Violent conflicts in states such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan and the Balkans are at the centre of global politics. Big battles have been fought, enormous sums of money have been spent and troops have been deployed to end these conflicts. But is trying to defeat the supposed enemies – be they ‘freedom fighters’, ‘terrorists’ or state armies – the right approach? Or do these conflicts require other policy solutions?

Hollandse Hoogte / Jenny Matthews

Roadblock near Bo, Sierra Leone, October 1999.

Since the end of the Cold War the international community’s attention to intrastate civil war, political instability and state fragility has grown considerably. The past 20 years has seen a steep increase in the number of UN peace operations, with new players, such as the European Union and NATO, getting involved. This has given new impetus to academic discussions on the nature of contemporary violent conflict and warfare. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the ensuing military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq have added a new twist to these discussions. Increasingly security and stability are seen as ‘global issues’. This has all led to a lively debate about the causes and dynamics of intrastate violent conflicts as well as ways to deal with them.

The Broker invited two eminent researchers of contemporary civil war – Mary Kaldor of the London School of Economics and Stathis Kalyvas of Yale University – to share their views on these issues. Ten years ago, Mary Kaldor wrote her ground-breaking book, New and Old Wars: Organised Violence in a Global Era. The book challenged and shifted the views of many policy makers, but it also sparked discussions about the ‘newness’ of contemporary war. In her contribution to this special report, Kaldor argues that her ideas are still relevant and that the book continues to influence thinking about issues of human security.

Stathis Kalyvas has published widely on issues of civil war. In his most recent book, The Logic of Violence in Civil War, he analyzes the causes and dynamics of civil conflict, separating the concepts of war and violence. In his earlier work he questioned the idea that contemporary wars are ‘new’. In his contribution to this report, Kalyvas examines the main trends in civil war research since the Cold War and distinguishes different types of civil war.

Rather than merely repeat an old discussion about the ‘newness’ of civil wars, with this special report The Broker wants to launch a debate about different understandings of and responses to civil war. We welcome your comments and opinions.

Prepared by Chris van der Borgh, Centre of Conflict Studies at Utrecht University, the Netherlands and Frans Bieckmann.