Time: Wednesday, April 24th, 14-16.
Place: LINNA, Room 5014, Tampere University, Kalevantie 5.
About the lecture:
Currently in its eighth year, the conflict in Syria has defied multiple attempts at peaceful resolution. The United Nations, Russia, and several regional actors have attempted to bring the parties together to little avail. Why has it been so hard to bring Syrian parties to the table? What accounts for this conflict’s seemingly particular resistance to a negotiated settlement? Professor Zahar has closely followed the Syrian peace talks in her capacity as a member of the UN Standby Team of Mediation Experts (2013-2015) and as a Senior Expert in the team of UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura (2017). In this talk, she will use mediation theory as well as her personal observations to shed light on one of the most vexing, yet equally pressing, attempts at peaceful conflict-resolution.
About Prof. Zahar:
Marie-Joëlle Zahar is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Research Network on Peace Operations at the Université de Montréal, Canada. From 2013 to 2015, she served on the UN Standby Team of Mediation Experts and was involved in supporting UN participation in peace talks in Mali, the Central African Republic, Libya, Yemen and Syria. A dual Lebanese-Canadian national, her research focuses on the use of violence by non-state armed groups as well as the use of power sharing as a device to secure the commitment of warring parties to a peace settlement.
Everyone is warmly welcomed to attend the lecture!
For further information or question, please contact: bruno.lefort [at] tuni.fi