Annual Report 2012
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ANNUAL REPORT 2012 Interdisciplinary • International International • Independent Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) Editor: Agnete Schjønsby Rusting Soviet Tanks in Ukraine PO Box 9229 Grønland, NO-0134 Oslo, Norway Photo Editor: Julie Lunde Lillesæter Photo: Pavel Itkin Visiting Address: Hausmanns gate 7 Design: medicineheads.com paul_itk.livejournal.com ISBN: 978-82-7288-499-3 PRIO ANNUAL REPORT 2012 2 Director’s Introduction PRIO Director: Kristian Berg Harpviken Another good year at PRIO, published The Political Psychology of War 2012 REPORT ANNUAL PRIO Rape: Studies from Bosnia and Herzegovina with a number of hallmark (Routledge), a new reference work in this area. PRIO has also co-organized ‘The Missing publications, new grants Peace Symposium: Sexual Violence in Conflict and Post-Conflict Settings’ with SIPRI North that will allow us to further America, the Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley, and the US Institute of Peace. push research frontiers, Bringing together key researchers, policy- funding for the Research makers and practitioners, the event took place in Washington, DC in February 2013, originally 3 School in Peace and Conflict planned for November 2012, but moved at the last minute due to hurricane Sandy. (with the Universities in Societal Security Through a clear focus on Oslo and Trondheim), and evolving conceptions of security, its challenges Photo: Julie Lunde Lillesæter, PRIO and responses in society, PRIO has built a the rolling out of our new central position in European research on societal security. This competence became organizational model. tragically relevant in Norway with the terror in contrast to interpersonal inequality); attack that cost 77 lives in July 2011, and PRIO The Peace Research Endowment, set up in the implications of climate change for conflict researchers engaged in the critically important US with a seed grant from PRIO, is getting off and security (mixed evidence for civil wars, debate that followed. PRIO contributes the ground, and institutional collaborations more support for less severe forms of political extensively within the European Union’s around the globe are gaining new depth. After violence); and predictions of future conflict research on security. A five-year Network two decades with a decline of violence, the last trends (suggesting a continued downward of Excellence grant to the project SOURCE two years represented a backlash; the situation trend, with conflict nearly non-existent by – Virtual Centre of Excellence for Research in Syria being of particular concern. Yet, 2050). Overall, CSCW is a success story, Support and Coordination on Societal with peace processes underway in Colombia, having drawn top international scholars to Security – places PRIO as the coordinator Myanmar and the Philippines, we also see PRIO, trained a new generation of researchers, of a consortium with 13 research partners, reason for cautious optimism. and moved PRIO further to the forefront in consulting with a number of user institutions our field. We close CSCW, cognizant that and industry. PRIO has also contributed to Marking a Decade of the Study of Civil War its networks, competence, and pursuit of the formation of the EU’s security research In 2012, PRIO’s Centre for the Study of Civil excellence will continue to permeate PRIO. policy through participation in Commission War (CSCW) celebrated its ten year anniversary. committees and working groups. It is therefore This also marked the end of the Centre as Sexual Violence Gender dimensions of most fitting that J. Peter Burgess, the leading its designated Centre of Excellence funding conflict have been a long standing theme on force in societal security research at PRIO, is co- from the Research Council of Norway (RCN) PRIO’s research agenda, in recent years with awarded Sigval Bergesen d.y.´s Almennyttige has come to an end. Rooted in PRIO’s long a particular focus on sexual violence, with Pris. The prize committee lauds the prize standing study of conflict trends, the Centre’s funding from the National Science Foundation winners’ contributions to research on risk and point of departure was the observation that (US), the Folke Bernadotte Academy, and the security, and their efforts to shed light on the inter-state war had become virtually extinct. Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2012, basic dilemmas and normative choices faced Centre researchers have been instrumental the RCN awarded a grant to the project titled by liberal society in the encounter with today’s in pinpointing the downward trend in the ‘Sexual Violence and Armed Conflict’. For this new security challenges. number of conflicts, as well as the declining ambitious project, researchers at PRIO have number of battle deaths. The Centre has teamed up with colleagues at US universities We feel privileged to be engaged in research driven methodological innovation, particularly to construct a global dataset, conduct several on peace, leading to more thoughtful policies through producing datasets and techniques country case studies, and pursue cross-cutting and practices, and ultimately toward the 2050 for fine-grained studies, with geo-referenced thematic studies. Findings from an initial prediction and beyond. On a personal note, I blocks or subnational administrative divisions quantitative analysis of post-Cold War conflicts am glad that the Board has asked me to serve replacing the nation-state as the unit of in Africa already display some unexpected for a second term (2013–17); no organization analysis. In CSCW’s last year of operation, trends: sexual violence is not ubiquitous can be more gratifying to lead, no job seem to its researchers have published path-breaking in war, regular forces are more likely than me more meaningful. As readers, you are part work on the development consequences of non-state armed groups to be reported as of our global audience, and we expect you to civil war (unambiguously negative; particularly perpetrating sexual violence, and there is no continue to challenge and inspire us. grave for children); the impact on conflict of close correlation between the intensity of inequalities between identity groups (grave, fighting and sexual violence. Inger Skjelsbæk Strategy PRIO ANNUAL REPORT 2012 REPORT ANNUAL PRIO Major Strategic Goals 2010–2013 1 Develop focused research efforts in three distinct areas: challenges to peace, the diversity of violence, and nonviolent intervention 4 2 Enable every researcher to publish the equivalent of one peer-reviewed journal article per year 3 Enhance PRIO’s visibility and impact within international public debate 4 Strengthen PRIO’s contribution to the development of policy 5 Initiate the establishment of a research school in peace and conflict studies in collaboration with one or more universities 6 Establish at least one long-term partnership with a research milieu in a conflict region 7 Strengthen the multicultural composition of PRIO’s staff 8 Attain a sustainable increase in the proportion of female staff at senior levels 9 Provide a structured system for internal professional skills training and career development 10 Take steps to ensure that at least one-third of PRIO’s funding is for long-term research 11 Increase international funding to at least one-quarter of annual turnover 12 Enhance PRIO’s financial robustness Strategy PRIO Annual Peace Address 2012 Comments by plinary and explores issues of peace and conflict. 2012 REPORT ANNUAL PRIO Azar Gat: Gro Holm (NRK), Håvard Hegre (PRIO) PRIO’s research agenda reflects the institute’s overarching purpose, yet PRIO is both proac- ‘Peace for Our Time?’ 20 September 2012 at PRIO, Oslo tively involved in identifying new trends in global conflict and oriented toward formulating The PRIO Annual Peace Address invites distin- and documenting new understandings and guished guests to reflect on how to contribute to responses. the creation of a world in which violence is the exception and peace is the norm. The lecturers The PRIO Annual Peace Address is an import- will include scholars, policy makers, writers, tant part of our efforts to create awareness, artists and others with a distinct voice on peace stir public debate and increase understanding 5 and war matters on the world scene. about the conditions for peace in the world. We hope that the PRIO Annual Peace Address PRIO is an international research institute can challenge the peace research community whose overarching purpose is to conduct by suggesting new measures and bringing research on the conditions for peaceful relations new perspectives on peace and war. The ques- between states, groups and people. The institute tions asked and the answers sought can only be is independent, international and interdisci- improved by critical challenges. All photos: Kristian Hoelscher, PRIO PRIO Organization PRIO ANNUAL REPORT 2012 REPORT ANNUAL PRIO Board Bernt Aardal Institute Council 6 Director´s Office Kristian Berg Harpviken Director Inger Skjelsbæk Deputy Director Administration Communication Lene K. Borg Agnete Schjønsby Centre for the Study Social Dynamics Dimensions of Security PRIO Cyprus Centre of Civil War Jørgen Carling Pinar Tank Scott Gates Harry Tzimitras Research Groups • Cities and Populations • Governance • Non-State Conflict Actors • Civilians in Conflict • Humanitarianism • Peacebuilding • Conflict Trends • Law and Ethics • Regions and Powers • Environment • Media • Religion • Gender • Migration • Security Projects administered by a specific Department Cross-cutting thematic Research