock, valerii eidlin
    Livestreaming

    The importance of archives in decolonisation processes in the North and the role of international law

    DIIS Auditorium
    Archives have played and continue to play a crucial role in decolonisation processes in the North. And control over archives regarding colonial histories today play key roles in truth and reconciliation processes playing out in the North.
  • Soldater i Vestafrika
    Photo/illustration by Joerg Boethling / Alamy Stock Photo
    Livestreaming

    West Africa now

    DIIS Auditorium
    This seminar sheds light on the myriad challenges shaping West Africa and discusses the recent political upheavals, the growing influence of Russia, and the complex web of migration patterns intersecting the region and beyond
  • UN soldier
    Photo/illustration by UN Photo/Michael Ali
    Livestreaming

    What does the future of peacekeeping hold?

    DIIS Auditorium
    The closure of the UN mission in Mali in 2023 is bound to open up many questions about the future of peacekeeping as a form of multilateral intervention. Join this seminar to learn more from leading experts in the field
  • Illustration of William Pitt and Napoleon Bonaparte cutting the world
    Photo/illustration by James Gillray, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
    Livestreaming

    Geopolitics and international relations (1899-2024) in Europe and beyond

    DIIS Auditorium
    Past, present and future
  • Everyday Humanitarianism in Tanzania
    Photo/illustration by Everyday Humanitarianism in Tanzania (EHTZ)
    Livestreaming

    Humanitarianism in crisis?

    DIIS Auditorium
    This seminar brings together leading scholars on humanitarianism to discuss the state of humanitarianism today, its historical entanglements and its future
  • Myanmar people waiting outside prison
    Photo/illustration by AFP/Ritzau Scanpix

    Myanmar in multiple crisis

    DIIS Auditorium
    This seminar discusses what it means for people in Myanmar to ‘live with crisis’ in the context of escalating and intersecting forms of crisis
  • Ship and boats with immigrants
    Photo/illustration by MSF/Stefan Pejovic

    Deadly borders: politics of aid and people on the move on the Mediterranean

    DIIS Auditorium
    What does it mean to rescue at sea? And how does it feel to be rescued? This seminar sheds light on the work of Doctors without Borders on the current situation on the deadliest migration route in the world, the Mediterranean Sea
  • South China sea disputes, water cannon against Philippines
    Photo/illustration by China Coast Guard/Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix
    Livestreaming

    Deeply immersed: Taking stock of South China Sea developments

    DIIS, Auditorium
    Viewed as an important strategic waterway from a regional and global perspective, the South China Sea has long constituted a critical arena for various maritime and territorial disputes that are now resurfacing.
  • banner diis event africa
    Webinar

    Experiences of women, peace and security in diverse African contexts

    Online Zoom meeting
    In this webinar, national and regional practitioners of the women, peace and security agenda exchange their experiences in advancing women’s role in peace governance and challenges for policy implementation in Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali and beyond
  • Village overview. Photo: Lu Chi.
    Fieldwork story

    Nagaland fieldwork

    First visit to Machi village on the India-Myanmar border. Written by Lu Chi
  • Ministry of Livestock, Somaliland
    Photo/illustration by Finn Stepputat

    Studying state, sovereignty and other stuff

    DIIS Auditorium
    A retrospective seminar with and for senior researcher Finn Stepputat
  • Helene Maria Kyed and Ninna Nyberg Sørensen share MyClimate research findings at Folkemødet in Denmark
    Research findings

    How does violent conflict affect climate change dynamics?

    Helene Maria Kyed shares MyClimate research findings at Folkemødet in Denmark
  • Livestreaming

    Somali diaspora humanitarianism in complex crises

    DIIS Auditorium
    When disaster strike, diaspora groups are often first responders and remain engaged during lengthy and complex crises. Join this roundtable where we discuss practices, possibilities and pitfalls
  • Trade makes states book cover
    Photo/illustration by Finn Stepputat (background picture)
    Livestreaming

    Trade makes states: Governing the greater Somali economy

    DIIS Auditorium
    The control of trade and transport is key to statemaking. A new book suggests that this, rather than the control of people and territory, can make or unmake state projects in areas like Somalia. This seminar introduces the ideas behind the book
  • Putin and Xi meeting Moscow
    Photo/illustration by Sergei Karpukhin/TASS/Ritzau Scanpix
    Livestreaming

    Seminar: Status and equality make rising powers more cooperative

    Researcher explains why great powers like China and India challenge international order.
  • book confronting the Caliphate
    Photo/illustration by Cecilie Castor (background picture)
    Livestreaming

    Confronting the caliphate: Civil resistance against jihadists

    DIIS Auditorium
    Occupying a square to prevent the Sharia-judge from amputating a teenager’s hand, spraying forbidden graffiti at public buildings, secretly listening to nonreligious music at home, or shouting anti-jihadist slogans with hundreds of others at a public protest: these are only a few examples of a much larger range of nonviolent resistance behavior displayed by civilians who have lived under the repressive rule of jihadists
  • judge from texas performing wedding on mexican border
    Photo/illustration by Cristina De Middel/Magnum Photos/Ritzau Scanpix
    Livestreaming

    Sex rule and state borders in global politics

    DIIS Auditorium
    Laura Sjoberg introduces the notion of "sex rule" in this talk. Looking at marriage, reproduction, migration and asylum cases, and homonormativity, she argues that sex rules matter in global politics and international security
  • Albania in the UN Security Council
    Photo/illustration by UN Photo/Evan Schneider
    Livestreaming

    International order under pressure: Small states in the UN Security Council

    Denmark has launched its campaign for the UNSC in 2025-2026 but what can Denmark hope to achieve in the UN Security Council if elected?
  • Poster - seminar In search of a new social order
    Livestreaming

    In search of a new social order - North-South learnings

    DIIS Auditorium
    How to develop societies that benefit the weakest sections in the Global North as well as in the Global South? What are the possibilities of anti-capitalist democratic development?
  • Drought in Somalia Dead animal because of climate change
    Photo/illustration by ICRC, Taaxta Ismail
    Livestreaming

    No climate security without human security: Insights from Africa’s climate hotspots

    DIIS Auditorium
    This seminar brings together scholars and practitioners to discuss pathways for a broadened climate security agenda on fragile states centered on addressing livelihood and security needs of populations
  • Tank, Krigen i Ukraine
    Photo/illustration by Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Ritzau Scanpix
    Livestreaming

    Russia's war in Ukraine: What does it mean for international order and the UN system

    DIIS Auditorium
    The seminar explores the underlying causes of Russia’s war in Ukraine and discusses its implications for international order, with a special focus on the UN system
  • flooded homes within a village after the River Nile broke the dykes in Jonglei State, South Sudan, October 5, 2020.
    Photo/illustration by Andreea Campeanu/Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix
    Livestreaming

    Resistance in the 21st century

    DIIS Auditorium
    Defying the state in theory and practice
  • Massebegravelse i Ukraine
    Photo/illustration by Ukrinform / Alamy Stock Photo

    Ideology and mass killing

    DIIS Auditorium
    Explaining state terror and atrocities, from Nazi Germany to the war in Ukraine
  • Livestreaming

    Technocolonialism: Digital humanitarianism as extraction and experimentality

    DIIS Auditorium
    Join us for this seminar with Professor Mirca Madianou on how data practices revitalise colonial legacies in humanitarianism and technological development itself