Laurie Nathan

Biography & Research

Laurie Nathan is professor of the practice in the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame and a core-affiliated faculty member of the  Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. He is also the director of the institute's Mediation Program, which serves as an international center of excellence for mediation research, training, policy and practice.

Nathan earned his Ph.D. from the University of Cape Town. He has been a senior mediation advisor to the United Nations, served on the UN Academic Advisory Council on Mediation in 2012-18 and since 2013 has been the lead designer and trainer of the annual UN High Level Mediation Course. He has participated in high-level peacemaking efforts in Africa and helped design the mediation units of the African Union and African sub-regional bodies. He has been a senior advisor on mediation and related issues to the AU, ECOWAS, the EU, IGAD, the OECD, SADC and the governments of Germany, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Switzerland, The Netherlands and the UK. He has served on the Carter Centre’s International Council for Conflict Resolution; the Board of Directors of Conciliation Resources; the international advisory board of the Centre for Resolution of International Conflict at University of Copenhagen; the Advisory Board of the International Panel on Social Progress; the Editorial Advisory Board of African Affairs; and the Book Reviews Advisory Committee of International Affairs.

In addition to these international engagements, Nathan provides mediation and training support to various groups in South Bend, including the City’s Office of Community Initiatives, the Boys & Girls Club, Connect 2 Be The Change, and the South Bend Group Violence Intervention (SBGVI). 

Prior to coming to Notre Dame, Nathan was professor and director of the Centre for Mediation in Africa at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, and director of the Centre for Conflict Resolution at the University of Cape Town. He is the author of four books, including "Community of Insecurity: SADC’s Struggle for Peace and Security in Southern Africa" and "No Ownership, No Commitment: A Guide to Local Ownership of Security Sector Reform." 

Recent Work

• "What Do International Mediators Do? Reviving and Refining the Mediation-Bargaining Model" (Contemporary Security Policy)
• "Reducing and Managing Risk: The Dimensions of Strong Ceasefires in Intra-State Conflict," with A. Sethi (International Studies Review)
• "Don’t We Have a Right to Get Angry? Integrating Emotions into International Mediation Studies," with J. Devonshire (International Journal of Conflict Management) 
• "The Customer is Always Right: The Policy Research Arena in International Mediation" (International Affairs)
• "Ceasefire Success: A Conceptual Framework," with G. Clayton and C. Wiehler (International Peacekeeping)
• "The Real Deal? The Post-Conflict Constitution as a Peace Agreement" (Third World Quarterly)
• "The International Peacemaking Dilemma: Ousting or Including the Villains?" (Swiss Political Science Review)

News & Media

• "Achieving a Genuine Ceasefire in Gaza: Lessons from Other Ceasefires" (The Global Observatory, International Peace Institute)
• "Why Wars Don’t End Anymore" (The New York Times)
• "The best relationships start as friendships: The powerhouse partnership of the Kroc Institute and PRIO" 
• "What would it take for a cease-fire to happen in Gaza?" (The Conversation)