Ashley Jackson

I know the world is on fire, but some quick personal news: @florian_weigand and I have officially launched the Centre for the Study of Armed Groups at @ODIdev

We firmly believe solid independent research leads to better policies Yet I’m always surprised at how little decent work exists on armed groups. And that the great stuff that does exist often doesn’t reach policymakers -- or that they struggle to translate it into policy/action

Poor analysis leads to flawed assumptions and misunderstandings ... which leads to faulty approaches to aid, diplomacy, peacebuilding, etc ... which definitely doesn’t help civilians or reduce violence -- and often makes things worse for people just trying to survive

Of course, insidious political/social dynamics (war on terror, Islamophobia, institutional racism, immigration fears, militarized foreign policy - the list goes on...) also slant analysis, fuel funding distortions, shutdown dialogue and obstruct policies that might actually work

I’ve seen this on repeat in Afghanistan and many places I’ve worked: CAR, Somalia, Iraq, DRC… This isn't to justify armed group behavior. But demonizing them & refusing to engage = the intellectual/policy equivalent of shooting yourself in the foot And it won't help civilians

So our goal is this: we want to create a safe space for frank dialogue about researching and engaging with armed groups -- and to support the kind of original, on-the-ground research we are passionate about doing ourselves