How Should We Understand Patterns of Recurring Conflict?

Civil wars trap countries in recurring cycles of violent conflict. About half of all conflict episodes and nearly 35% of all dyadic pairs of belligerents have recurred. In order to assess the global trends of conflict recurrence, we developed an original database. The PRIO Conflict Recurrence Database examines recurrence in terms of the actors fighting, the issues of contention, and the territory contested. This brief presents the conflict recurrence patterns that emerged, revealing that unaddressed grievances stand in the way of lasting peace.