Update Alert No.1
3 June, 2010

Welcome to the UCDP Update Alert...

In order to better promote and inform the global community of scholars and practitioners on the products created and launched by the UCDP, a newsletter focused specifically on updates and forthcoming material has now been produced. The alert will continuously inform its recipients of completed updates of the UCDP Database, launches of new datasets and the approximate dates of launches of forthcoming products.

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Latest updates

UCDP Database backdated to 1975

The backdating project of the UCDP Database was completed on 30 April 2010. This update, which has been ongoing since September 2009, has backdated the ‘state-based armed conflict’ category back to 1975, making these available in the UCDP’s online database on organised violence.

Any armed conflicts active since 1975 or later are now available for study, complete with descriptive information on the conflicts’ backgrounds, dynamics and resolutions. Users can also search the database and specific conflicts for information on third party interventions, negotiations and peace agreements.

UCDP Database updated for 2009

The update of the state-based armed conflicts category for 2009 in the UCDP Database has now been completed. Updates regarding the conflicts, battle-related deaths, third party activities, negotiations and peace agreements are now available for perusal, complete with variable-level search possibilities.

UCDP/PRIO Conflict Onset Dataset

This dataset, designed for immediate use in quantitative studies, is a country-year dataset on all incidences of onset of armed conflict from 1946-2008. It informs the user of whether or not a given country year has an onset of armed conflict. The onset variables are based on the Gleditsch et al. (2002) dataset. Download the data here.

Coming updates

UCDP Dyadic Dataset and UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict Dataset

July 2010: New versions of the UCDP Dyadic Dataset and UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict Dataset will be released in July. Both datasets contain data for the period 1946-2009.

Non-state conflict and one-sided violence update in the UCDP Database

30 June 2010: Non-state conflict and one-sided violence update in the UCDP Database covering 2009

UCDP Non-state Conflict Dataset and UCDP One-sided Violence Datasets

September 2010: Updates of the UCDP Non-state Conflict Dataset and the UCDP One-sided Violence Dataset covering 2009, including revisions

UCDP Paper on the EU in peace and conflict: "A New Start for EU Peacemaking? - Past Record and Future Potential"

June - July 2010: In June or July the UCDP will release a new UCDP paper, which will analyse the EU and the EU member states' records as actors in armed conflict and in peacemaking, based on UCDP data on a range of topics. The report finds that a new start for the EU as a peacemaking actor is required, since the past record is below expectations. The report asserts that the EU has the potential to become a much more effective actor in international peacebuilding, suggesting avenues for future engagements.

Ongoing projects

Non-state Conflict Dataset 1989-2008

Winter 2010 or spring 2011 will see the launch of the UCDP’s new non-state conflict dataset, with a temporal scope covering 1989-2008. This dataset will replace earlier versions of the UCDP Non-state Conflict Dataset, contain start and end dates, more disaggregated fatality counts and basic georeferencing to allow for spatial analysis. The dataset will be updated annually.

UCDP Georeferenced Event Dataset (UCDP GED)

Spring 2011 will also see the launch of the UCDP’s new georeferenced dataset. This dataset, which has disaggregated all of the UCDP’s categories of violence into specific georeferenced events, will be updated annually.