This ongoing project (with Daphna Canetti) investigates how and to what extent individual-level exposure to political violence impacts civilians’ willingness to compromise for peace—i.e., to negotiate the core issues underlying a given prolonged conflict. We disaggregate data from conflict zones (Israel, Palestine, and Northern Ireland) to analyze the micro-foundations of prolonged conflict by examining exposure to violence and its political effects. We argue that (1) not all civilians amid conflict are in fact exposed to the same degree, and (2) variations in exposure may be associated with variations in attitudes towards peace. Civilians who are highly distressed and threatened as a result of exposure to war and terrorism are less likely to support diplomatic negotiations and peace.
 
 
View related papers:
Canetti Daphna, Hirsch-Hoefler Sivan, Carmit Rapaport, Lowe Robert and Muldoon Orla. (2018).  Psychological barriers to a peaceful resolution: Longitudinal evidence from the Middle East and Northern Ireland. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 41(8), 660-676. .
 
Hirsch-Hoefler Sivan, Canetti Daphna, Rapaport Carmit and Hobfoll Steven (2016). Conflict will Harden your Heart: Exposure to Violence, Psychological Distress, and Peace Barriers in Israel and Palestine, British Journal of Political Science, 46(4), 845-859.‏ View
 
Canetti Daphna., Hirsch-Hoefler Sivan, and Hobfoll Steven (2015). Individuals exposed to political violence are less likely to support compromises in peace talks. Democratic Audit Blog.‏ 
 
Canetti Daphna, Hirsch-Hoefler Sivan and Eiran Ehud (2014). Suffer the Children: The Psychology of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Foreign Affairs, October 8, 2014.