Darren Kew studies the relationship between transformative conflict resolution methods and democratic development, particularly in terms of democratic institution building in Africa and the growth of political cultures that support democracy. Much of his work focuses on the role of civil society groups in this development. Professor Kew has worked with the Council on Foreign Relations' Center for Preventive Action to provide analysis and blueprints for preventing conflicts in numerous areas around the world, including Nigeria, Central Africa, and Kosovo. He has also been a consultant to the United Nations, USAID, the US State Department, and to a number of NGOs, including the Carter Center in a 1999 effort by former President Carter to mediate the Niger Delta conflicts. Professor Kew is recognized by policymakers in Washington and academics here and in Nigeria for his deep, firsthand knowledge of Nigerian politics and society. His work on how conflict resolution methods promote democratization of national political cultures is among the first of its kind linking these important fields.

Research Interests:

• Civil society, conflict prevention, and transnational civil society development
• International security and crisis intervention in Africa
• Conflict resolution efforts as grassroots approaches to promoting democracy
• Conflict and democracy in Africa (especially Nigeria)
• Culture, religion, and conflict resolution
• International negotiation
• Nation-building

Recent Publications:

“Building Democracy in 21st Century Africa: Two Africas, One Solution,” Seton Hall Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations (Winter/Spring 2005).

“Democracy and Conflict,” 1 Negotiation and Dispute Resolution Journal 1 (Spring 2004).

"The Third Generation of Nigerian Civil Society: The Rise of Nongovernmental Organization in the 1990s," in Adigun Agbaje, Larry Diamond, and Ebere Onwudiwe, eds. Nigeria's Struggle for Democracy and Good Governance: A Festschrift for Oyeleye Oyediran (Ibadan, Nigeria: Ibadan UP, 2004).

"The 2003 Elections in Nigeria: Not Credible, but Acceptable?" In Robert I. Rotberg, ed. Crafting the New Nigeria: Strengthening the Nation (Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 2004).

"Promoting Business Integrity in Nigeria: The Case of the Convention on Business Integrity," case study published by the United Nations Global Compact Learning Forum, February 2004.

"Fighting Corruption in Nigeria: Anti-Corruption Synthesis Assessment and Strategy Development." Strategy report for USAID Democracy and Governance/Anti-Corruption assistance to Nigeria (MSI, May 2003).

"Nigeria," with Peter Lewis, in Kesselman, Krieger, and Joseph, eds. Introduction to Comparative Politics: Political Challenges and Changing Agendas (Houghton Mifflin: New York, 2005 ed.).