How can societies rebuild after decades of violent conflict? What strategies help create lasting peace in even the most fractured regions?
The world is experiencing more armed conflicts than at any time since World War II. This special issue stems from a two-year research project called “Why It Worked,” which provides research-backed strategies to drive sustainable change in conflict systems.
“Why It Worked” is a pioneering global initiative sharing lessons from the world’s most intractable conflicts over the last 70 years, highlighting what drives successful peace transitions. In 2022, researchers from five universities began analyzing historical conflicts to find lessons relevant to ongoing global conflicts. The team, diverse in disciplines, institutions, and cultures, studied the characteristics of protracted, asymmetric, and ethnonational conflicts to uncover insights to inform real-world conflict transformation efforts. This special issue is the first time these lessons and insights have been made widely available.
All the researchers in the “Why It Worked” initiative contributed to this special issue:
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Land and Resources, University of Delaware: How do parties in conflict relate to their natural environment?
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Identity and Religion, George Mason University: How do parties in conflict see themselves and one another?
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Power and Leadership, Harvard University: How do parties in conflict relate to, lead, and engage with others?
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Track II Negotiations, University of Ottawa: How did informal and less formal spaces contribute to the peace process?
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Process and Negotiation, Uppsala University: How do parties in conflict build a sustainable peace?
A final article from the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Collaboratory at the Harvard Kennedy School integrates these findings, advocating for a more holistic understanding of effectiveness in peace negotiations.
“Why It Worked” was devised and funded by Bridging Insights, Inc. and designed and led by Harvard Kennedy School’s Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Collaboratory.
Negotiation Journal is an international, multidisciplinary journal devoted to the publication of works that advance the theory, analysis, practice, and instruction of negotiation, mediation, and conflict resolution. Published by the MIT Press, in collaboration with the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, the journal offers a wide range of articles, including those on the economic, legal, psychological, pedagogical, sociological, institutional, and theoretical aspects of dispute resolution.
