We are pleased to announce the publication of Shifting Shadows: United Nations Peacekeeping and Repertoires of Violence in Conflict Zones in Global Studies Quarterly. The article is co-authored by DISACT researchers Nikandros Ioannidis and Iosif Kovras.
The study asks whether the presence of United Nations peacekeepers affects the forms of violence used in conflict zones. It focuses on less visible acts, including abductions and enforced disappearances, and examines whether rebel groups and militias respond differently to peacekeeping.
The findings do not show a general increase in hidden violence near UN deployments. Instead, they point to differences between armed actors. Stronger peacekeeping presence is associated with a lower relative likelihood that violence by rebel groups takes a hidden form. The findings for militias are less consistent across the study’s analyses.
The article contributes to DISACT’s research on enforced disappearances by examining how international monitoring relates to the forms of violence used during conflict.
Read the full article.