Democracy and Conflict - Opposites or Complements? | One of democracy's greatest strengths is that it allows us to process conflicts in relative peace. In many countries, democratic institutions have succeeded in constraining incumbents from engaging in large-scale violence such as genocide, ethnic cleansing, repression, or civil war. At the same time,  political violence and conflict remain surprisingly common in many democracies, albeit on a lower scale.  For example, violence against immigrants happens routinely in democracies around the world. Similarly, concerns about violence against voters, political candidates, and election officials have increased in recent years, even in wealthy democracies such as the United States. This lecture explores the relationship between democracy and conflict and will draw on illustrative examples from diverse contexts. 

In Conversation: 

Ursula Daxecker,  Professor of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam (UvA)

Niranjan Sahoo, Senior Fellow, ORF