Allard Duursma
Allard Duursma

Assistant Professor

About Me

I am an Assistant Professor in Conflict Management and International Relations at ETH Zurich. My research focuses on how peace processes help to prevent and end armed conflict.

I completed my PhD at the University of Oxford in 2016, focusing on the role of legitimacy in mediation processes. Following the completion of my PhD, I held Postdoctoral positions at the University of Manchester and the London School of Economics (LSE).

I blend quantitative and case study methods in my work and frequently conduct field research, interviewing conflict parties, mediators, and other stakeholders. My work has been published in domain-specific journals like the Journal of Peace Research, International Peacekeeping, and the Journal of Conflict Resolution, but also in general audience journals like International Studies Quarterly, Comparative Political Studies, and International Organization.

I am the founder and executive director of the Peace Observatory, editor-in-chief at International Peacekeeping, and have consulted for the EU, UN, and AU.

Below, you will find an overview of my projects and a list of my publications. In the project section, I also provide background on the different focus areas of my research for those interested in the broader context.

Download CV
Interests
  • Mediation
  • Peacekeeping
  • Non-state Conflict
  • Civil War
  • Transnational Conflict
Education
  • PhD in International Relations, 2015

    University of Oxford

  • MPhil in Peace and Conflict Studies, 2012

    Uppsala University

  • MSc in International Relations, 2011

    University of Groningen

  • BSc in International Relations, 2009

    University of Groningen

Projects
Publications
(2025). The Perils of Deadline Diplomacy for Ceasefires. Ceasefires: Stopping the Violence and Negotiating Peace.
(2024). Civilian Protection in Theory and Practice. Civil Wars.
(2024). Crises and Negotiations in Mutual Interventions. Journal of Conflict Resolution.
(2024). The Impact of Host-State Consent on the Protection of Civilians in UN Peacekeeping. Civil Wars.
📈 Consultancy & Impact

I believe that effective action must be grounded in evidence-based analysis. To that end, I have engaged in research-driven collaborations with practitioners and undertaken a range of consultancies. Please find an overview here, and feel free to get in touch regarding potential collaborations.

  • In 2024 and 2025, I was a consultant for the International peace Institute (IPI), contributing to a report examining how the “primacy of politics” applies to the local level in peacekeeping contexts.
  • In 2023, I was a consultant for MINUSCA, drafting a report on local peace agreements in the context of communal conflicts in the Central African Republic. I mapped and analyzed the content, implementation, and durability of local peace agreements supported by the mission.
  • From 2022 onwards, I have been involved in a collaboration between ETH Zurich and the UN Operation Crisis Center (UNOCC). The goal of this collaboration is to conduct foundational research on forecasting armed violence based on peacekeeping data. This project takes place within the context of the UN-ETH partnership.
  • Between 2019 and 2021, as part of the Smart Peace programme, I explored the effectiveness of local mediation efforts in the Central African Republic. The Smart Peace activities in the Central African Republic were led by Conciliation Resources, in partnership with the International Crisis Group, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, and ETH Zurich.
  • In 2020, I drafted a report for PAX that maps different early warning tools used for the protection of civilians.
  • In 2018, I was hired by the European External Action Service (EEAS) as a consultant on a project on the EU early warning system on civil wars and political instability.
  • In 2018, I produced a short research methodology note for the US Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) on how public conflict data can be used to analyse the effectiveness of peace support operations.
  • Between 2017 and 2018, I worked as country expert for the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), focusing on armed conflicts in Sudan and South Sudan.
  • In 2017, I worked as a consultant for the European Peace Institute (EPI) to explore the findings of a survey held on social dynamics and radicalisation in Molenbeek in Brussels.
  • In 2016, I worked as a consultant for the Political Instability Task Force (PITF) of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The project consisted of producing a case study book on conflict settlements and their aftermath. I contributed case studies on Angola, Sudan, and Sri Lanka.
  • In 2015, I worked for the World Peace Foundation (WPF) as a consultant to contribute to an independent report presented to the African Union in July 2016. My contribution to the report is a statistical analysis on mediation efforts in civil wars in Africa.
  • I also worked for the WPF as a consultant to help compile a dataset on transnational conflict in Africa between 1960 and 2010.
🎓 Teaching

Here you can find an overview of the courses I have taught or am currently teaching:

  • Human-Centered AI for Social Good at ETH Zurich (Spring 2025)
  • Ending Violence, Master of Comparative and International Studies at ETH Zurich (Spring 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025)
  • Master thesis supervision, Master of Comparative and International Studies at ETH Zurich (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
  • Master of Advanced Studies ETH Mediation in Peace Processes (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
  • Responses to Civil Wars, Master in Humanitarian Action (NOHA) at the University of Groningen (Spring 2018)
  • Master thesis supervision, Master in International Relations at the University of Groningen (Spring 2018)
  • Bachelor thesis supervision, Master in International Relations at the University of Groningen (Spring 2018)
  • International Interventions, Bachelor in International Relations at the University of Groningen (Fall 2017)
  • Terrorism and Social Movements, undergraduate-level course at the University of Oxford (Fall 2015)
  • Theory of International Relations, undergraduate-level course at the University of Oxford (Fall 2015)
  • Peace and Conflict Studies, Bachelor of Liberal Arts at Leiden University College (LUC) (Spring 2015)
  • Global Challenges, Bachelor of Liberal Arts at Leiden University College (LUC) (Fall 2013)

As a teaching assistant:

  • Theory of International Relations, Bachelor in International Relations at the University of Groningen (Spring 2018)
  • International Organizations, Bachelor in International Relations at the University of Groningen (Spring 2018)
  • International Security, Bachelor in Political Science at Leiden University (Spring 2014)
  • International Politics I, Bachelor in Political Science at Leiden University (Fall 2013)
  • International Organizations, Bachelor in Political Science at Leiden University (Fall 2013)
📷 Pictures
Here is a picture of me as a young intern at ACCORD in 2011. This was a formative experience. Having previously taken a course on international mediation from which it seemed that economic and military leverage is the key to mediation success, I was struck by the emphasis on African solutions to African challenges at ACCORD. I therefore decided to look more closely into the effectiveness of African and non-African mediation efforts. This marks the start of my research on the legitimacy of African mediation efforts.
My internship at ACCORD
After I concluded my PhD on mediation in civil wars in Africa, I became interested in peace processes aimed at ending non-state conflicts. I have been very fortunate to have interviewed conflict parties, mediators, and other stakeholders of local peace processes in Sudan, Mali, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan. Here is a picture of me attending a workshop on local peace processes in Bossangoa in the Central African Republic.
Workshop on local peace agreements
I believe a picture can sometimes say more than a thousand words. I find local peace agreements like the one below, concluded in Haute-Kotto in the Central African Republic on 21 September 2017, fascinating. These type of agreements stand in stark contrast with the peace agreements aimed at ending civil wars, which are typically very technical and can be up to 200 pages long. In spite of these local agreements not being very detailed, they can make a real difference on the ground.
A local peace agreement
I have met some amazing mediators during my research trips. For instance, I had the pleasure to interview staff from the South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC). The SSCC has been very active in trying bring peace to Jonglei State.
South Sudan Council of Churches
I am very grateful to UN Civil Affairs helping me to travel to the locations of the case studies in my book on the resolution of non-state conflicts. Here is a picture of me flying to Bossangoa in the Central African Republic.
Taking a UN flight to Bossangoa in Ouham
Here is another picture of me flying to Bunia in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Taking a UN flight to Bunia in Ituri
Finally, here is a picture of me at the UN Headquarters with Dag Hammarskjöld, who served as the second UN Secretary-General from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in September 1961. I read a lot about Hammarskjöld when I was living in Sweden for my graduate studies at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University. Since I admire Hammarskjöld so much, it was a special moment to be able to take a picture with his portrait at the UN Headquarters.
Dag Hammarskjöld