The Art of the Possible: Decommissioning Mindsets with Monica McWilliams

In this live episode of the Kroc Cast, Good Friday Agreement signatory Monica McWilliams shares a masterclass in resilience and political strategy. Drawing from her experience co-founding the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition, McWilliams offers a candid look at what it takes to "mess up the pitch" and force a seat at a table dominated by "big beasts" and entrenched "dinosaurs." She explores the grueling "software" of peacebuilding—the work of decommissioning mental prejudices—and explains why peace must be "heated" simultaneously at the elite and grassroots levels. With wit and candor, McWilliams discusses the tactical use of humor against sexism, the vital influence of Nelson Mandela, and the delicate challenge of "tattooing a balloon" to ensure a peace process survives long after the signatures are dry. This episode was recorded live at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies' Strategic Peacebuilding Academy on "Peace Processes" in 2025.

How do we measure the success of a peace process? While international observers often look to legislative milestones and disarmament data, these metrics often miss the most critical element of lasting change: the slow, relational work of the people living through the transition. At the center of this effort is civil society—the community leaders and grassroots organizers who act as the ultimate stewards of peace, transforming high-level agreements into lived realities on the ground. In this episode of The Kroc Cast, Allison Kielhold sits down with Mariafernanda (Mafe) Burgos Ariza and Angela Lederach (Ph.D. '20) to challenge the traditional "fast-track" model of international peacebuilding. Using the ongoing implementation in Colombia as a lens, they explore how civil society movements sustain momentum during political uncertainty and delve into the concept of “slow peace”—a framework that prioritizes trust, ritual, and daily healing over bureaucratic deadlines.

In this urgent and timely episode of the Kroc Cast, we are joined by Kelsey Davenport (MA '11), Director of Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association. This conversation was recorded as a "massive armada" gathered in the Persian Gulf, and it now serves as a hauntingly prophetic analysis of the catastrophic military escalation that unfolded on February 28, 2026. Hours after "intense" nuclear negotiations in Geneva ended without a deal, the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury (Roaring Lion), a joint military assault aimed at toppling the Iranian regime and "razing" its missile and nuclear infrastructure. With reports confirming the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and retaliatory strikes hitting U.S. bases across the Gulf, the region has entered the "devastating war" Davenport warned was nearly inevitable without a diplomatic off-ramp.

How can a global research tool become a localized "bridge" for peace? In this episode of the Kroc Cast, experts Madhav Joshi, Myla Liguoro, and Bishnu Sapkota join host Melinda Davis to discuss the evolution of PAM-Mindanao (PAM-M). The conversation highlights how a framework originally known for its global research has become a "scientific art of accompaniment" in the Bangsamoro peace process, fostering trust through a unique co-creation model between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The guests explore how evidence-based monitoring serves as a vital bridge between high-level negotiations and grassroots realities.

Peace implementation is a long, nonlinear journey that requires more than just technical oversight—it requires a human network rooted in trust. In this episode of The Kroc Cast, we go behind the scenes of the Peace Accords Matrix (PAM) to explore its historic responsibility: independently monitoring the 2016 Final Peace Accord in Colombia. Host Cristian Sáez Flórez is joined by the researchers and practitioners who bring this work to life through a unique partnership between the University of Notre Dame and the Colombian Barometer Initiative. This conversation dives into the delicate balance between measuring progress and respecting the lived realities of communities navigating the legacy of conflict. From technical innovations in transitional justice to the emotional dimensions of post-conflict work, our guests share how this binational collaboration turns high-level commitments into tangible change on the ground. The episode features Ángela María Ramírez Rincón, Executive Director of the Barometer Initiative in Colombia; Mateo Gómez Vásquez, Technical Research Leader; Natalia Restrepo Ortiz, Research Associate; and Carolina Serrano Idrovo, Research Associate for PAM at the Kroc Institute. 

Are we facing the dusk or the dawn of peace processes and global peacebuilding efforts? In this episode of the Kroc Cast, renowned scholar-practitioner Dr. John Paul Lederach invites listeners to reflect on his half-century arc of experience in the field and challenges us to confront the core tensions of peacemaking in a time of crisis. This episode was recorded live at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies' Strategic Peacebuilding Academy on "Peace Processes" in 2025. You can access Dr. Lederach's full PowerPoint Presentation here.    

We know you've been waiting—and we're thrilled to announce an all-new season of The Kroc Cast beginning November 2025.   This season we're zeroing in on the most critical element of any peace effort: the peace agreements. We'll explore how signed documents transform into real change on the ground, guided by the Institute's globally renowned tool, the Peace Accords Matrix.   Don't miss this season connecting global research with the local reality.

In this episode of The Kroc Cast, Josefina Echavarría Álvarez, director of the Peace Accords Matrix and the Legacy Project at the Kroc Institute, part of the Keough School of Global Affairs, explores the power of Colombia’s Truth Commission Transmedia Platform and its relevance for peacebuilding worldwide. The conversation highlights how this innovative, multimedia archive preserves multiple voices and lived experiences of Colombia’s armed conflict while offering insights for societies grappling with the legacies of violence. Joining the discussion are two distinguished scholars working with the Legacy Project: Leigh Payne, Professor of Sociology and Latin America at the University of Oxford, whose extensive research on transitional justice spans Latin America and beyond, and Emma Murphy, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Keough-Naughton Institute and the Kroc Institute, whose work develops the concept of agonistic transitional justice as an alternative to liberal approaches. Together, they reflect on the possibilities and challenges of memory, contestation, and multiplicity in processes of truth-telling and reconciliation.

Art has long been a powerful tool for fostering understanding, reconciliation, and healing in conflict-affected societies. By transforming cultural, political, and ideological boundaries, artistic expression allows individuals to communicate, reflect, and envision new possibilities for coexistence. In this episode, Peace Policy guest editor Norbert Koppensteiner, Associate Teaching Professor of Peace Studies, joined the contributors of the issue to discuss the diverse ways that art contributes to peacebuilding, demonstrating its ability to cultivate empathy, challenge oppressive structures, and create spaces for dialogue. Contributors to this issue of Peace Policy include Alison Ribeiro de Menezes, a Professor of Hispanic Studies at the University of Warwick, UK; Vera Brandner, head of the NGO ipsum and a freelance scientist and lecturer; Jessica (Doe) Mehta, Ph.D. (Aniyunwiya/Cherokee Nation), a 2024-2025 Visiting Research Fellow at the Kroc Institute; and Paula Ditzel Facci, a dancing peace researcher and assistant professor of peacebuilding at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University. Read all articles in this issue at peacepolicy.nd.edu.

Every year, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) hosts the SheLeads4Peace Summer School, a program dedicated to providing women peacebuilders the necessary skills to be a leader for peace as they transition from their education into their professional careers. For the past two years, the Kroc Institute has had the privilege of partnering with UNITAR to send a delegation of seven Notre Dame undergraduate women to Geneva to take part in this event. In this episode, Anna Van Overberghe, assistant director for Academic Administration and Undergraduate Studies, is joined by Mary Kate Cashman (BA '24), Erin Tutaj (BA '24), and Ella Ermshler (BA '25), three peace studies students who participated in the 2023 SheLeads4Peace Summer School this past August.