Inaugural Lecture: Prof 'Funmi Olonisakin

Description: Leadership & 'Conversation' in Dialogue: Securing Peace in the Unromantic Context Stable peace continues to elude societies grappling with cycles of violent conflict and general insecurity. About half of the situations where the United Nations has intervened to bring about peace have experienced violent relapse. Liberal peacebuilding has only delivered mixed results. Yet a suitable alternative is yet to emerge. This lecture will argue for new thinking and approach to building peace that places “Leadership” and “Conversation” at its core. These seemingly simple, every day buzzwords mean something profound and transforming in the hardheaded context of recurring violence. Conversation becomes the compass for leadership and the barometer for peace. This compels a shift in emphasis away from an idealized approach to the harsh realities of conflict-torn societies. Bio: Professor ’Funmi Olonisakin is Vice-President and Vice-Principal International and Professor of Security, Leadership & Development at King’s College London. She is also founding Director of the African Leadership Centre (ALC), which aims to build the next generation of African scholars and analysts generating cutting-edge knowledge for conflict, security and development in Africa. Prior to this, she was Programme Director of the ALC King’s College London MSc programmes on Security, Leadership and Society and MSc Leadership and Development as well as the Postgraduate Research Programme on Leadership Studies with Reference to Security and Development. _________________________________ For more information on news and upcoming events, please visit our website at kcl.ac.uk/warstudies.