ii. Challenging conventional wisdom on the causes of civil war
We challenge some commonly held assumptions about civil war, such as that most post-Cold War civil wars have been ethnic conflicts, or that women are always victims of war. We do not shy away from controversy exploring polarised views, for example that civil wars should be given a chance to burn themselves out or that the international community has a ‘responsibility to protect’ the innocent in a civil war when the government of the state can't or won't. These are difficult positions but ones that need to be engaged in the quest for effective peacebuilding.