Starting from a controversy over Pope Francis’ recent statement that Ukraine should enter into peace negotiations with Russia, this interview with former President of Colombia and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Juan Manuel Santos queries into ethical dimensions of the Colombian peace negotiations with the FARC. Topics covered include the treatment of ‘the enemy’ as allies in the pursuit of peace, and the centrality of victims’ perspectives for the negotiation process. President Santos also discusses the virtue of careful planning, and the personal qualities that are required from a negotiator. Then, the conversation turns to lessons to be drawn for peace processes elsewhere, in particular the Israel-Palestine negotiations – both over Gaza and in continuation of the Oslo process. In the last part of the conversation, Santos argues for a pragmatic approach to justice where the idea is to get ‘as much justice as possible’ when making peace. The idea of peace versus justice is criticised for ignoring the justice of peace.

This podcast was recorded on 12 March 2024.

What is the outcome of peace talks in which government authorities have been excluded or sidelined? In this episode Henrik Syse and Kristoffer Liden from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) are joined by Kristian Berg Harpviken (PRIO) to discuss the US Talks with the Afghan Taliban.

Harpviken draws on his scholarship to uncover how the sidelining of the Afghan government paved the way for the Taliban takeover.
The case brief discussed can be accessed ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ for free. Read more about the FAIR project ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.

How is trust between states built after having been threatened or broken by threats and sanctions? In this episode Henrik Syse and Kristoffer Liden from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) are joined by Dr. Gregory M Reichberg (PRIO) to discuss the importance of trust and respect in negotiations leading up to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) together with the European Union.

Dr. Reichberg draws on his scholarship and policy-oriented experience to uncover how public and interpersonal efforts of negotiators bolstered mutual respect.

The case brief discussed can be accessed ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ for free. Read more about the FAIR project ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.

How is memory brought to or barred from the negotiating table? In this episode Henrik Syse and Kristoffer Liden from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) are joined by Dr. Nadim Khoury from the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences (INN).

Drawing on his childhood as a Palestinian growing up during the first intifada and his scholarship on how collective memory plays a role in peace negotiations, Dr. Khoury examines three different approaches to memory: prescriptive forgetting that avoids the past altogether, strategic forgetting that postpones dealing with it, and transitional justice that recommends addressing it head-on.

The case brief discussed can be accessed ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ for free. Read more about the FAIR project ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.

In this episode Henrik Syse and Kristoffer Liden from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) are joined by Dr. Cedric de Coning (NUPI) to discuss what it means when a negotiation diverges from what is generally considered fair and good but results in a ceasefire – when coercion and exclusive deals are used to end widespread violence and suffering.

Dr. de Coning discusses the process leading up to the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), revealing the leverage that the mediators, President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan and President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, held over President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar.

The case brief discussed can be accessed ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ for free. Read more about the FAIR project ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.

How comprehensive should gender equality promoting measures be in a peace agreement in the face of public opposition? Henrik Syse, Kristoffer Liden, from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), and Dr. Isabel Bramsen (Lund University) unpack the interrelated controversies of gender inclusivity and public participation in the Colombian peace process.

Dr. Bramsen examines the debates surrounding new societal norms and their impact on the peace process. She discusses the experiences that shape negotiators’ attitudes toward new gender norms compared with the beliefs of those who find themselves outside the talks, and she focuses on the turning point that an agreement presents for groups that have formed new roles and new identities during a conflict.

The case brief discussed can be accessed ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ for free. Read more about the FAIR project ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

In this episode Henrik Syse and Kristoffer Líden from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) speak with Dr. Zenonas Tziarras (University of Cyprus, formerly PRIO Cyprus Centre) about issues of ownership, legitimacy, and foreign involvement in the Syrian peace process known as the Astana process.

Dr. Tziarras discusses how guarantor powers have shaped the representation of the talks, exploring the dilemma of whether and how negotiations should engage groups associated with terror and war crimes.

The case brief discussed can be accessed ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ for free. Read more about the FAIR project ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

What role can civil society play in peace negotiations? What happens when inclusivity is weighed against stopping violence, or when included groups are met with an imperfect deal in the end? In this episode Henrik Syse speaks with Dr. Wenche Hauge from Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), who explains the controversies surrounding civil society’s inclusion in the Guatemalan peace process from 1990 to 1996.

Dr. Hauge outlines how the political aims of conflict parties shaped civil society’s reach – allowing for its advances regarding indigenous rights, while limiting its capacity in controversial realms such as the establishment of a truth commission.

The case brief discussed can be accessed ⁠here⁠ for free. Read more about the FAIR project ⁠here⁠.

How were the Palestinians excluded from peace negotiations during the 1940s, the 1970s, and the 2000s? Henrik Syse, Kristoffer Liden, and historian Dr. Jorgen Jensehaugen from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) outline the role of mediator gatekeeping in the exclusion of Palestinians as a people, a political unit, and a spoiler group.

Dr. Jensehaugen explores what it means to be a weak mediator, a mediator with reduced leverage and little room for maneuvering.

The case brief discussed can be accessed ⁠here⁠ for free. Read more about the FAIR project ⁠here⁠.

From her rich fieldwork in Mali, including conversations with female civil society members who demanded a seat at the table in the initial ceasefire negotiations, and with the few female delegates present in Algiers, Dr. Lorentzen unpacks the controversies surrounding the important questions of when women should participate, which women should participate, and how women should participate in peace negotiations.

The case brief discussed can be accessed here for free. Read more about the FAIR project here.