Peacebuilding in post-conflict areas. Radicalisation prevention and cultural security studies

Session I – Foundations of peacebuilding and conflict transformation in post-conflict societies

Core concepts of peace, conflict and reconciliation; the difference between negative and positive peace; the post-conflict reconstruction cycle. Grounded in Western Balkans and MENA contexts through the experience of the partner institutions.

Session II – Diplomacy, mediation and multi-track negotiation

Track I, II and III diplomacy; principled negotiation and interest-based bargaining; mediation and third-party intervention. Practical exercises in framing, concession-making and managing spoilers in peace processes.

Session III – Leadership in fragile, divided and transitional societies

Leadership styles for high-uncertainty, low-trust environments; ethical decision-making; coalition-building across divided communities. Emphasis on inclusive leadership and the role of women and youth in peace processes.

Session IV – Drivers of radicalisation, violent extremism and polarisation

Individual, social, ideological and structural drivers of radicalisation in post-conflict and transitional settings. How unresolved grievances, weak institutions and competing narratives feed extremism – and why peacebuilding is itself a form of prevention.

Session V – Cultural security and intercultural communication in peace processes

The role of religion, identity, honour, gender and social hierarchy in conflict and reconciliation. Building intercultural competence for negotiators and field practitioners working across cultural and confessional lines.

Session VI – Migration, displacement, returnees and reintegration

Forced displacement, refugees and returnees as both a consequence of conflict and a factor in post-conflict stability. Reintegration challenges, including returning fighters, and the institutional response in multicultural environments.

Session VII – Strategic communication, disinformation and online radicalisation

Extremist propaganda, hostile influence, disinformation and the use of social media and AI in mobilisation. Designing and delivering counter-narratives and strategic communication that support reconciliation rather than deepen polarisation.

Session VIII – Reconciliation, transitional justice and dealing with the past

National and international Prevention/Countering Violent Extremism frameworks; community resilience; multi-agency and cross-border cooperation. Good European practices and the role of local actors, education and civil society.

Session IX – P/CVE policy, community resilience and multi-agency cooperation

Truth-telling, transitional justice, memory and apology; lessons from the Western Balkans and MENA. How societies move from coexistence to reconciliation, and the risks of unaddressed trauma reigniting conflict.

Session X – Capstone: negotiation lab, simulations and regional case studies

Integrative simulations and a negotiation laboratory based on real cases from Kosovo, the Western Balkans, MENA and penitentiary/migration settings. Participants develop and defend their own policy recommendations before an expert panel.