Civil Conflict, Violence Against Civilians, International Security Studies
Background & Qualification
Angela is a PhD student in the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University. She completed a Bachelor’s degree in Government and Politics and Spanish Language and a Master’s degree in Public Policy at the University of Maryland. She is an international development professional working as a programme assistant in global health security. Her experience includes fieldwork in Paraguay and with Washington DC-based organisations including the United States Agency for International Development, Search for Common Ground, and Peace Direct, focusing on conflict resolution and peacebuilding programmes in Sudan, Nigeria, and Burundi.
Doctoral Research
What are the drivers of violence against civilians in 21 st century civil conflict?
Research Overview
Despite protection under international law, civilians continue to be victims and targets in civil conflict, and efforts by international actors to protect civilians are often insufficient. In every civil conflict, armed groups evaluate factors to decide how to engage in conflict and realise their goals. However, with the interconnectedness of these factors, there will be variation among outcomes – in essence, armed groups similar in structure, opponents, and conflict contexts have shown to commit highly variable levels of violence against civilians. This research seeks to understand which conditions contribute to the variation in the use of violence against civilians in 21st-century conflict. Understanding drivers of violence against civilians will be critical for policymakers and peacebuilders to develop more effective approaches to resolving and preventing similar conflicts in the future.