Researching Peace - a podcast by Uppsala University
Published by Institutionen för freds- och konfliktforskning
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Why do armed conflicts happen? How can we achieve lasting peace? In the Researching Peace podcast, you will meet the leading researchers in peace and conflict research and other experts in the field. Researching Peace is produced by the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University. Some episodes are produced in collaboration with the Alva Myrdal Centre for Nuclear Disarmament and focus on issues of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The views expressed in the podcast are those of each contributor and do not represent the official position of either the University or the Department. More about us Department of Peace and Conflict Research - Uppsala University
In this summer special, Karen Brounéus, professor in peace and conflict research and clinical psychologist, offers practical advice to researchers and others whose work requires them to continuously ingest material containing descriptions of violence and suffering. RESOURCES A transcription of this episode is available on the department website: https://www.uu.se/download/18.3d4f842919ed45a4aad24a/1781682034077/%2349%20The%20importance%20of%20self-care%20when%20researching%20violence.pdf For more on Karen’s own journey and her research, please see episode #40 . For further reading, we recommend this excellent, easy-to-read piece by WHO: “Doing what matters in times of stress: An illustrated guide”: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240003927 For a survey and analysis on the experiences of collecting conflict data, please see this recent article in the Journal of Peace Research, titled Researching Human Rights Violations: Assessing Research-related Stress Among Research Assistants.” The article is available open access on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1177/00223433251370495
This special episode presents a recording of the 2026 Peter Wallensteen Lecture, which took place in Uppsala, Sweden on 20 May 2026. Professor T.V. Paul delivered a riveting analysis of how the pursuit of status affects the decisions of great powers. The first question during the Q&A was asked the by Jan Eliasson, former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs. Professor Peter Wallensteen himself offered the concluding question. *** The annual Peter Wallensteen Lecture honours the department’s founder, Professor Peter Wallensteen and his enduring legacy in peace studies. T.V. Paul is Distinguished James McGill Professor in the Department of Political Science at McGill University, Montreal, Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
In this episode, we discuss nuclear proliferation and disarmament in the Nordic region with Professor Thomas Jonter. In response to the rapidly shifting security landscape of the Nordics and the Baltic Sea region, the AMC working group, which Thomas leads, has increasingly focused on this region. Read more about the working group and their research: https://www.uu.se/4.28afe6b218c4313625918573.html A transcript of this episode is available on our website: https://www.uu.se/download/18.7b07d1fb19ddcad926649530/1778586543292/Thomas%20transcription.pdf
Our researcher Sebastian van Baalen and his team are conducting the most extensive study of election boycotts to date. In this episode, we ask him why political parties or candidates choose to drop out of elections and what they hope to achieve by doing so. What can we learn from their multifaceted reasons for opting out? Why are incumbents often afraid of such boycotts? What role does humour play? Sebastian is the project leader for the ongoing research project “Opting out? Explaining the effectiveness of election boycotts”. Working with researchers Gudlaug Olafsdottir and Jesper Bjarnesen (The Nordic Africa Institute), the project has constructed the largest dataset so far on election boycotts, compiling new data on all election boycotts worldwide between 1945 and 2025. Further resources Read more about Sebastian's project on the DPCR website: https://www.uu.se/en/department/peace-and-conflict-research/research/research-projects/opting-out-explaining-the-effectiveness-of-election-boycotts A transcript of this episode is available on our website: https://www.uu.se/download/18.12d27b2919db51d4e285378/1776953932007/Sebastian%20van%20Baalen.pdf
In this episode, we discuss power-sharing as a tool for ethnic conflict management with Alexandre Raffoul, who recently defended his thesis on the subject. His dissertation sheds light on the understudied concept of “associational power-sharing”, and his data reveal some striking findings. Resources: The extensive summary (Kappa) of Alexandre's dissertation "The Logics of Multi-Ethnic Coalitions: Power-Sharing, Party Systems, and Ethnic Conflict Management" is available here: https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A2024657&dswid=4385 The first essay, “Practicing Power-Sharing: How Political Adversaries (Fail to) Rule Jointly”, is available open access in Nations and Nationalism: https://doi.org/10.1111/nana.13110 The second essay, "Unstable Concepts, Unresolved Controversies: Reassembling Power-Sharing, Consociationalism, and Centripetalism", is published open access in Nationalism and Ethnic Politics: https://doi.org/10.1080/13537113.2025.2488577
In this episode, Associate Professor Anders Themnér from our department discusses his research into student-led violence in sub-Saharan Africa. What are the patterns and warning signs of such violence? Should universities be mindful of these signs? Read more about Anders’ project: https://www.uu.se/en/department/peace-and-conflict-research/research/research-projects/uncivil-students-the-militarization-of-student-civil-society-as-a-threat-to-democracy
In this episode, we welcome Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo. Tapping into her experience as a Ghanaian scholar and activist, we discuss feminism, activism, and potential pitfalls in academic collaborations between the global north and the global south. Akosua Adomako Ampofo is Professor of African and Gender Studies, and a former Director of the Institute of African Studies and the Centre for Gender Studies at the University of Ghana. She was awarded the 2025 Claude Ake Chair, hosted by the Department of Peace and Conflict Research and the Nordic Africa Institute. (NAI) This episode is hosted by Joakim Palmén
What are the most acute threats to nuclear security and how are they evolving? How does nuclear security relate to non-proliferation and disarmament? In this episode we talk to Lars van Dassen, who is executive director of the World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS) in Vienna. This episode is presented in collaboration with the Alva Myrdal Centre for nuclear disarmament.
In this episode we discuss the Iranian nuclear issue with Ambassador Stephan Klement, who is the EU Special Envoy for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation. He has been a part of the nuclear negotiations with Iran for more than 20 years and is a Special Advisor for the Iranian nuclear issue in the European External Action Service. Since Stephan holds two doctoral degrees, in International Law and in Physics, we also zoom in on the interdisciplinary aspect. This episode is produced in co-operation with the Alva Myrdal Centre for nuclear disarmament: uu.se/amc
In this episode, Karen Brounéus, professor in peace and conflict research and clinical psychologist, takes us on a journey from grassroots work to the bird's-eye view of research and policy and back again. Karen’s research helps us think more deeply about the intrinsic link between mental health and conflict reduction. Her new Uppsala Initiative for Global Mental Health and Peace includes a project in Tigray, Ethiopia, developing an evidence-based approach to treat post-war depression, and a project with Mindfulness-based stress reduction in Sweden. #Research #MentalHealth #PeaceAndConflict
In this episode UCDP Research coordinator Therese Pettersson discusses their newly released data for the year 2024. She also walks us through how the Uppsala Conflict Data Program ensures the quality of the datasets and how they tacke key challenges in data collection. Further resources: A special data feature in which the UCDP team discusses the data is available open access on the Journal of Peace Research website. We also recommend the latest episode of PRIO's Peace in a Pod, which asks what the rise in global conflict means for children in the affected areas.
This special episode features the talk by Professor Mary Ellen O’Connell from the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, which she gave at the inaugural Peter Wallensteen Lecture on 20 May 2025 in Uppsala. This new lecture series honours our founder Professor Peter Wallensteen. The talk begins with a critique of the current reliance on deterrence theory. Professor O’Connell then proceeds to argue how AI research and state funds should be reoriented from deterrence towards self-defence based on the principles of international law. We found the talk thought-provoking and hope you too will find it stimulating! Mary Ellen O’Connell is the Robert and Marion Short Professor of Law and Professor of International Peace Studies—Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, USA. Her work is in the areas of international law on the use of force, international dispute resolution, and international legal theory. Her current work is on AI in the military domain.
After several decades of relative stability, many now question the health of the global nuclear order. In this episode, Dr. Stephen Herzog offers his take on the impact of the Russian war in Ukraine, the rise of China, and recent shifts in US foreign policy under Trump. Is the nuclear taboo eroding? Will more countries acquire nuclear weapons? Are key non-proliferation and disarmament treaties under threat? Stephen has done extensive research on these topics and published many influential papers. In fact, we were so impressed with his thorough, innovative, and surprisingly optimistic analysis that we decided to make this an extended episode! Dr. Stephen Herzog is Professor of the Practice at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, based at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. He is the Academic Co-Chair of the Harvard-MacArthur Foundation Beyond Nuclear Deterrence Working Group. Professor Herzog has been involved with the Alva Myrdal Centre's Working Group 1 on Nuclear Negotiations since it began and is a frequent guest lecturer for the AMC's academic programming for students at Uppsala University. He has published widely in scholarly and policy journals and holds a PhD In Political Science from Yale University. Before returning to academia, Dr. Herzog was a nuclear arms control official working for the US Department of Energy. This episode is produced in cooperation with the Alva Myrdal Centre for Nuclear Disarmament. It is hosted by Communications Officer Joakim Palmén. -- Here are some of Stephen’s publications, which also served as background for the episode: This article offers a broad discussion of the Russo-Ukrainian War's implications for the global nuclear order: https://doi.org/10.1080/00396338.2022.2103255 This chapter assesses how Russia's war on Ukraine will affect prospects for nuclear disarmament and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW): https://www.amacad.org/publication/altered-nuclear-order-wake-russia-ukraine-war/section/2 This article describes the role that China could play in helping to stabilize the global nuclear order: https://doi.org/10.1080/10402659.2024.2401058
In this episode Siri Jansson discusses the joys and challenges of creating the Alva Myrdal Centre’s new database on arms control agreements, AMC data. Siri offers fascinating insights on how visuals have been an integral part of the project since its inception. We also get a sneak peek of what’s next for the AMC Data team! Check out AMC Data: https://amcdata.uu.se/en
In this episode we discuss the link between science and policy with Florian Krampe, who works as Director of Studies, Peace and Development at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI.) Florian has rich experience working at the interface between science and policy and offers valuable perspectives and examples of how successfully bridging the gap between researchers and policymakers can lead to better outcomes. This episode is hosted by Stefan Döring, who is a researcher at our department. For more information on the Geneva Water Hub, please see https://www.genevawaterhub.org/ Links to work mentioned in this episode: 1) International Affairs article: https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiae057 , 2) Sipri Fact sheets on climate security: https://www.sipri.org/research/peace-and-development/climate-change-and-risk/climate-related-peace-and-security-risks/recent-pubs 3) Recent article in Environmental Politics: https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2022.2156174 , 4) Environment of Peace Report: https://doi.org/10.55163/LCLS7037 .
In this episode we look at current threats to democracy and ask if the internet and social media have turned against democracy? Joining us from Norway is Espen Geelmuyden Rød, who is a former researcher at our department. Espen has done research on the social and political causes of autocracy and democracy as well as the political impacts of digital information and communications technology. Sources mentioned: The Struggle for Trust Online | Freedom House Study on US democracy/oligarchy: Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens | Perspectives on Politics | Cambridge Core Sample of Espen’s Research: Empowering activists or autocrats? The Internet in authoritarian regimes Espen Geelmuyden Rød and Nils B Weidmann https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022343314555782 The Internet and Political Protest in Autocracies Nils B. Weidmann and Espen Geelmuyden Rød https://academic.oup.com/book/34978 The determinants of democracy: a sensitivity analysis Espen Geelmuyden Rød, Carl Henrik Knutsen and Håvard Hegre https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11127-019-00742-z?te=1&nl=the-interpreter&emc=edit_int_20191111
In this episode, Johan Brosché helps us navigate the complexities and horrors of the civil war currently raging in Sudan. Johan works as associate professor at our department and is one of Sweden’s leading experts on Sudan. A quick glance at Johan’s CV reveals his academic interest in Sudan, but during our conversation his engagement and empathy for the people of Sudan also became apparent. During our conversation Johan shared memories from Sudan and recent reports from contacts on the ground, while offering valuable insights into the conflict , paths towards de-escalation and why the war is underreported in Western media. This episode is hosted by Joakim Palmén, Communications Officer at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research.
Ludovica Castelli is an expert on the history of nuclear weapons in the Middle East. In the latest episode of our podcast Researching Peace, Ludovica takes us on a fascinating journey covering oft-overlooked nuclear politics in the region and offers her take on recent events in light of this complex history. This episode is presented by the Alva Myrdal Centre for Nuclear Disarmament . It is hosted by Giacomo Cassano, who is currently doing his PhD at the Centre as a member of the working group on nuclear negotiations.
Around the world – in both mature and young democracies, elections continue to be a flashpoint for violence. Researchers at our department recently released a model for forecasting violence related to elections, which could help inform the work to protect and promote democracy and electoral integrity around the globe. In this episode we interview David Randahl and Hanne Fjelde, who worked on the project, to explore how the model works and what it could be used for. The research was led by David Randahl, and the team also included Maxine Leis, Tim Gåsste, Hanne Fjelde and Håvard Hegre based at our department, as well as Staffan I. Lindberg from the V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg and Steven Wilson from the Department of Politics at Brandeis University. The study was a collaboration with the Kofi Annan Foundation . The paper is available as a pre-print through the VDEM working paper series website This episode is hosted by Joakim Palmén, Communications Officer at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research.
In this episode of Researching Peace, we welcome Sabine Otto, who discusses her project focusing on the civilian aspects of UN peacekeeping operations and their role in promoting human rights. She explains the transition towards multi-dimensional peacekeeping operations and reflects on future steps to enhance the effectiveness of civilian components in peacekeeping missions.
