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
Projects

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.

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.
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.

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.
Activities

Newsletters
CSDRG releases quarterly newsletters sharing our latest news, publications, and research.
- CSDRG Newsletter – July 2023
- CSDRG Newsletter – Autumn 2022
- CSDRG Newsletter – Summer 2022
- CSDRG Newsletter – Spring 2022
- CSDRG Newsletter – Winter 2021-2022
- CSDRG Newsletter – Autumn 2021
- CSDRG Newsletter - Spring/Summer 2021
- CSDRG Newsletter - Autumn/Winter 2020
- CSDRG Newsletter - Winter-Spring 2020
- CSDRG Newsletter - Autumn 2019
- CSDRG Newsletter - Summer 2019
- CSDRG Newsletter - Winter/Spring 2019
- CSDRG Newsletter - Autumn 2018
- CSDRG Newsletter - Summer 2018
Events

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.

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.

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.

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.

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
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.

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

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.

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.
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.

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.
Activities

Newsletters
CSDRG releases quarterly newsletters sharing our latest news, publications, and research.
- CSDRG Newsletter – July 2023
- CSDRG Newsletter – Autumn 2022
- CSDRG Newsletter – Summer 2022
- CSDRG Newsletter – Spring 2022
- CSDRG Newsletter – Winter 2021-2022
- CSDRG Newsletter – Autumn 2021
- CSDRG Newsletter - Spring/Summer 2021
- CSDRG Newsletter - Autumn/Winter 2020
- CSDRG Newsletter - Winter-Spring 2020
- CSDRG Newsletter - Autumn 2019
- CSDRG Newsletter - Summer 2019
- CSDRG Newsletter - Winter/Spring 2019
- CSDRG Newsletter - Autumn 2018
- CSDRG Newsletter - Summer 2018
Events

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.

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.

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.

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.

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
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.

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