Associate Professor

Director of Research, National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, New Zeeland

Research | Teaching | Publications | Other

Research Areas

International Mediation; Religious Dimensions of Peace and Conflicts Processes; Nordic Third-Party Intervention in Sri Lanka; the East Asia Peace; New Approaches to Measuring the Effect of Peacebuilding (Randomized Intervention)

Teaching

Lecturer and Director of Research at the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Otago, New Zealand.

Publications

Monographs

Isak Svensson & Peter Wallensteen, Going Between: Ambassador Jan Eliasson and the Styles of International Mediation, 2010, United Institute of Peace Press (USIP), Washington D.C.; ISBN: 978-1-60127-062-7

Isak Svensson, Elusive Peacemakers: A Bargaining Perspective on Mediation in Internal Armed Conflicts, Dissertation thesis, Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, 2006, Report no 75. ISBN 91-506-1908-X

Research articles in peer-reviewed international journals

Isak Svensson: “Crowded with Conciliators: Exploring Multiparty Mediation in Civil Wars”, Peace & Policy, December, no 16, 2011

Isak Svensson & Mathilda Lindgren, “From Bombs to Banners? The Decline of Wars and the Rise of Unarmed Uprisings in East Asia”, Security Dialogue, 42 (3) June, pp. 219-237, 2011.

Kristine Höglund & Isak Svensson: ”Schizophrenic Soothers: Influencing Non-State Armed Groups to Make Peace”, Cooperation and Conflict, 46(2): 166-184, 2011

Isak Svensson, “East Asian Peacemaking: Exploring the patterns of conflict management and conflict settlement in East Asia”, Asian Perspective, April-June, Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 163-185, 2011.

Isak Svensson & Mathilda Lindgren, “Community and Consent? Exploring Unarmed Insurgencies in Non-democracies”, European Journal of International Relations, 17 (1), pp.  97-120, 2011 

Isak Svensson & Emily Harding, “How Holy Wars End: Exploring the Termination Patterns of Conflicts with Religious Dimensions in Asia”, Terrorism and Political Violence, 23:133-149, 2011

Kristine Höglund & Isak Svensson, “Should I Stay or Should I Go? Termination as a Tactic and Norwegian Mediation in Sri Lanka Norwegian Mediation in Sri Lanka and the Termination Tactic.” Negotiation and Conflict Management Research, 4 (1), pp. 12–32, 2011 

Molly Melin & Isak Svensson, “Incentives for Talking: Acceptance of Mediation in International and Civil Wars”, International Interactions, 35(3), 2009

Isak Svensson, “Who Brings Which Peace: Biased versus Neutral Mediation and Institutional Peace Arrangements in Civil Wars”, Journal of Conflict Resolution, 53:3, p. 446 – 469, 2009

Kristine Höglund & Isak Svensson, “Mediating between Tigers and Lions: Exploring Norwegian Peace Diplomacy in Sri Lanka’s Civil War”, Contemporary South Asia, 17:2, p. 175 – 191, 2009

Kristine Höglund & Isak Svensson, “‘Damned if You Do, and Damned if You Don’t’: Nordic Involvement and Images of Third-Party Neutrality in Sri Lanka”, International Negotiation, 13(3), 341-364, 2008

Isak Svensson, “Fighting with Faith: Religion and Conflict Resolution in Civil Wars”, Journal of Conflict Resolution, 51(6), 930-949, 2007

Isak Svensson, “Mediation with Muscles or Minds? Exploring Power and Trust Mediators in Civil Wars”, International Negotiation, 12(2), 2007

Isak Svensson, “Bias, Bargaining, and Peace Brokers: How Rebels Commit to Peace”, Journal of Peace Research, 44(2), 2007

Kristine Höglund & Isak Svensson, “’Sticking One’s Neck Out: Mistrust Reducing Strategies in Sri Lankan Peace Negotiation Processes’”, Negotiation Journal, 22 (4), October (2006)

Kristine Höglund & Isak Svensson, “The Peace Process in Sri Lanka”, in Civil Wars 5 (4), Winter 2003, Frank Cass, London

Book Chapters

Kristine Höglund & Isak Svensson, “Fallacies of the Peace Ownership Approach: Exploring Norwegian Mediation in Sri Lanka”, prepared for book project Liberal Peace in Question: Politics of State and Market Reforms in Sri Lanka, Kristian Stokke & Jayadeva Uyangoda (eds), London, Anthem Press, 2010

Kristine Höglund & Isak Svensson, “Mediating between Tigers and Lions: Exploring Norwegian Peace Diplomacy in Sri Lanka’s Civil War”, in Aggestam, Karin & Björkdahl, Annika (eds): War and Peace in Transition: Changing Roles and Practices of External Actors; Nordic Academic Press, 2009

Isak Svensson, “Guaranteeing Peace: The Credibility of Third-Party Mediators in Civil Wars”, book-chapter in Bercovitch, Jacob and Gartner, Scott (eds): International Conflict Mediation: New Approaches and Findings, Routledge 2009

David Rangdrol & Isak Svensson, “Demos or Deus? Patterns of Religious Dimensions in Asian Armed Conflicts, 1945-2005”, in Ashok Swain, Joakim Öjendal, and Ramses Amer (eds), The Democratization Project: Challenges and Opportunities, London, Anthem Press, 2009

Isak Svensson, “Partial Peacemakers: Explaining Mediation Success in African Armed Conflicts”, book-chapter in Thomas Ohlson (ed): From Intra-State War to Durable Peace: Conflict and its Resolution in Africa after the Cold War, forthcoming Uppsala: Nordic Africa Institute

Isak Svensson, ”Democracies, Disengagement and Deals: Exploring the Effect of Different Types of Mediators in Internal Armed Conflicts”, in Resources, Governance and Civil Conflict, Kaare Strom and Magnus Öberg (eds). Routledge 2007

Other publications (Selected)

“Divine Disputes? Exploring the Religious Dimensions of Armed Conflicts”, Occasional Papers, forthcoming 2008, Life and Peace Institute, Uppsala

“Randomized Intervention: New Approaches to Impact Assessment”, New Routes, 8 (2), 2008

”Vad utrikesministern kan lära av Norge”, Internationella Studier, 2006 (2) (“What the Foreign Minister Can Learn from Norway”, International Studies – in Swedish only), Utrikespolitiska Institutet

”Sri Lanka: Fred efter flodvågen?”, Internationella Studier, 2005 (1) (“Sri Lanka: Peace After Tsunami?”, International Studies – in Swedish only), Utrikespolitiska Institutet

Att stämma i bäcken: En kartläggning av diplomatiska insatser för att förebygga inbördeskrig, Rapport från Kristna Fredsrörelsen, [Diplomatic preventive interventions to prevent civil wars, Report for Swedish Fellowship of Reconciliation – in Swedish only], 2007

”Vapenvilan gör fred möjlig på Sri Lanka”, Sydasien, 26 (2) [“The Ceasefire Makes Peace Possible in Sri Lanka?”, South Asia – in Swedish only], co-author: Kristine Höglund

“Fredsprocessen i Sri Lanka”, Internationella Studier, Nr 4, vintern 2002, Utrikespolitiska Institutet [“The Peace Process in Sri Lanka”, International Studies – in Swedish only], (co-author: Kristine Höglund)

“Krig och fred på Sri Lanka”, Världspolitikens Dagsfrågor, nr 5, 2002, Utrikespolitiska Institutet [“War and Peace in Sri Lanka”, Issues of Word Politics – in Swedish only], (co-author: Kristine Höglund)

Varför misslyckades ickevåldet i Kosovo/a? [Why did Nonviolence fail in Kosovo/a?] Report for Swedish Fellowship of Reconciliation (Kristna Fredsrörelsen) 1999

Kapacitet för fred: En enkätundersökning av svenska folkrörelsers fredsbyggande kapacitet Rapport för Forum för Fredstjänst, (Capacity for Peace: Survey of Swedish NGOs Peacebuilding Capacity- in Swedish only), Report by the ’ Forum for Civil Peace Service), 1998

Research Conference Presentations (Selected)

“Peacemakers, Partiality, and Pacts: The Effect of Biased Mediation on Peace Agreement Stipulations in Civil Wars”, Paper prepared for Annual Convention for the International Studies Association, San Diego, US, 26 – 29 March 2008.

“East Asian Peacemaking? Some Empirical Observations on Patterns of Conflict Management and Termination Stipulations in Civil Wars”, Paper prepared for Annual Convention for the International Studies Association, San Diego, US, 26 – 29 March 2008.

“Schizophrenic Soothers: The International Community and Contrast Strategies for Peacemaking in Sri Lanka”, Paper presented at the Third Nordic Workshop on Peace, Development and War in Sri Lanka, Oslo, 24-25 April 2008 (co-author: Kristine Höglund)

“Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Strategy of Mediation Termination and Norwegian Mediation in Sri Lanka”, Paper presented at the Second Nordic Workshop on Peace, Development and War in Sri Lanka, Gothenburg, 22-23 January 2007 (co-author: Kristine Höglund)

“Confidence-Building Measures in Intrastate Conflicts: Lessons from the 1994-95 Peace Process in Sri Lanka”, Minor Field Study, No. 14, Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, 2001

“Time for Talking: The Initiation of Norwegian Mediation in Sri Lanka “ paper presented at the Nordic Workshop on War and Peace in Sri Lanka, Uppsala University, 26 and 27 January 2006

“When There Is No Peace to Keep: Peacekeeping and Civil War Termination” Workshop with the International Working Group on Peacekeeping, November 18-19, New York, USA, (co-author: Desirée Nilsson)

“Fighting in Faith: Issue Indivisibility and Negotiated Settlement of Internal Conflict”, Svenska Kyrkans Forskningsdagar, Uppsala, Sweden, 17-18 October, 2005

“Do Mediators Go Where They Are Needed the Most? Selective Mediators in Internal Armed Conflicts” Paper delivered at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association (APSA), September 1-4, 2005, Washington D.C., USA

“Taking Sides, Talking Peace: From Intervener to Mediator in Internal Armed Conflict”,
Paper prepared for the Fifth Pan-European Conference, The Hague, September 9-11, 2004.

“Stand By Me: Biased third party countries and peace settlements in intrastate armed conflict, 1989-2002” Paper presented at the European Peace Science Conference, Amsterdam, June 9-11 2004.

“Risking Peace: Comparing Mistrust-Reducing Strategies in the Sri Lankan Peace Processes” Paper presented at the 9th International Conference on Sri Lankan Studies (ICSLS), 28th to 30th November 2003, University of Ruhuna, Matara, Sri Lanka. (co-author: Kristine Höglund)

“Phases of De-escalation: Initiating Negotiations and Reaching Agreements in African Intrastate Armed Conflict, 1989 – 2001”, Paper presented at the European Peace Science Conference, June 1- 3 2003, Amsterdam

“The Effect of Olive Branches: Conciliatory Signals in Intrastate Armed Conflicts”. Paper presented at the International Studies Association Annual Meeting, Portland, Oregon, 26 February - 1 March, 2003

Other

Project member in “International Mediation in Internal Armed Conflict”, a project associated with the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP)

Member of International Working Group on Conflict Prevention, Folke Bernadotte Academy