New Book - Jihadist Peace: Ending Islamist Civil Wars
In Jihadist Peace: Ending Islamist Civil Wars, professors Desirée Nilsson and Isak Svensson bridge the gap between conflict resolution theory and scholarship on Islamist civil wars. Combining new data with case studies the book identifies key hurdles to resolving Islamist conflicts and presents novel, evidence-based solutions.
Islamist civil wars pose a major challenge to peace and security in the world. Jihadist Peace: Ending Islamist Civil Wars offers a groundbreaking analysis of why these conflicts are among the most difficult to end—and what can be done about it.
The book makes a theoretical contribution by explaining their intractability, arguing that the transnational ideological framing of Islamist civil wars increases uncertainty about the capabilities and resolve of the warring parties.
Drawing on conflict resolution theory, rigorous statistical analysis, and detailed case studies of Afghanistan, Mauritania, Mali, and Syria, the authors explore the conditions under which these wars can both come to an end and be resolved. They argue that the local dimension is key: By disentangling both rebel and government actors from broader networks, Jihadist Peace charts a path toward resolving some of the world’s most intractable civil wars.
Read more on the publisher’s (Cambridge University Press) website.
Reviews
'As Islamist conflicts continue to dominate global headlines, Nilsson and Svensson advance an original theory explaining why these wars are less likely to end, more prone to relapse, and especially resistant to negotiations. Drawing on both comparative analysis and rich case studies, they identify the characteristics that drive conflict persistence but also outline options for bringing these wars to a close. An essential read for both scholars and practitioners.'
Jerome Drevon - Senior Analyst at the International Crisis Group and Research Fellow at the Geneva Graduate Institute
'This book is a major contribution to peace and conflict studies and deserves a wide reading by scholars, policy-makers, and anyone concerned with the role of religion in both warfare and peace.'
Mark Juergensmeyer - Author of ‘When God Stops Fighting: How Religious Violence Ends’
‘This book is a welcome addition to the study of Islamist conflicts. The authors must be commended for striking a balance between the acknowledgment of case specificities and the search for generalizable conclusions. The result is a nuanced and thorough research that eschews facile explanations and moves the needle of our collective knowledge on the subject.’
Marie-Joelle Zahar - Professor, Department of Political Science, Université de Montréal
