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The Conflict Security and Development Research Group (CSDRG) undertakes a wide range of research, policy, advisory, and teaching activities related to conflict, security and development, enabling it to serve as a true bridge between academic scholarship and real world decision-making in these fields. 

We teach the world-leading Conflict, Security and Development MA programme and publish the Conflict, Security and Development journal.

Director: Professor Mats Berdal
Research Director: Dr Kieran Mitton

People

Abiodun Alao

Professor of African Studies

Mats  Berdal

Professor of Security & Development

Sofia Busch

Visiting Research Associate

Christine  Cheng

Senior Lecturer in International Relations

Amanda Chisholm

Reader in Gender and Security

Adam Day

Visiting Senior Research Fellow

Projects

UN peacekeepers
Democratisation and UN peacebuilding

Dr Oisin Tansey leads this ESRC-funded project, working alongside Co-Investigators Dr Sarah Von Billerbeck and Birte Gippert. It examines the relationship between peacebuilding and authoritarianism and the ways in which peacebuilding shapes authoritarianism at the local level. The project runs from June 2018 - May 2021 and focuses on four case studies in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Cambodia, and Liberia.

Villagers in Afghanistan
Mapping the Taliban

Funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Professor Ashley Jackson runs a fieldwork-intensive research project exploring the Taliban and communities under their control. Based on interviews with noncombatants, local Taliban members, and senior Taliban leadership, this study offers insights into their views on peace talks and the prospects for postwar reconciliation and justice.

Sign in a Freetown Slum
Street gangs and youth marginality in Sierra Leone

Led by Dr Kieran Mitton, this British Academy-funded project (2019-2020) explores Sierra Leone's under-researched nascent gang-scene. In collaboration with Professor Ibrahim Abdullah from Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone, it draws on extensive fieldwork to provide new insights on, and solutions to, youth marginality and urban violence.

Mediation meeting
Track II Mediation Unit

This unit combines the research group's core scholarly strengths with diplomatic experience to contribute to international attempts to prevent and resolve intractable intrastate conflicts. While this diplomatic work is deliberately discreet, the unit has enjoyed significant success in shaping international attempts to foster peace processes. Under the purview of CSDRG director Professor Mats Berdal, the work is directed by Tom Hill (formerly special assistant to Kofi Annan) and funded by the Peace and Reconciliation Section of the Royal Norwegian Foreign Ministry.

    Events

    25Jun

    The UN Charter 80th Anniversary – Back to the Future: A New United Nations for a World on the Verge

    Join us for a special event with Dr Thant Myint-U, offering a fresh perspective on the UN's history and a possible path forward.

    Please note: this event has passed.

    17Mar

    Protecting Civilians in a Time of Turmoil

    We have the pleasure of hosting Dr Emily Paddon Rhoads, Associate Professor of Political Science at Swarthmore College, for a discussion on civilian...

    Please note: this event has passed.

    06Mar

    11th Annual Conflict, Security, and Development Conference

    This year’s theme, "Justice Through Conflict: Exploring Resistance, Power, and the Law," explores how justice is shaped, tested, and even advanced within...

    Please note: this event has passed.

    06Mar

    The Burning Question: Climate and Conflict - Why Does It Matter? with Andrew Gilmour

    The CSD Speaker Series is pleased to announce a special talk with former CEO of the Berghof Foundation, Andrew Gilmour, exploring his latest book: The Burning...

    Please note: this event has passed.

    10Feb

    Humanitarian Futures: Challenges and Opportunities

    Join us for the book launch of Humanitarian Futures: Challenges and Opportunities, the latest book by Dr Randolph Kent, a globally respected expert in...

    Please note: this event has passed.

    Publications

    For full list of our member’s publications, see individual staff profiles

     

    CSD Journal
    CSD Journal

    Conflict, Security and Development is an academic, peer-reviewed journal that bridges traditional development and security studies and provides analysis of the critical policy challenges facing countries in the Global South. Enquiries should be directed to csdjournal@kcl.ac.uk.

    CSDRG
    Policy Briefs

    CSDRG produces policy briefs on a wide range of issues related to conflict, security and development to inform and influence policymaking.

    People

    Abiodun Alao

    Professor of African Studies

    Mats  Berdal

    Professor of Security & Development

    Sofia Busch

    Visiting Research Associate

    Christine  Cheng

    Senior Lecturer in International Relations

    Amanda Chisholm

    Reader in Gender and Security

    Adam Day

    Visiting Senior Research Fellow

    Projects

    UN peacekeepers
    Democratisation and UN peacebuilding

    Dr Oisin Tansey leads this ESRC-funded project, working alongside Co-Investigators Dr Sarah Von Billerbeck and Birte Gippert. It examines the relationship between peacebuilding and authoritarianism and the ways in which peacebuilding shapes authoritarianism at the local level. The project runs from June 2018 - May 2021 and focuses on four case studies in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Cambodia, and Liberia.

    Villagers in Afghanistan
    Mapping the Taliban

    Funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Professor Ashley Jackson runs a fieldwork-intensive research project exploring the Taliban and communities under their control. Based on interviews with noncombatants, local Taliban members, and senior Taliban leadership, this study offers insights into their views on peace talks and the prospects for postwar reconciliation and justice.

    Sign in a Freetown Slum
    Street gangs and youth marginality in Sierra Leone

    Led by Dr Kieran Mitton, this British Academy-funded project (2019-2020) explores Sierra Leone's under-researched nascent gang-scene. In collaboration with Professor Ibrahim Abdullah from Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone, it draws on extensive fieldwork to provide new insights on, and solutions to, youth marginality and urban violence.

    Mediation meeting
    Track II Mediation Unit

    This unit combines the research group's core scholarly strengths with diplomatic experience to contribute to international attempts to prevent and resolve intractable intrastate conflicts. While this diplomatic work is deliberately discreet, the unit has enjoyed significant success in shaping international attempts to foster peace processes. Under the purview of CSDRG director Professor Mats Berdal, the work is directed by Tom Hill (formerly special assistant to Kofi Annan) and funded by the Peace and Reconciliation Section of the Royal Norwegian Foreign Ministry.

      Events

      25Jun

      The UN Charter 80th Anniversary – Back to the Future: A New United Nations for a World on the Verge

      Join us for a special event with Dr Thant Myint-U, offering a fresh perspective on the UN's history and a possible path forward.

      Please note: this event has passed.

      17Mar

      Protecting Civilians in a Time of Turmoil

      We have the pleasure of hosting Dr Emily Paddon Rhoads, Associate Professor of Political Science at Swarthmore College, for a discussion on civilian...

      Please note: this event has passed.

      06Mar

      11th Annual Conflict, Security, and Development Conference

      This year’s theme, "Justice Through Conflict: Exploring Resistance, Power, and the Law," explores how justice is shaped, tested, and even advanced within...

      Please note: this event has passed.

      06Mar

      The Burning Question: Climate and Conflict - Why Does It Matter? with Andrew Gilmour

      The CSD Speaker Series is pleased to announce a special talk with former CEO of the Berghof Foundation, Andrew Gilmour, exploring his latest book: The Burning...

      Please note: this event has passed.

      10Feb

      Humanitarian Futures: Challenges and Opportunities

      Join us for the book launch of Humanitarian Futures: Challenges and Opportunities, the latest book by Dr Randolph Kent, a globally respected expert in...

      Please note: this event has passed.

      Publications

      For full list of our member’s publications, see individual staff profiles

       

      CSD Journal
      CSD Journal

      Conflict, Security and Development is an academic, peer-reviewed journal that bridges traditional development and security studies and provides analysis of the critical policy challenges facing countries in the Global South. Enquiries should be directed to csdjournal@kcl.ac.uk.

      CSDRG
      Policy Briefs

      CSDRG produces policy briefs on a wide range of issues related to conflict, security and development to inform and influence policymaking.