Frozen conflicts in world politics: A new dataset

Abstract

This article introduces the first comprehensive dataset of frozen conflicts in world politics. It draws on a new, broader conceptualization of frozen conflicts that revolves around an unresolved core issue between the warring parties and transcends the common understanding of frozen conflicts as a recent, post-Soviet phenomenon. The authors identify 42 cases of such conflicts between 1946 and 2011 that include conflict dyads involving both regular states and ‘de facto states’. The article describes the process of dataset construction, presents summary statistics, and identifies key patterns concerning conflict onset, escalation, and resolution. In addition, it provides a comparison of the dataset with enduring rivalries and strategic rivalries to situate it within existing research on conflict escalation and conflict resolution. The dataset is presented in a cross-sectional format compatible with the Correlates of War and the Uppsala Conflict Data Program that can be used by other researchers in peace and conflict studies to provide new insights into the dynamics of frozen conflicts.

Engaging Without Recognizing? Western Approaches to the Eurasian De Facto States

“…6 Harzl further maintains that the widespread emphasis on the negative attributes associated with de facto statehood may prevent us from grasping the "notion and meaning of internal sovereignty" within these entities. The same is true if we view 1 The concept of "frozen confl icts" and the associated approaches are still used by some Western researchers (see, for example, Dembinska and Campana 2017), in particular those working within the paradigm of confl ict studies (Klosek et al 2021). 2 See Broers 2013 for an overview of the shifting theories and paradigms deployed in the study of the South Caucasian de facto states during the fi rst two decades after their de facto secession.…”

The Invisible Impact of Frozen Conflicts: A Case Study of Foreign Domestic Workers in Cyprus

“…One definition that responds to these criticisms is that provided by Smetana and Ludvik (2019) and Kosek et al (2020), which identifies three characteristics of frozen conflicts. These are that (a) the parties attempted, but failed, to resolve their incompatibilities through war; (b) after the ceasefire, the core issue over which the war was fought remains salient and a potent instrument of mobilisation in domestic politics; and (c) the threat of violent re-escalation, is still present.…”