Opinions & Insights

As we work to create a sustainable planet, we must equally prioritize sustainable peace. Our work in Somali fishing communities has shed light on ways science and natural resource conservation come together to reduce conflict and build community and environmental resilience. 

The recent presence of military coups covered in the news may lead people to believe that coups are more prevalent in 2021 than they have been in recent years, however, this perception may warrant further questions pertaining to what qualifies an event as a coup, and how loosely should the term be u...

Secure Fisheries Project Kalluun, a partnership with four Somali universities and Somali fisheries ministries, aims to enhance fisheries data collection throughout the region and train the next generation of Somali marine scientists. As participants in the project, students gain training from Secure...

The recent presence of military coups covered in the news may lead people to believe that coups are more prevalent in 2021 than they have been in recent years, however, this perception may warrant further questions pertaining to what qualifies an event as a coup, and how loosely should the term be u...

June is Pride Month and in the U.S. we also commemorate “Juneteenth” on June 19th, the marking of the end of slavery in the U.S. Already widely recognized, we applaud the U.S. House of Reps for recently voting overwhelmingly to formalize Juneteenth as a national federal holiday. OEF wants to extend ...

OEF and Alliance for Peacebuilding released a report last month detailing the findings of a survey of professional peacebuilders on their ideas about evidence-based practice in peacebuilding. The results suggest that despite the debate, the field has a pretty developed understanding of what evidence...

The challenges of peacebuilding involve maximizing the contribution of multiple technical experts in an often quickly changing environment, and one where participants may not always trust all other participants or where they may be concerned about maintaining their individual authority to make decis...

OEF’s Executive Director and Chief Operating Office, Jon Bellish talks about OEF’s commitment to Relentless Empiricism as core to its belief in and support of iterative problem-solving and careful, analytical design. He discusses how OEF relies on evidence to cut through complexities in order to sol...

Answering the question of why people rebel is central to understanding civil war. Research shows that civil wars and rebellion are neither driven by ancient hatreds between ethnic groups nor simply by opportunistic greed.

This blog post briefly reviews the current state of research on armed conflict, discusses the predictors of peace, and addresses the opportunities for OEF, dedicated to fostering sustainable peace.

Community work involves more than physical presence and specialized expertise. Join Oregon State University graduate student, Ashley Peiffer, in exploring what it means to build meaningful relationships that inspire community-led projects and how research with Secure Fisheries illuminates both perso...

OEF’s goal is ultimately the elimination of war. In order to achieve this admittedly lofty goal, we need to have a working theory of the causes of war and how we can help to disrupt them. Fortunately, there is a large body of research in “peace science” and, more broadly, political science. In devel...

Southern African regions are increasingly shaping global norms around security. A recent blog series by OEF Research explores these.

Secure Fisheries is taking a look back at the challenges, adaptations, and accomplishments during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is really not the time for alternative facts. Serious global challenges—climate change, war and refugees, growing authoritarianism—require thoughtful responses based on data and evidence. But truth seems to be malleable and alternative facts compete with actual facts. And people with confli...