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United States Institute of Peace

Matthew D. Cebul, Ph.D.

Research Officer

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Please submit all media inquiries to interviews@usip.org or call 202.429.3869.

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Dr. Matthew D. Cebul is a research officer with USIP's Program on Nonviolent Action. Before joining USIP, Dr. Cebul was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan’s Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies and a USIP Peace Scholar Fellow from 2019-2020. He conducts research on democratization and the international dimensions of civil resistance campaigns, particularly in the Middle East. His ongoing book project, “Resistance and Rebellion in the Shadow of Foreign Intervention,” explains how the prospect of international assistance influences opposition behavior during nonviolent campaigns, particularly the 2011 Syrian uprising. His other work on international relations and Middle Eastern politics has appeared in major media outlets, as well as peer-reviewed academic journals, including The Washington Post, The Journal of Politics and the Journal of Conflict Resolution. 

Dr. Cebul received his master’s degree and doctorate in political science from Yale University and holds a bachelor’s degree from Haverford College. 

Publications By Matthew

En Venezuela, la acción no violenta es clave para una transición democrática negociada

En Venezuela, la acción no violenta es clave para una transición democrática negociada

Thursday, August 15, 2024

By: Consuelo Amat, Ph.D.;  Matthew D. Cebul, Ph.D.;  Maria Antonia Montes

El 28 de julio, Venezuela celebró una de las elecciones más importantes de su historia. La oposición política del país, liderada por María Corina Machado, superó la desilusión popular, las divisiones políticas y un sistema electoral amañado para obtener una aplastante victoria para su candidato de unidad, Edmundo González Urrutia. Según un grupo de la sociedad civil, los cálculos «extrapolados de los recibos oficiales del conteo de votos» de una muestra representativa de centros de votación locales otorgan a González el 66% de los votos. La oposición venezolana respondió al momento con una inspirada campaña prodemocracia.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & Governance;  Mediation, Negotiation & Dialogue;  Nonviolent Action

In Venezuela, Nonviolent Action Is Key to a Negotiated Democratic Transition

In Venezuela, Nonviolent Action Is Key to a Negotiated Democratic Transition

Thursday, August 15, 2024

By: Consuelo Amat, Ph.D.;  Matthew D. Cebul, Ph.D.;  Maria Antonia Montes

On July 28, Venezuela held one of the most consequential elections in its history. The country’s political opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado, overcame popular disillusionment, political divides and a rigged electoral system to earn a landslide victory for its unity candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia. According to one civil society group, estimates “extrapolated from the official vote count receipts” from a representative sample of local voting centers give González 66% of the vote. Venezuela’s opposition met the moment with an inspired pro-democracy campaign.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & Governance;  Mediation, Negotiation & Dialogue;  Nonviolent Action

What Role Can Nonviolent Social Movements Play in Peace Talks?

What Role Can Nonviolent Social Movements Play in Peace Talks?

Thursday, August 8, 2024

By: Margherita Belgioioso, Ph.D.;  Matthew D. Cebul, Ph.D.;  Véronique Dudouet, Ph.D.;  Maria Antonia Montes ;  Bryan Sims, Ph.D.

When negotiations between the Colombian government and the rebel FARC group kicked off in 2013, only one of the 20 negotiators was a woman. Two years later, 20 percent of government negotiators and 43 percent of FARC negotiators were women. Their participation broadened the agenda of the talks that led to the historic 2016 peace accord, which included important gender provisions. Women’s participation in the Colombia peace process was a clear peacebuilding success — and it was ultimately made possible by a diverse national women’s coalition, which mobilized to insist on gender-inclusive negotiations.

Type: Analysis

Nonviolent Action;  Peace Processes

Women Help Nonviolent Campaigns Succeed, But Nonviolent Discipline Remains Crucial

Women Help Nonviolent Campaigns Succeed, But Nonviolent Discipline Remains Crucial

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

By: Matthew D. Cebul, Ph.D.

In recent weeks, the world has watched in awe as Iranian women rise in peaceful protest against their country’s violent and patriarchal theocracy. Their courage is at once extraordinary and familiar, paralleling other inspiring episodes of women-led nonviolent activism. Indeed, women have played central roles in many of the world’s most impressive nonviolent campaigns.

Type: Analysis

Gender;  Nonviolent Action

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