Mediators and conflict resolution institutions now face greater challenges in peace processes as conflict parties rely on both online and offline means to recruit followers, finance activities, censor the vulnerable and control conflict narratives, and spy on or disrupt an opponent’s digital systems. In this new context, mediators must develop a more sophisticated understanding of how such uses of digital technologies affect the dynamics of civil conflicts and disrupt peace processes. Discover this paper by Camino Kavanagh from the Institute for Security Studies.

04/02/2021

Read this toolkit by the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. This report is an attempt to assess the implications of growing connectivity and reliance on digital technologies for what has always been a human-intensive endeavour: the mediation of armed conflicts. It will inform and accompany the development of a Toolkit for mediators. The objective of this work is to: (i) raise awareness among mediation practitioners of the implications of digital technology use in mediation contexts; (ii) promote ongoing reflection and discussion on the topic; (iii) provide mediators with concrete examples and practical information on digital technologies; and (iv) establish a community of practice to exchange information and experiences, including on how to integrate digital technologies into mediation strategies. The report also showcases the manifold opportunities that digital technologies offer to mediators and their teams to support their work. It focuses on four thematic areas: (1) conflict analysis; (2) engagement with conflict parties; (3) inclusivity; and (4) strategic communications.

01/03/2019

The challenge that cyber actions pose to the international system have become a Tier 1 level threat for many states, and therefore they pose clear threats to domestic and international stability. No one is immune to the potential disasters that can emanate from digital space. From the Stuxnet case of the United States and Israel leveraging cyber tools to hamper Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons to Russia’s attempt to influence the United States presidential election of 2016, cyber conflict events are prevalent and increasing. The missing link is just what can be done to solve or stabilize these challenges? The securitization of the domain has become inevitable, yet we should question the foundations of the threat and seek pathways towards mitigation. This chapter, written by Brandon Valeriano and Ryan C. Maness, considers whether mediation might facilitate crisis management in the context of ongoing cyber disputes.

01/08/2018

In this paper, Monika Wohlfeld and Jack Jasper analyse cyberattacks and cyber conflict and the challenges they pose to the field of conflict resolution. State and non-state actors alike are conducting cyberattacks in new and sophisticated ways that result in conflicts which are not readily addressed by conflict resolution approaches. Consequently, these developments in cyberspace take place without much input from conflict resolution scholars and practitioners.

01/01/2018

This Conflict Series Brief, by Patryk Pawlak, Eneken Tikk and Mika Kerttunen, examines the current practices and future possibilities of preventive action in relation to conflict in cyberspace. When categorising state uses of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as a form of conflict, attention should be paid to three considerations. First, hostile uses of ICTs rarely occur outside of a pre-existing or broader politico-military dispute. Second, a malicious state use of ICTs can lead to an escalation in pre-existing adversarial relations. Third, the use of cyber capabilities in a conflict situation often includes the targeting of civilian infrastructure and therefore has wide-ranging implications for the proper functioning of societies. Against this background, this Brief argues that the use of malicious cyber tools for power projection can and must be prevented.

17/04/2020