The Resolve Network

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13 October 2021 / Brandon Kendhammer and Wyatt Chandler
Locating the “Local” in Peacebuilding
Drawing on an extensive literature review and four case studies from leading examples of post-conflict local peacebuilding in sub-Saharan Africa, this report argues that the “local” in local peacebuilding is best defined as local knowledge of conflict drivers and dynamics and locally defined, contextually specific definitions of peace. This does not necessarily mean working through or empowering “traditional” actors and institutions (a highly contested category, in any case). Nor should it mean a narrow focus on subnational conflict drivers and peace actors to the detriment of assessing how national and international dynamics shape local peace challenges (and vice versa). International donors and peace actors are most successful when they operate with a keen awareness that all potential peacebuilding actors (national and local actors, but also external donors, "experts," and implementers) have their own agendas and that peacebuilding efforts that work at the sub-national level and engage local actors are not automatically endowed with legitimacy and community buy-in just because of their "localness." International actors must also be flexible and open to partnering with a wide range of local actors, including those that don’t meet preconceived international expectations about what an effective local partner looks like (often, old, male, and "traditional").   Suggested citation:  Kendhammer, Brandon, and Wyatt Chandler. Locating the “Local” in Peacebuilding. Washington, D.C.: RESOLVE Network, 2021. https://doi.org/10.37805/lpbi2021.1. 
Insight

1 October 2021 /
Request for Research Proposals
The RESOLVE Network Secretariat, based at the United States Institute of Peace, is soliciting proposals for new research on local peacebuilding practices in Sub-Saharan Africa. This research will be part of a new RESOLVE initiative, Learning from Local Peacebuilding Approaches Request for Research Proposals | Learning from Local Peacebuilding Initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa Release Date: October 1, 2021 RFP Due Date: 8:00 pm EST on November 12, 2021   The RESOLVE Network Secretariat, based at the United States Institute of Peace, is soliciting proposals for new research on local peacebuilding practices in Sub-Saharan Africa. This research will be part of a new RESOLVE initiative, Learning from Local Peacebuilding Approaches, in partnership with the USAID Bureau for Africa. Successful applicants will propose to conduct new, field-based research that can assist policymakers and practitioners in better understanding the success and failure of local peacebuilding efforts on the continent and clarify the potential role of international donors and partners in supporting local peace efforts. The final research outputs will be published as RESOLVE Research Reports. Specifically, we welcome research proposals around four thematic areas related to local peacebuilding practice in Sub-Saharan Africa: Youth and peacebuilding Trauma in peacebuilding and Trauma-informed peacebuilding Climate change and peacebuilding Migration and peacebuilding Proposals must include a field-based research component in at least one country in Sub-Saharan Africa, but studies involving comparative research designs are also welcome. Area of geographic focus within the region is open, but successful proposals will make a clear case for the relevance (substantively and in policy terms) of their field research site to the thematic area.We welcome submissions employing a variety of research methodologies, but are especially interested in proposals that undertake original data collections using an appropriate mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, or that supplement qualitative and ethnographic methods with quantitative analysis using available data (Afrobarometer, ACLED, etc). We also welcome proposals that examine peacebuilding issues and contexts that bridge or cut across thematic areas. Examples might include (but are not limited to) the challenges of building peace in communities impacted by climate-driven migration, trauma-informed peacebuilding in the context of youth participants in violence, or the role of diaspora youth in local peacebuilding.   For more detailed information and submission requirements, please read the full request for proposals here. For offerors, please use the provided budget templates (in U.S. Dollars or in non-U.S. Dollar currencies)  
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22 September 2021 / Benjamin Maiangwa
Peace (Re)building Initiatives: Insights from Southern Kaduna, Nigeria
Violent conflicts and crime have reached new heights in Nigeria, as cases of kidnapping, armed banditry, and communal unrests continue to tear at the core of the ethnoreligious divides in the country. Southern Kaduna has witnessed a virulent spree of communal unrest in northern Nigeria over the last decade due to its polarized politics and power differentials between the various groups in the area, particularly the Christians and Muslims, who are almost evenly split. In response to their experiences of violence, the people of that region have also shown incredible resilience and grit in transforming their stress and suffering. This policy note focuses on the transformative practices of the Fulani and other ethnic communities in southern Kaduna in terms of how they problem-solve deep-seated socio-political rivalries and violent relations by working through their shared identity, history, and cultures of peace. The note explores how peace practitioners and donor agencies could consolidate local practices of sustaining peace as complementary or alternative resources to the state’s liberal system.   Suggested citation: Maiangwa, Benjamin. Peace (Re)building Initiatives: Insights from Southern Kaduna, Nigeria. Washington, D.C.: RESOLVE Network, 2021. https://doi.org/10.37805/pn2021.22.lpbi.
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16 September 2021 / Ryan Scrivens, Steven M. Chermak, Joshua D. Freilich, Thomas W. Wojciechowski, and Richard Frank
Detecting Extremists Online: Examining Online Posting Behaviors of Violent and Non-Violent Right-Wing Extremists
Like most of us, violent extremists often leave a digital footprint behind. Researchers, practitioners, and policymakers raise questions about whether violent individuals can be identified online prior to their attacks offline based on their online posting behaviors. Despite ongoing concerns, few empirically grounded analyses have identified which online users have engaged in violent extremism offline and then assessed their digital footprints, and fewer analyses have identified differences in posting behaviors of those who share extreme ideological beliefs but are violent or non-violent in the offline world. This policy note highlights the importance of both identifying and examining the online behaviors of violent and non-violent extremists in preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) and provides researchers, practitioners, and policymakers with a number of recommendations for detecting and analyzing the online behaviors of violent and non-violent extremists in the future.    Suggested citation: Scrivens, Ryan, Steven M. Chermak, Joshua D. Freilich, Thomas W. Wojciechowski, and Richard Frank. Detecting Extremists Online: Examining Online Posting Behaviors of Violent and Non-Violent Right-Wing Extremists. Washington, D.C.: RESOLVE Network, 2021. https://doi.org/10.37805/pn2021.21.remve.

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