Organized violence, 1989-2018 and peace agreements

Bibliographic Data

ID3916895
AuthorsTove Pettersson (0000-0002-6837-2164, corresponding author), Stina Högbladh (0000-0002-0087-8724), Magnus Öberg (0000-0002-5127-9369, Uppsala University)
Year2019
Volume56
Issue4
Pages589-603
Publication date2019-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Peace Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-3433 • E-ISSN: 1460-3578
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0022343319856046
OpenAlexW2948799449
LanguageEN
Citations received183
References cited9

This article reports on trends in organized violence and peace agreements collected by the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP). The number of fatalities in organized violence decreased for the fourth consecutive year, to reach the lowest level since 2012. In 2018, UCDP recorded almost 76,000 deaths: a decrease of 20% compared to 2017, and 43% compared to the latest peak in 2014. State-based armed conflict drives this downward trend in organized violence, with Syria accounting for much of the change. The number of civilians killed in one-sided violence also dropped in 2018, reaching its lowest level since 2012. In contrast, non-state conflict remained on a high level. The general decline in fatalities from organized violence does not correspond with the trend in the number of active conflicts. In fact, the world has seen a new peak in the number of conflicts after 2014, matched only by the number of conflicts in the early 1990s. In 1991, the peak in the number of armed conflicts corresponded with a similar peak in the number of signed peace agreements. This was followed by a decrease in the number of conflicts in the late 1990s and early 2000s. However, the most recent rise in armed conflicts has not been matched by a similar rise in the number of peace agreements. Two circumstances that characterize the recent rise in conflicts have also been found to make conflicts harder to solve: explicit religious claims and high levels of internationalization

Armed conflict · Criminology · Injury prevention · Medical emergency · Poison control · Political science · State (computer science) · Suicide prevention · Health and Conflict Studies · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Law · Mathematics · Medicine · Political Conflict and Governance · Psychology · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

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