The most intractable conflict in recent times is the Syrian Civil War: it has caused prolonged tensions, severe destruction, and devastating consequences and, despite several peacemaking efforts, has only escalated over time. How this conflict—which started out with the arrest of a few students—reached a state of intractability is much more nuanced than previously believed. Siniša Vuković and Diane Bernabei from The Johns Hopkins University, USA, in their study titled “Refining Intractability: A Case Study of Entrapment in the Syrian Civil War”, published in Brill’s International Negotiation, use the Syrian War as a case study to explain the factors that lead to an intractable crisis—and the ones that don’t.

Guests: Siniša Vuković and Diane Bernabei
Host: Emily Tamkin