In this project I analyze the effect of peace operations on postwar violence. While existing research has demonstrated the generally positive effects of peacekeeping on peace duration, the absence of war does not necessarily imply the end of violence.

Besides some residual violence between the combatants, the violence of war frequently transforms into other forms of collective political violence in the postwar period, such as massacres of civilians, ethnic violence, political assassinations, or riots. These forms of violence often present an equal or greater threat to the security of civilians than the preceding conflict, yet we know almost nothing about the ability of peacekeepers to mitigate or stop them.

The aim of this project is to fill this gap. The two questions I seek to answer are: Do peace operations have an impact on the overall extent of collective postwar violence? And do they affect the nature of this violence by shifting the strategic calculus of actors away from battlefield engagements towards forms of violence that are less easily detected and sanctioned by those with a stake in the peace?

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Related Publications

Bara, Corinne (2022) Non-UN Peacekeeping, in: Han Dorussen (Ed.): Handbook on Peacekeeping and International Relations. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. (in print)

Bara, Corinne; Annekatrin Deglow & Sebastian van Baalen (2021) Civil War Recurrence and Postwar Violence: Toward an Integrated Research Agenda, European Journal of International Relations 27(3): 913-935.

Bara, Corinne (2020): Shifting Targets: The Effect of Peacekeeping on Postwar Violence. European Journal of International Relations 26(4): 979-1003.

Bara, Corinne & Lisa Hultman (2020) Just Different Hats? Comparing UN and Non-UN Peacekeeping, International Peacekeeping 27(3): 341-368.