This micro-course defines and describes conflict analysis processes and the ways in which they inform the development and implementation of peacebuilding programs. It presents the five main elements of USIP’s conflict analysis framework and describes how to ensure that one’s analysis is sensitive to the conflict and those impacted by it.

The commander of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia visits the site of a truck-bomb attack allegedly conducted by al-Shabab in Mogadishu on Oct. 15, 2017. Photo: Flickr/AMISOM/Tobin Jones
The commander of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia visits the site of a truck-bomb attack allegedly conducted by al-Shabab in Mogadishu on Oct. 15, 2017. Photo: Flickr/AMISOM/Tobin Jones

Course Overview & Key Objectives

By the end of this micro-course, participants will be able to achieve the following objectives:

  • Define conflict analysis and its importance;
  • Identify how conflict analysis accounts for the evolving nature of violent conflict;
  • Recognize how context and experience shapes conflict analysis; and
  • Identify different ways in which conflict analysis can be conducted.

Overview Video

Click on the video below for an overview of the course.

If you cannot view the video, click here.

Agenda

Section 1 – Introduction

Introduces the importance of peacebuilding through real-world stories and asks the learner to reflect on their prior knowledge.

Section 2 – Pillars

Defines conflict and conflict analysis to help learners contextualize how conflict analysis can inform work in conflict-affected communities and societies.

Section 3 – Tools

Introduces the primary tools and methods of conflict analysis including expanding the understanding of how to analyze conflict, the stages of conflict and the conflict curve, and methods of conflict analysis. 

Section 4 – Application

Explores how the tools discussed in the previous chapter are applied to real-life examples.

Section 5 - Conclusion

Provides a space for self-reflection and tests retention while earning a certificate.

 

Course Instructors

  • Jeffrey Helsing - Peacebuilding Consultant, former Associate Vice President of the Academy, USIP
  • Matthew Levinger - Director, National Security Studies Program; Program Director, Master of International Policy and Practice; George Washington University

Related Publications

Iran’s Attack and the New Escalatory Cycle in the Middle East

Iran’s Attack and the New Escalatory Cycle in the Middle East

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

By: Robin Wright

The Middle East is entering a new phase after unprecedented attacks by Israel and Iran during the first two weeks of April. Robin Wright, a senior fellow at USIP and the Woodrow Wilson Center who has covered the region for a half century, explores what happened, the strategic implications, the political context and the divided world reaction.

Type: Question and Answer

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Linking Early Warning and Early Response Networks to Curb Violence in West Africa

Linking Early Warning and Early Response Networks to Curb Violence in West Africa

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

By: Nate Haken;  Patricia Taft Nasri;  Nikita Reece

A conflict early warning and early response (EWER) ecosystem has been developing in West Africa as multilateral organizations, governments, civil society groups, and others have established systems that detect threats and provide critical information to relevant authorities. Yet individual EWER systems are prone to a range of failures—from gaps in data to decision-making bottlenecks to response coordination breakdowns. This report argues that linking individual systems—a network-of-networks approach—can improve outcomes for people across West Africa and serve as a model for other conflict-affected regions around the world.

Type: Peaceworks

Conflict Analysis & Prevention

The Growing Flashpoints Between the U.S. and Iran

The Growing Flashpoints Between the U.S. and Iran

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

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Tension between Washington and Tehran has been a growing undercurrent of the war in Gaza, even as both countries tried to prevent it from sparking a direct confrontation during the first six months of fighting. Robin Wright, a joint fellow at USIP and the Wilson Center, explores the evolving flashpoints in the world’s most volatile region as well as the challenges for U.S. diplomacy, the new triggers for a wider regional conflagration and the historical backdrop.

Type: Question and Answer

Conflict Analysis & Prevention

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