Update Alert No. 10
23 March, 2012

New Data Features

Release of the UCDP GED Conflict Polygons Dataset

Next week, on 28 March, the UCDP will release the UCDP GED Conflict Polygons Dataset, a dataset describing the spatial extent and geographical areas affected by armed conflict, non-state violence and one-sided violence. Covering Africa during the 1989-2010 period, the dataset provides access to data constructed both as yearly sets as well as aggregated sets for the entire period. The dataset is a derivative product of the GED (Georeferenced Event Dataset) project, being built in a fully standardized fashion, thus being fully compatible with all other UCDP products.

Based on fully disaggregated data available down to village level, the UCDP GED Polygons Dataset is unique in the sense of no longer treating or even using the country as the main unit of analysis. As such, the product fully reveals the regional, sub-national or trans-national extent of various forms of organized violence. Thus, it is hoped the UCDP GED Conflict Polygons will shed new light on armed conflict for both quantitative- and qualitative-oriented researchers.

The UCDP GED Conflict Polygons will be available for download starting with next week, free of charge, on the UCDP GED webpage (http://www.ucdp.uu.se/ged/), in a number of formats suitable for both analysis and visualisation (KML, ESRI Shapefile and CSV).

A sneak preview of the data, in the form of a short video clip, is available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeLgr-b3E-E.

Release of UCDP GED film: Organized Violence in Africa 1989-2010

The UCDP has now released a short film that depicts the extent of organized violence in Africa from 1989-2010, as contained in the UCDP’s Georeferenced Event Dataset (UCDP GED). Using a visualization software called Spatialkey (produced by Universal Mind, http://www.spatialkey.com) the film shows the expansion and contraction of organized violence in Africa over calendar months from 1989-2010.

The film shows not only the trends of violence over months, years and five-year intervals, but also gives a hint regarding how the UCDP GED can be used to model the outbreak, spread and resolution of violent conflicts over time and space. Future releases of films will track specific actors, conflicts and countries over time and space.

The film is available on Youtube at this address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KiQTDFJdtY (or search for Organized Violence 1989-2010 in Youtube’s search engine).

ISA Annual Convention

Meet the UCDP at the ISA convention!

Next week, the UCDP will participate in the International Studies Association (ISA) annual convention, this year held in San Diego, USA, on 1-4 April 2012. The UCDP will present its new georeferenced data and display its conflict encyclopedia (formerly known as the UCDP database) in the exhibit hall, booth 110. Staff from the UCDP and the Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, will also participate in several panels, presenting papers using UCDP data (see below).

Environmental Changes and Civil Conflict

SC54: Sunday 1 April 1:45 PM – 3:30 PM

"Drought and Civil Conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa 1990-2008 – A Disaggregated Analysis" by Nina von Uexküll.

Repression and Violence Against Civilians

MD51: Monday 2 April 4:00 PM – 5:45 PM

"The Logic(s) of Ethnic Violence: Control, Ideology and the Geospatial Distribution of Violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1941-45/1992-95" by Jonathan D. Hall.

Institutions and Third Parties in Civil Wars

TA51: Tuesday 3 April 8:15 AM – 10:00 AM

"Coercive Bargaining Strategies: The Logic of Attacks on Third Parties in Civil War" by Hanne Fjelde, Lisa Hultman and Sara Lindberg. In the same panel, Lisa Hultman, Jacob D. Kathman, University of Mississippi and Megan Shannon, Florida State University will present the paper "United Nations Intervention and Violence Against Civilians in Civil War". Also, Peter Wallensteen and Patrick M. Regan, Binghamton University, will present the paper "Federal Institutions, Declarations of Independence and Civil War".

The Decline of Violence: Current Trends

TB23: Tuesday 10:30 AM – 12:15 PM

Peter Wallensteen is chairing a Round Table on 'The Decline of Violence: Current Trends', with Joshua Goldstein, John Mearsheimer, Richard Falk and Page Fortna, and with Andy Mack as discussant. This session focuses on Goldstein's book Winning the War on War, which uses a lot of information from UCDP.

Clustering and Contagion

TC12: Tuesday 3 April 1:45 PM – 3:30 PM

"Inspired to Challenge? Conflict Contagion between Ethnic Groups, 1946-2012" by Erika Forsberg.

Between Rebellion and Revolution: A Solution for Change in the Status Quo

TC36: Tuesday 1:45 PM – 3:30 PM

"Why Rebels Fight Peacekeepers: Testing a Signaling Argument" by Nynke Salverda.

Regional Peace Studies: Exploring Regional Trends in Peace and Armed Conflicts

TD65: Tuesday 4:00 PM – 5:45 PM

"The Regional Impact of Norm-Changes on Gender Relations and Peace - Situating East Asia" by Erik Melander and Elin Bjarnegård, Uppsala University. In the same panel, Isak Svensson, Uppsala University & University of Otago, and Stein Tønnesson, Uppsala University & Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), will present the paper "Asian Precursors of the Arab Spring: A Global Shift to Unarmed Rebellion?".

International Peacemaking Success and Failure

WC17: Wednesday 1:45 PM – 3:30 PM

"Mediation and the Recurrence of Civil War" by Peter Wallensteen, Karl Rene DeRouen Jr., University of Alabama and Jacob Bercovitch, University of Canterbury (deceased 2011).

Psychological Processes: Causes and Consequences

WD54: Wednesday 4:00 PM – 5:45 PM

"Dangerous Minds: Attitude and Value Change as a Consequence of War" by Ralph Sundberg.