E3: Ceasefire Lines – Forms of Negotiations between Elites and in Everyday Life

Dr. Sabine von Löwis (ZOiS)

Ceasefire lines are the results of negotiations and intended to cease violence. Often initially conceived as a temporary stage in peace negotiations, they quickly become permanent structures and, in the medium term, de facto borders that are not internationally recognized, but become the status quo in an unresolved conflict. At the same time, these de facto borders are always triggers for further conflicts.

The comparative project investigates the conditions of emergence and the effects of this very territorially anchored form of conflict regulation. Its focus is on the negotiation of the ceasefire lines between political and regional elites on the one hand and, on the other hand, on the co-creation of this line through the everyday life of those who cross and use it. Mainly, the project looks at post-soviet ceasefire lines in Georgia, Moldova and Azerbaijan, but also considers other ceasefire lines, e.g. the green line between Northern Cyprus and Cyprus or Israel and Palestine.