War & Peace

A second stream of research looks at issues related to conflict resolution in the context of international and ethno-political conflict, and in particular, at the role of negotiation in ending armed conflicts.  I launched a new course at HBS entitled "War & Peace: The Lessons of History," and have written a series of case studies on the history of war and peace, including on: The Peloponessian War, World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, Colombia, Rwanda, and the history of war and peace in the Middle East. An article, published in Foreign Affairs, examines whether and when countries should set preconditions to negotiating with their 'enemies'. In another project, a colleague and I study Israeli attitudes towards a two-state solution.  We find that concerns regarding successful implementation of a negotiated agreement can lead parties to prefer "balanced" over advantageous deals.  Another project, conducted in Sri Lanka, demonstrates the kind of long-term impact that 'peace camps' can (and cannot) have on attitudes and behaviors of ethnic disputants.  My current work in this area is looking at how peace processes can be designed more effectively.