The New Dynamics of Contemporary Conflicts (Discussion Paper 24-003)

About the Paper

USIP convened an expert panel of scholars and researchers over a four-month period in 2023–24 to explore lessons learned from the management of conflicts in prior periods of global turbulence. This is the first paper in a three-part series from the convenings and focuses on the examination of contemporary conflict trends, drivers, and dynamics and how these differ from prior conflicts. The series was designed and managed by the Learning, Evaluation, and Research team at USIP’s Center for Thematic Excellence. 

About the Authors

Mark Berlin is an incoming postdoctoral research associate at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.

Sandra Poni Tombe is a research program officer in the Learning, Evaluation, and Research program at the US Institute of Peace and an associate of the USIP’s Africa Center.

Timothy D. Sisk is a professor of international and comparative politics at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver.

This research was funded by USIP’s Learning, Evaluation, and Research program, which is solely responsible for the accuracy and thoroughness of the content. The views expressed in this discussion paper are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Institute of Peace.


PHOTO: The New Dynamics of Contemporary Conflicts cover

The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s).

PUBLICATION TYPE: Discussion Paper