Corinne Bara

Abstract With armed conflicts at a historic high and attacks on civilians rising1, understanding the evolving nature of conflict is a critical research priority. The current paradigm in conflict research relies heavily on text-based data, using fatalities as the primary—and often sole—proxy for violence intensity. Although these data have expanded our ability to study armed conflict, they exhibit inherent limitations due to uneven human reporting2,3,4,5,6.

Abstract To reduce the suffering caused by armed conflicts, humanitarian organizations are exploring the use of remote conflict monitoring, including through satellite data, to complement human efforts in detecting crises early. Nighttime light (NTL) is a promising data source for such initiatives, as it can capture changes in human activities that may not have physical manifestations detectable by other satellite data.

In a 2015 report, then-Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon remarked that the United Nations (UN) had “entered an era of partnership peacekeeping.” And, indeed, in the past three decades, the UN has frequently and in various modes of cooperation conducted peacekeeping in partnership with regional organizations, ad-hoc coalitions of states, and even single member states.