Root of Conflict

What makes conflict win out over compromise? In this episode, we speak with Dr. Chris Blattman, an acclaimed expert on violence and conflict. His recent book, “Why We Fight,” draws on economics, political science, and psychology to examine the root causes of war and the paths to peace.In light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the other ongoing conflicts our world faces today, many of us are wondering, is resorting to violence the norm? Are the paths to war easier than the paths to peace? Examining real-world interventions, “Why We Fight” explores why violent conflict is rare in reality and how successful societies interrupt and end violence through peacebuilding.This podcast is produced in partnership with the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts. For more information, please visit their website at www.thepearsoninstitute.orgAccess the transcript here: https://thepearsoninstitute.org/news-and-media/podcastPodcast Production Credits:Interviewing: Deqa Aden and Ana Camila VasquezEditing: Aishwarya KumarProduction: Reema Saleh

How does disinformation fuel modern conflict? In this episode, we speak with Nina Jankowicz, an expert on disinformation and a Global Fellow at the Wilson Center. We talk about her debut book, "How to Lose the Information War," which takes the reader through several case studies of how Western governments are impacted by Russian disinformation tactics and how to navigate the future of conflict. We also talk about her upcoming book, "How to Be a Woman Online," coming out April 21, on how to deal with gendered harassment and abuse in online spaces.Note: this episode was recorded in November of 2021, before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, so keep that in mind as you're listening. In the past month, we've seen misinformation and disinformation efforts ramp up, so it's important to understand how these strategies work and what threats they pose.This podcast is produced in partnership with the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts. For more information, please visit their website at www.thepearsoninstitute.orgAccess the transcript here: https://thepearsoninstitute.org/news-and-media/podcastPodcast Production Credits:Interviewing: Annie Henderson and Reema SalehEditing: Aishwarya KumarProduction: Reema Saleh

How can we build more peaceful, resilient societies? In this episode, we speak with Steve Killelea, a global philanthropist focused on peace and sustainable development and author of “Peace in the Age of Chaos.” He is the founder of the Institute for Economics and Peace and the Global Peace Index, which measures and ranks the peacefulness of 163 different countries around the world.This podcast is produced in partnership with the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts. For more information, please visit their website at www.thepearsoninstitute.orgAccess the transcript here: https://thepearsoninstitute.org/news-and-media/podcastPodcast Production Credits:Interviewing: Deqa Aden and Reema SalehEditing: Aishwarya KumarProduction: Reema Saleh

What are the prospects for peace in Yemen and how do we hold international actors accountable? In this episode, we speak with Afrah Nasser, a researcher with Human Rights Watch investigating humanitarian law violations and human rights abuses in Yemen. A former activist and independent journalist in Sana’a, Nasser has been advocating for human rights and justice in Yemen for over a decade.This podcast is produced in partnership with the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts. For more information, please visit their website at www.thepearsoninstitute.orgAccess the transcript here: https://thepearsoninstitute.org/news-and-media/podcastPodcast Production Credits:Interviewing: Reema SalehEditing: Aishwarya KumarProduction: Reema Saleh

Can intergroup contact build social cohesion after conflict? In this episode, we speak with Dr. Salma Mousa, a political scientist studying social cohesion after conflict and what policies can build trust between groups. She talks about her latest study on building social cohesion between Christian and Muslim youth soccer players in post-ISIS Iraq and the challenges to achieving peace between groups.This podcast is produced in partnership with the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts. For more information, please visit their website at www.thepearsoninstitute.orgAccess the study here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abb3153Access the transcript here: https://thepearsoninstitute.org/news-and-media/podcastPodcast Production Credits:Interviewing: Aishwarya Raje and Wafa Eben BeriEditing: Aishwarya KumarProduction: Reema Saleh

Refugee populations face unique challenges to mental health and overcoming trauma in resettlement. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Aimee Hilado, a clinical social worker and researcher specializing in immigrant and refugee mental health and Associate Professor of Social Work at Northeastern Illinois University. Dr. Hilado is the founder and director of the RefugeeOne Wellness Program, a mental health program established in 2011 for refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants in Illinois.This podcast is produced in partnership with the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts. For more information, please visit their website at www.thepearsoninstitute.orgRefugeeOne is the largest refugee resettlement agency in Illinois and serves over 2,500 immigrants and refugees each year. Learn more about them on their website at www.refugeeone.orgAccess the transcript here: https://thepearsoninstitute.org/news-and-media/podcastPodcast Production Credits:Interviewing: Aishwarya Raje and Marina MilaszewskaEditing: Aishwarya KumarProduction: Reema Saleh

How do researchers assess the impact of peacebuilding interventions? And what can we learn from examining existing literature as a whole? In this episode, we speak with Ada Sonnenfeld, a former Evaluation Specialist with the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie). She talks about her work managing systematic reviews and evidence gap map projects, which can help policymakers make more informed decisions about how to use evidence – to make sense of what we know and learn from what has been done before. We discuss her recent review, where she and her colleagues synthesize evidence on programs that promote intergroup social cohesion in fragile contexts.This podcast is produced in partnership with the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts. For more information, please visit their website at www.thepearsoninstitute.orgAccess the study here: http://bit.ly/SocialCohesionSR46Access the transcript here: https://thepearsoninstitute.org/news-and-media/podcastPodcast Production Credits:Interviewing: Reema Saleh and Mwangi ThuitaEditing: Aishwarya KumarProduction: Reema Saleh

The relationship between illegal financial flows and state-level violence is present in conflicts around the world, and is especially pronounced in Afghanistan. In particular, the country’s thriving drug market based on the opium trade has proven to be a major economic factor that has been fueling the ongoing conflict. In this episode of Root of Conflict, Aishwarya Raje and Mwangi Thuita speak with Gretchen Peters, Executive Director of the Center on Illicit Networks and Transnational Organized Crime (CINTOC). Drawing on her role at CINTOC as well as her decades-long career as a writer and journalist, Gretchen talks through why the political economy of the War in Afghanistan is so poorly understood, and the connections between criminal networks, weakened institutions, and breakdown into disorder.This podcast is produced in partnership with the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts. For more information, please visit their website at www.thepearsoninstitute.orgAccess the transcript here: https://thepearsoninstitute.org/news-and-media/podcast

The War in Afghanistan following the US invasion in 2001 is almost two decades old. In recent years there’s been a growing appetite for a non-military resolution to the conflict. We speak with Laurel Miller — the Asia Program Director at International Crisis Group and a former state department official working on Afghanistan and Pakistan — about the ongoing negotiations between the Taliban and Afghan government in Doha and how the US’s goals in Afghanistan has evolved over the course of the war. We discuss the best case scenario for the peace talks, the implications of the 2020 US election, and whether the US has learned the right lessons about counterinsurgency.This podcast is produced in partnership with the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts. For more information, please visit their website atwww.thepearsoninstitute.orgAccess the transcript here: https://thepearsoninstitute.org/news-and-media/podcastWatch Laurel Miller on the Afghanistan panel at the 2020 Pearson Global Forum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Scz4JTGoagA&list=PLjioxPKLA82KySaS8BOADulND4ZMj4BQC&index=14&ab_channel=ThePearsonInstitute

Climate change will affect rich and poor countries — but poorer countries are predicted to pay the greatest human and economic cost. In this episode we interview Amir Jina, an Assistant Professor at University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, researching how economic and social development is shaped by the environment. He uses economics, climate science, and remote sensing to understand the impacts of climate in both rich and poor countries.In our conversation with Prof. Jina, we discuss how shocks to the water system could impact conflict patterns — and whether it’s even possible to identify a causal relationship between conflict and climate change. We also talk about his work at the Climate Impact Lab using state of the art empirical methods to study the effects of climate change.This podcast is produced in partnership with the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts. For more information, please visit their website at www.thepearsoninstitute.org. Access the transcript here: https://thepearsoninstitute.org/news-and-media/podcastLinks to articles discussed in the episode:Watch Amir Jina on a panel at the 2020 Pearson Global Forum on the theme of Climate Conflict: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QO6nAAK4rw&list=PLjioxPKLA82KySaS8BOADulND4ZMj4BQC&index=6&ab_channel=ThePearsonInstitutePodcast Production Credit: Interviewing: Aishwarya Raje and Mwangi ThuitaEditing: Aishwarya Raje and Mwangi ThuitaProduction: Aishwarya Raje and Mwangi Thuita