PhD Thesis
Title: The Creation of Urban Conflict Agreements in Armed Conflicts
Supervisors: Christiana Parreira and Keith Krause
Expected completion date: 2026
The thesis is a paper-based thesis.
The first article examines urban conflict agreements, publicly available written agreements between conflict parties that address conflict-related grievances specific to urban areas. Drawing on and contributing to the literature on the urbanisation of conflict, it makes a conceptual contribution by presenting a typology that explains why urban conflict agreements differ depending on their process and content, and what that means for the possible durability of these urban conflict agreements.
The second article investigates the role of customary authorities in urban conflict agreements, building on growing scholarship that highlights their relevance in urban governance and their established roles in rural conflict resolution. It asks: How do customary authorities engage in urban conflict agreements?
The third article addresses the question of how customary authorities – defined as influential social, religious or tribal leaders who possess socio-political authority based on long-standing community norms and practices – negotiate urban conflict agreements under the example of Marawi City (Philippines).
Profile
Emilian holds an MA in International Affairs from the Geneva Graduate Institute and a BA in International Relations and Modern History from the University of East Anglia. Emilian has worked in several different organisations in Geneva and Berlin, most recently the Geneva Centre for Security Policy prior to his PhD and has since supported projects on conflict resolution and peacebuilding.
Publications and Works
- Berutti, Emilian, and Xinyu Yuan. 2025. “The Peacebuilders Playground: Peacebuilding Practices in Timor-Leste.” International Peacekeeping, June, 1–28. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13533312.2025.2524403.
- Berutti, Emilian, and Achim Wennmann. 2024. “Urban Political Settlements: A New Lens for Peacemaking in Cities.” Conflict, Security & Development, December, 1–27. doi:10.1080/14678802.2024.2437654.
Research Interests
- Political Economy of Conflict and Peace
- Peacemaking in times of Uncertainty
- Hybrid Political Orders and Multi-Layered Governance