Momodou B. Bah wants to help prevent atrocities across coastal West Africa, a region at risk for violent conflict. He has interviewed local leaders in Guinea and experts in Washington, D.C. to support this work.

Ishika Sharan is also helping to promote peace and stability in the region, which includes the countries of Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea and Togo. She has studied the bureaucratic hurdles that limit donors’ ability to work together in funding conflict prevention.

Bah, a second-year master of global affairs student, and Sharan, a 2024 master of global affairs graduate, have completed two of the four Keough School student projects so far that support the Academic Centers of Conflict Anticipation and Prevention (ACCAP). The collaboration includes the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO) and several university partners, including the Keough School of Global Affairs.

Input from student research projects will inform the CSO’s ability to anticipate, prevent and respond to global conflict. Undergraduate and graduate students at the Keough School will have continued opportunities to conduct research with impact.

“Our students have seized the opportunity to engage with State Department officials and produce research that is based on specific policy priorities of the U.S. government,” said Maura Policelli, executive director of the Keough School Washington Office and professor of the practice at the Keough School. Policelli has advised and facilitated student projects for ACCAP.

Pursuing policy-relevant research

Students say they appreciate the opportunity to inform the work of policymakers who address global challenges.

“I analyzed drivers of conflict and resilience factors that contribute to atrocity prevention,” said Bah, who is pursuing a concentration in international peace studies. “My research provided me with an opportunity to study coastal West Africa and recommend the necessary actions for the short, medium and long term to help policymakers take a holistic approach to peacebuilding.” For countries such as Guinea, Bah says, that includes monitoring the transition to elections that the ruling military junta has promised, as well as facilitating dialogue to help bridge ethnic and political divides and strengthen social cohesion.

“This experience has been imperative to understanding the nuances and intricacies of policymaking.”  

Bah’s research supports the implementation of the Global Fragility Act of 2019, a whole-of-government approach to strengthening fragile states that are at risk for violent conflict. Policymakers have prioritized coastal West Africa as they focus on preventing the spread of extremism from nearby countries in the Sahel region of Africa.

Sharan’s research also supports regional conflict prevention. The Keough School graduate, who pursued a concentration in governance and policy, began her project during her final semester as a student, working with classmate Yaryna Pysko on donor mapping. They analyzed how often-overlooked processes related to bureaucracy, funding mechanisms and coordination among government agencies can affect policy outcomes in the field.

“As a governance and policy student, this experience has been imperative to understanding the nuances and intricacies of policymaking as well as their unintended consequences, despite the best intentions,” Sharan said. “Often, we think of policy in terms of the rigor of the policy intervention itself, not realizing how back-end bureaucratic processes, as well as contextual factors, affect the outcomes. To be working on these intricacies in the sphere of foreign policy was a particularly enlightening and rewarding experience.”

Both Bah and Sharan will present their research findings to policymakers at the inaugural ACCAP conference, which will take place Nov. 18-19, 2024 at the Keough School Washington Office.

Undergraduate global affairs students have also contributed to ACCAP research. Lexi Koplas, who graduated in 2024, studied the strategic ability of non-state actors to do more with less. Her case study of Hamas found that the terrorist group successfully transformed its drone warfare capabilities, in part by capitalizing on basic technologies and access to various drone components in open markets.

Koplas recommended that the United States work with other countries to enhance proliferation prevention capabilities, regulate commercial sales of drone technology and encourage information sharing and international coordination.

“After conducting my research, I appreciated the opportunity to provide policy recommendations in my final paper as an opportunity to comment on U.S. interests in connection with this issue,” Koplas said. “I was able to contribute to conflict prevention research from the perspective of an undergraduate interested in national security and foreign policy.”

Building skills for policy careers

Alexandre Lacaze, a senior from France majoring in global affairs, is working on another research project as part of his global affairs policy capstone seminar with Steve Reifenberg, teaching professor of international development for the Keough School. Lacaze’s team is helping Global Affairs Canada and the Department of State’s CSO understand how climate change impacts security dynamics in coastal West Africa.

Lacaze, who also serves as a captain for Notre Dame Fencing, has used his French language skills to help translate interviews. He’s found the project has provided opportunities to develop a variety of skills including leadership, communication, adaptability, teamwork and design thinking.

The project, he said, has been helpful for his professional development. Lacaze plans to pursue a career in international development with a focus on Africa.

“As a French national, I feel compelled to contribute to efforts in countries affected by the legacy of colonization, which I see as a significant factor behind underdevelopment, especially in Africa,” Lacaze said. “Additionally, these countries face severe impacts from climate change despite being some of the least contributors to the issue. This motivates me to play a role in fostering sustainable and long-term development in the region.”

Learn more: incorporating ACCAP projects into classes 

Keough School faculty who are interested in exploring how to incorporate ACCAP projects into their classes can contact Maura Policelli, executive director of the Keough School Washington Office and professor of the practice, at mpolice1@nd.edu. 

Originally published by Josh Stowe at keough.nd.edu on November 11, 2024.