{"title":"Introducing the Peace Observatory: Peace Negotiations and Mediation in Armed Conflicts","authors":"Allard Duursma, Janek Bruker, Carina Diener, Samantha Gamez, Valentin Felix Geier, Arianna Guidolin","doi":"10.1177/00220027261490806","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00220027261490806","url":null,"abstract":"This article introduces the Peace Observatory, a new global dataset that captures over 10,000 rounds of peace negotiations in interstate, intrastate, and non-state conflicts between 1989 and 2023 with regular updates planned for additional years. The Peace Observatory disaggregates peacemaking into distinct negotiation rounds. To demonstrate the value of the dataset, the article examines how the involvement of autocratic states as mediators is associated with negotiation outcomes across different phases of the peace process. Unlike many existing datasets that operate at the conflict-year level and do not systematically distinguish between stages of peacemaking, the Peace Observatory records the specific phase of each negotiation round – prenegotiation, negotiation, or implementation. This enables analysis of whether mediator characteristics matter differently at distinct stages of the process. The analysis shows that autocratic involvement is positively associated with the conclusion of peace agreements during the negotiation phase, but not in the prenegotiation or implementation phase.","PeriodicalId":51363,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Conflict Resolution","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149198956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alexandra D. Blackman,Nicholas J. Lotito,Elizabeth R. Nugent,Daniel L. Tavana
{"title":"The Social Legacies of Repression: Family, Friends, and Political Participation","authors":"Alexandra D. Blackman,Nicholas J. Lotito,Elizabeth R. Nugent,Daniel L. Tavana","doi":"10.1177/00220027261493653","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00220027261493653","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51363,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Conflict Resolution","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149173050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pave the Way to Diversion: Increased Salience of Foreign Policy at the Times of Economic Hardships","authors":"Burak Kazim Yilmaz,Efe Tokdemir","doi":"10.1177/00220027261495479","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00220027261495479","url":null,"abstract":"Most research on the diversionary use of force focuses on timing of conflict initiation and target selection, often treating the public as passive observers ready to take the bait. This article challenges this assumption by examining how leaders strategically elevate foreign policy issues in public discourse before resorting to the use of force. We argue that economic downturns lead to anticipatory rhetorical agenda-setting, through which leaders increase the salience of foreign policy in shaping the conditions under which military actions become feasible. Using a large language model, we measure foreign policy salience in 29,286 US presidential addresses and remarks between 1945 and 2019. Combining these data with monthly inflation and US military interventions, we examine whether patterns in presidential rhetoric are consistent with a rhetorical pathway linking economic distress to the use of force. The results are consistent with our theoretical expectation. Higher inflation is associated with increased foreign policy salience in presidential speeches and heightened salience is, in turn, associated with a greater likelihood of military intervention, while inflation itself exhibits no robust direct relationship with the use of force. Our findings align with the expectation that diversionary dynamics may unfold as a mediated process in which leaders place greater rhetorical emphasis on foreign policy issues prior to the use of force. By highlighting the role of anticipatory agenda-setting, this study offers a nuanced perspective on diversionary conflict and highlights the importance of presidential rhetoric as a key component of foreign policy outcome.","PeriodicalId":51363,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Conflict Resolution","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149151705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bruce Russett Award for Article of the Year in JCR for 2025","authors":"","doi":"10.1177/00220027261494367","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00220027261494367","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51363,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Conflict Resolution","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149124039","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Peace Under the Influence? The Role of Illicit Drug Economies in Peace Processes and Rebel Splintering","authors":"Myung Jung Kim, Do Young Gong","doi":"10.1177/00220027261488730","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00220027261488730","url":null,"abstract":"How do the economic foundations of rebel groups shape civil war dynamics? While prior research has explored how different resource types affect conflict, less is known about how the illicit nature of certain resources—particularly drug economies—affects peace processes. We argue that the inherent illegality of drug-based financing imposes structural barriers to peace, distinguishing it from other forms of rebel revenue. Using cross-national dyadic data from 1990 to 2011, we find that drug-reliant rebel groups have 34 percent lower hazard of initiatiating peace talks and over six times more likely to fragment once peace processes begin. These findings suggest that drug-based financing generates a self-reinforcing cycle that sustains violence. In contrast to accounts emphasizing grievances produced by peace processes, we show that some groups may be structurally predisposed to reject peace altogether. Our findings call for theoretical and policy approaches tailored to the distinct challenges posed by illicit drug economies.","PeriodicalId":51363,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Conflict Resolution","volume":"64 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148993724","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Powerful or Powerless? The Influence of Gender Advocates in Peace Negotiations","authors":"Elizabeth Good, Alexandra K. McAuliff","doi":"10.1177/00220027261485816","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00220027261485816","url":null,"abstract":"While the Women, Peace and Security sector advocates for the inclusion of gender experts in peace processes to improve outcomes for women, empirical support for their effectiveness remains inconclusive. This paper tests whether individuals designated to advocate for gender-specific issues are influential or ineffective. Leveraging an original dataset capturing the role of 2,300 delegates across 116 comprehensive peace agreements finalized between 1990 and 2020, we find that gender advocates increase the likelihood that agreements contain provisions for women. However, investigating the case of Northern Ireland using interviews and archival analysis, we find that the systemic masculinized structure of peace negotiations hinders advocates’ overall influence. Consequently, this paper explains how these actors are simultaneously powerful and powerless. Findings capture gender advocates’ limitations, caution against individuals bearing sole responsibility for gender considerations in peace processes, and expand the conceptualization of what it is to be an expert.","PeriodicalId":51363,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Conflict Resolution","volume":"2 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148993725","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Narratives as Separating Equilibria: On the Origins of the Ukraine War","authors":"Giacomo Corneo","doi":"10.1177/00220027261483689","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00220027261483689","url":null,"abstract":"NATO enlargement and Russian occupation of Crimea marked crucial turning points in the process that eventually resulted in the Ukraine war. According to one narrative, that Russian move was part of a plan to re-establish dominion over Eastern Europe. According to a rival view, it was an attempt to counter a U.S. plan to subjugate Russia. This paper scrutinizes the logical requirements of those narratives in a multi-stage game of incomplete information that produces equilibrium play such that first NATO is enlarged and then Russia attacks Ukraine. The two competing narratives correspond to two different separating equilibria. Conditions for their existence inform about the consistency and plausibility of the associated narratives.","PeriodicalId":51363,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Conflict Resolution","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148915451","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nils-Christian Bormann, Lars-Erik Cederman, Manuel Vogt
{"title":"Getting Religion Wrong A Response to Toft’s “Getting Religion Right”","authors":"Nils-Christian Bormann, Lars-Erik Cederman, Manuel Vogt","doi":"10.1177/00220027241284803","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00220027241284803","url":null,"abstract":"In a recent contribution to the <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Journal of Conflict Resolution</jats:italic> , Monica Toft presents new data and analysis that suggest a rise in religious civil war, and question our findings on linguistic and religious cleavages' effect on armed conflict onset. We welcome Toft’s contribution, in particular her replication of our results, and the very well documented new dataset on civil wars. Yet we disagree with several of Toft’s specific claims and raise three larger questions about the study of religion and armed conflict. First, what is the relevant counterfactual when analyzing the religion-conflict link? Second, how useful is it to classify entire conflicts as religious? Third, what is the mechanism that links religion and conflict? Revisiting her analysis and adding new empirical evidence, we show that Toft fails to undermine our earlier results and does not find support for her own theoretical mechanism of religious outbidding in the Muslim world.","PeriodicalId":51363,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Conflict Resolution","volume":"134 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148877301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Whataboutism in International Diplomacy: Shaping Third-Party Public Attitudes Toward U.S. Foreign Policy","authors":"Wilfred M. Chow, Dov H. Levin, Atsushi Tago","doi":"10.1177/00220027261481045","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00220027261481045","url":null,"abstract":"How does whataboutism influence the attitudes of third-party and allied audiences during international diplomatic exchanges? States openly accused of misconduct often employ whataboutism, deflecting criticism by highlighting the accuser’s own transgressions. Although policymakers frequently discuss whataboutism, research on its effects—especially on third-party publics—is limited. This study addresses the gap by examining via survey experiments a “hard case”: the impact of whataboutism targeting the U.S. on Japanese and the British publics, two steadfast U.S. allies. Our findings reveal that whataboutism significantly undermines support for the critic’s actions and diminishes the willingness of these populations to back sanctions led by the critic against states engaging in whataboutism. These results, the first empirical evidence of whataboutism’s effects on third-party allied publics, highlight whataboutism’s potency in shaping international public opinion, even among audiences from nations closely aligned with the critic country, potentially constraining U.S. foreign policy options.","PeriodicalId":51363,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Conflict Resolution","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148815527","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Toft Response: “Getting Religion Even More Right”","authors":"Monica Duffy Toft","doi":"10.1177/00220027261480752","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00220027261480752","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51363,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Conflict Resolution","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148815533","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}