Research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world

Past Event
Seminar

The Spread of Violent Civil Conflict: Rare, State-Driven, and Preventable

Open to the Public

Since the end of World War II, many U.S. military interventions in developing world civil conflicts have been motivated, in part, by a fear that if a given conflict is not stopped early, it may spread across borders later and destabilize an entire region. In this seminar, the speaker will explore the true frequency with which violent civil conflicts spread across borders and discuss why conflicts spread in some cases but not others.

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.

Date: Time: - Location: Littauer Building - Belfer Center Library, Room 369
People visit the site of explosion in the Pakistani tribal area of Khyber near Peshawar, Pakistan, Jan 10, 2012. A bomb targeting a militia opposed to the Pakistani Taliban exploded in a market close to the Afghan border, killing many people.

About

Since the end of World War II, many U.S. military interventions in developing world civil conflicts have been motivated, in part, by a fear that if a given conflict is not stopped early, it may spread across borders later and destabilize an entire region. In this seminar, the speaker will explore the true frequency with which violent civil conflicts spread across borders and discuss why conflicts spread in some cases but not others. In brief, the speaker will argue that conflict is unlikely to spread across borders without the deliberate intervention of sovereign state actors, making this phenomenon of "contagion" less common, more state-driven, and more preventable than the current conventional wisdom holds.

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.