Sebastian van Baalen
Associate senior lecturer/Assistant Professor at Department of Peace and Conflict Research
- E-mail:
- sebastian.van-baalen@pcr.uu.se
- Visiting address:
- Gamla Torget 3, 1tr
753 20 Uppsala - Postal address:
- Box 514
751 20 UPPSALA
Download contact information for Sebastian van Baalen at Department of Peace and Conflict Research
- ORCID:
- 0000-0003-3098-5587
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Short presentation
Sebastian van Baalen is Associate Professor focusing on the dynamics of violence and governance in civil war, electoral violence, nonviolent action, and postwar violence. He is the principal investigator for the project "Opting out? Explaining the effectiveness of election boycotts", and works on several other projects. His research builds on a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, with experience working in Côte d'Ivoire. Previously, he worked as a freelance journalist.
Keywords
- election boycotts
- fieldwork
- ivory coast
- legacies of civil war
- postwar violence
- rebel governance
- south africa
Biography
- Docent in Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University (2024)
- PhD in Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University (2021)
- MSSc in Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University (2015)
- BA in Political Science, Uppsala University (2013). Minored in Peace and Conflict Research and Philosophy.
- Exchange studies at Stellenbosch University, South Africa (2012).
- Assistant editor-in-chief at Mänsklig Säkerhet (2015–2016)
Research
Sebastian is the principal investigator for "Opting out? Explaining the effectiveness of election boycotts", and a co-investigator in the projects "Crossing the Rubicon: The Dynamics of Restraint in Civil War" and "Alliances of Anarchy: Actor Constellations and Patterns of Electoral Violence".
Working papers are available on my personal website.
Blog Posts, Op-Eds and Popular Science Articles
Why communal conflict should be viewed as a wartime phenomenon. The Loop – ECPR’s Political Science Blog. 14 May 2024 (with Claudia Wiehler).
Local elections signal the death of coalition politics in Côte d’Ivoire. Democracy in Africa. 27 September 2023.
Därför riskerar kriget i Ukraina att bli långdraget [Why the war in Ukraine will be long]. Tranås Posten, 22 February 2023.
Hur slutar ett krig? [How does war end?]. Tranås Posten, 18 April 2022.
Can nonviolent civil resistance stop Putin? Political Violence @ a Glance. 11 March 2022 (with Isak Svensson).
Ickevåldsmotståndet som utmanar Putin [The nonviolent resistance challenging Putin]. Utrikesmagasinet, 9 March 2022 (with Isak Svensson).
Putins invasion är ett hot mot den rådande världsordningen [Putin’s invasion is a threat to the current global order]. Tranås Posten, 2 March 2022.
Elfenbenskusten: Risk för våld vid ifrågasatt val [Côte d’Ivoire: Risk of violence following contested election]. Global Bar Magazine, 28 October 2020 (with Jesper Bjarnesen).
The making of a dinosaur? Côte d’Ivoire’s 2020 elections. Democracy in Africa. 22 October 2020 (with Jesper Bjarnesen).
Will Côte d’Ivoire’s presidential election turn violent? Political Violence @ a Glance. 15 October 2020 (with Jesper Bjarnesen).
The nuts and bolts of a climate-conflict link in East Africa. New Security Beat. 19 March 2018 (with Malin Mobjörk).
Politisk maktkamp hotar freden i Elfenbenskusten [Political power struggle threatens Côte d’Ivoire’s peace]. Utrikesmagasinet. 15 December 2017.
Jasaffären i Botswana strider mot Sveriges mål [The Jas-deal with Botswana violates Sweden’s goals]. Svenska Dagbladet. 24 March 2017 (with Johan Brosché and Kristine Höglund).
Underskatta inte IS administrativa makt [Do not underestimate the Islamic State’s administrative power]. Mänsklig Säkerhet. 25 October 2016.
Sydafrikas moraliska förfall [South Africa’s moral decay]. Mänsklig Säkerhet. 2 November 2015.
Fredsarbete måste se till relationen mellan det lokala och nationella [Peacebuilding must consider the relationship between the local and national]. Mänsklig Säkerhet. 16 June 2015.
Media
Personal website
My personal website
https://sebastianvanbaalen.se/
Publications
Selection of publications
- Keeping communal peace in the shadow of civil war (2024)
- Civilian Protest in Civil War (2024)
- Polls of Fear? (2023)
- Behind enemy lines (2023)
- Civil war recurrence and postwar violence (2021)
- Local Elites, Civil Resistance, and the Responsiveness of Rebel Governance in Côte d’Ivoire (2021)
Recent publications
- Governing the Shadows (2024)
- Keeping communal peace in the shadow of civil war (2024)
- Civilian Protest in Civil War (2024)
- Polls of Fear? (2023)
- Civilian Protest and Competitive State-building in Rebel-held Côte d’Ivoire (2023)
All publications
Articles
- Governing the Shadows (2024)
- Keeping communal peace in the shadow of civil war (2024)
- Civilian Protest in Civil War (2024)
- Polls of Fear? (2023)
- Patterns of electoral violence during Côte d’Ivoire’s third-Term crisis (2023)
- Behind enemy lines (2023)
- Civil war recurrence and postwar violence (2021)
- Local Elites, Civil Resistance, and the Responsiveness of Rebel Governance in Côte d’Ivoire (2021)
- “So, the Killings Continued” (2019)
- "Google Wants to Know Your Location" (2018)
- Climate Change and Violent Conflict in East Africa (2018)
- The Microdynamics of Conflict Escalation (2014)
Books
Chapters
Reports
- Democratic Backsliding in Côte d'Ivoire (2021)
- Ouattara's Third-Term Bid Raises Old Fears (2020)
- Reconceptualising Rebel Rule (2020)
- Climate-Related Security Risks (2016)
- A coming anarchy? (2016)