Peace After Tomorrow: The Future of Conflict Prevention

The global conflict landscape is changing rapidly, with big power rivalry on the rise in a multipolar system driven by competition for influence in the world’s major strategic contexts. More actors are pursuing their ends militarily. More believe they can get away with it. 

Conflicts now last longer and few end in comprehensive agreements. External actors increasingly shape and escalate local conflicts while proxy warfare – via military support, asymmetric engagement, use of hybrid threats, and political influence – has now become a central feature of many conflicts. Middle powers see more opportunities to exert influence, sometimes taking on multiple competing roles, from mediators to security providers.

In today’s conflicts, new technologies and data play a major role in blurring the boundaries between physical and digital battlefields, state and non-state actors weaponise disinformation online to achieve their goals. At the same time, the use of data allows us to refine our conflict prevention tools by detecting signals of escalating violence at an early stage.

Conflict prevention efforts will need to adapt to these multifaceted, rapidly changing and interconnected challenges. The global character of these challenges means that a cross-regional perspective and toolset are necessary, but their impact must also be analysed and addressed at local and regional levels to adapt to the nuanced realities on the ground.

This conference will connect experts with policy-makers to discuss how the EU, and its Member States – together with other multilateral, governmental and civil society actors – can adapt their conflict prevention efforts, both when it comes to preventing another war on the European continent and further afield.

The event will be held under the Chatham House Rule.

Registration: Please register at icg.events.brussels@crisisgroup.org.