Diasporas for Peace: Patterns, Trends and Potential of Long-distance Diaspora Involvement in Conflict Settings. Case Studies from the Horn of Africa (DIASPEACE) is a three-year research project funded by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme.

DIASPEACE seeks to generate policy-relevant, evidence-based knowledge on how exiled populations from conflict regions play into the dynamics of conflict and peace in their countries of origin. In a globalised world such diaspora have become new forces shaping the interactions between countries, regions and continents. In the mainstream literature, diaspora are often seen to fuel conflict and exacerbate tensions through radical mobilisation along ethnic and religious lines. New research findings, however, show that diaspora groups are playing an increasingly prominent role in peace and reconciliation processes. In DIASPEACE the focus is on positive initiatives, while keeping in mind also the non-intended and negative impacts.

The project has an empirical focus on diaspora networks operating in Europe, which extend their transnational activities to the Horn of Africa. This is a region where decades of violent conflict have resulted in state collapse and the dispersal of more than two million people. The project involves six partners from Europe and two from the Horn of Africa and will conduct field research in both Europe and Africa.

DIASPEACE aims to: a) devise and test methodologies of multi-sited comparative research and to develop the conceptual framework for researching migrant political transnationalism in a conflict context; b) facilitate interaction between diaspora and other stakeholders in the Europe and in the Horn of Africa; c) provide policy input on how to better involve diaspora in conflict resolution and peace-building interventions, and how to improve coherence between security, development and immigration policies.

DIASPEACE consists of five main research components:

• Defining joint analytical tools and research methodologies;

• Providing a comparative assessment of transnational diaspora networks from the Horn of Africa and their interfaces with European civil society and state institutions;

• Case studies of diaspora as agents of conflict and peace from the Horn of Africa;

• Interaction between European institutions and diasporas in conflict resolution and peace building;

• Synthesis and dissemination of the research findings and identification of further research directions.

The project will produce a wide range of deliverables, including working papers, articles in scientific journals and books, seminars and workshops, policy papers a data-base and a handbook/toolkit. The project also publishes a regular Newsletter in the Internet.