The Kroc Cast: Peace Studies Conversations

In this urgent and timely episode of the Kroc Cast, we are joined by Kelsey Davenport (MA '11), Director of Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association. This conversation was recorded as a "massive armada" gathered in the Persian Gulf, and it now serves as a hauntingly prophetic analysis of the catastrophic military escalation that unfolded on February 28, 2026.Hours after "intense" nuclear negotiations in Geneva ended without a deal, the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury (Roaring Lion), a joint military assault aimed at toppling the Iranian regime and "razing" its missile and nuclear infrastructure. With reports confirming the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and retaliatory strikes hitting U.S. bases across the Gulf, the region has entered the "devastating war" Davenport warned was nearly inevitable without a diplomatic off-ramp.

Peace implementation is a long, nonlinear journey that requires more than just technical oversight—it requires a human network rooted in trust. In this episode of The Kroc Cast, we go behind the scenes of the Peace Accords Matrix (PAM) to explore its historic responsibility: independently monitoring the 2016 Final Peace Accord in Colombia. Host Cristian Sáez Flórez is joined by the researchers and practitioners who bring this work to life through a unique partnership between the University of Notre Dame and the Colombian Barometer Initiative. This conversation dives into the delicate balance between measuring progress and respecting the lived realities of communities navigating the legacy of conflict. From technical innovations in transitional justice to the emotional dimensions of post-conflict work, our guests share how this binational collaboration turns high-level commitments into tangible change on the ground. The episode features Ángela María Ramírez Rincón, Executive Director of the Barometer Initiative in Colombia; Mateo Gómez Vásquez, Technical Research Leader; Natalia Restrepo Ortiz, Research Associate; and Carolina Serrano Idrovo, Research Associate for PAM at the Kroc Institute.

We know you've been waiting—and we're thrilled to announce an all-new season of The Kroc Cast beginning November 2025. This season we're zeroing in on the most critical element of any peace effort: the peace agreements. We'll explore how signed documents transform into real change on the ground, guided by the Institute's globally renowned tool, the Peace Accords Matrix. Don't miss this season connecting global research with the local reality.

Art has long been a powerful tool for fostering understanding, reconciliation, and healing in conflict-affected societies. By transforming cultural, political, and ideological boundaries, artistic expression allows individuals to communicate, reflect, and envision new possibilities for coexistence. In this episode, Peace Policy guest editor Norbert Koppensteiner, Associate Teaching Professor of Peace Studies, joined the contributors of the issue to discuss the diverse ways that art contributes to peacebuilding, demonstrating its ability to cultivate empathy, challenge oppressive structures, and create spaces for dialogue. Contributors to this issue of Peace Policy include Alison Ribeiro de Menezes, a Professor of Hispanic Studies at the University of Warwick, UK; Vera Brandner, head of the NGO ipsum and a freelance scientist and lecturer; Jessica (Doe) Mehta, Ph.D. (Aniyunwiya/Cherokee Nation), a 2024-2025 Visiting Research Fellow at the Kroc Institute; and Paula Ditzel Facci, a dancing peace researcher and assistant professor of peacebuilding at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University. Read all articles in this issue at peacepolicy.nd.edu.

This episode is dedicated to our latest issue of Peace Policy, which focuses on the co-mingling of two existential crises of our time: the threat of nuclear war, and potential planetary destruction through climate change. Atalia Omer, Professor of Religion, Conflict and Peace Studies, serves as this year’s faculty editor of Peace Policy. She is joined by George A. Lopez, Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., Professor Emeritus of Peace Studies and the guest editor of this Peace Policy issue, for a conversation about essays from our expert contributors, ranging from environmental and nuclear risks in Ukraine, to Pope Francis, to climate change. Contributors to this issue of Peace Policy include Rachel Bronson, president and CEO of The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists; Drew Marcantonio (Ph.D. '21), Department of Management & Organization within the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame, as well as a faculty fellow with the Kroc Institute, and Kristina Hook (Ph.D. '20), an assistant professor of Conflict Management with Kennesaw State University in Georgia; and Jerry Powers, director of Catholic Peacebuilding Studies at the Kroc Institute and coordinator of the Catholic Peacebuilding Network. Read all articles in this issue at peacepolicy.nd.edu.

Today’s episode features three current Keough School of Global Affairs students who took part in the course “Racial Justice In America,” offered through the Center for Social Concerns. The conversation is hosted by Euda Fils (MGA '23), and the guests include Bernice Antoine (B.A. '26) and Aidé Cuenca Narvaéz (MGA '23). The course's curriculum is centered around Clint Smith's book, How the Word Is Passed, which is about Clint’s visit "to eight places in the United States as well as one abroad to understand how each reckons with its relationship to the history of American slavery.” As part of the course, students were offered the opportunity over spring break to visit some of the same sites that Clint did, as well as some other additional sites in the US that were important in both the history of slavery and the story of the struggle for civil rights.

El Acuerdo Final de Paz de Colombia, suscrito en 2016, estableció como uno de sus principios orientadores el de la centralidad de las víctimas. El Acuerdo Final reconoce los daños y el sufrimiento desproporcionado que el conflicto armado interno les ocasionó a las víctimas. Por ello, las partes firmantes acordaron compromisos encaminados a satisfacer sus derechos a la verdad, la justicia, la reparación y la no repetición.En diciembre de 2022, el Instituto Kroc publicó el informe "Las víctimas al centro: estado de la implementación del Acuerdo Final desde la perspectiva de sus derechos", que analiza el estado de la implementación de aquellos compromisos relacionados con los derechos de las víctimas e identifica oportunidades para aumentar sus niveles de implementación.Este episodio presenta un diálogo entre Josefina Echavarría Álvarez, miembros de la Iniciativa Barómetro de la Matriz de Acuerdos de Paz, y Cielo Linares, investigadora del Centro Internacional para la Justicia Transicional, en el que se destacan los principales avances y retos presentados en el informe.

In this episode, Josefina Echavarría, director of the Peace Accords Matrix and associate professor of the practice, hosts a conversation with the Honorable Juan Manuel Santos, Former President of Colombia and 2016 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate about the 2016 Peace Agreement between the Colombian government and the former FARC-EP that ended the country’s deadly 52-year armed conflict and its current state of implementation.

This is the first of two podcast conversations with authors of policy briefs in the newest collection published by the Kroc Institute's Peace Accords Matrix. The briefs address content and process-related issues in peace agreement design, especially regarding inclusion of citizens’ rights. In this episode, Josefina Echavarría, director of the Peace Accords Matrix and associate professor of the practice, hosts a conversation with policy brief authors Felipe Roa-Clavijo, assistant professor in the School of Government at the Universidad de Los Andes, Rebecca Gindele, consultant on women’s rights and local peacebuilding issues in Colombia, and Sally Sharif, a post-doctoral research associate at the Kroc Institute. You can read all policy briefs at peaceaccords.nd.edu/policy.

This is one of three episodes dedicated to conversations with the authors of recent Peace Policy articles focusing on the importance of including youth in peacebuilding efforts throughout the U.S. and around the world. Cat Bolten, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Peace Studies at the Kroc Institute, is the guest editor for this issue of Peace Policy.This episode features a conversation between Angie Lederach (Ph.D. '20), and Naun Alvarez Gonzalez, a leader of the Youth Peace Provokers movement in Montes de Maria, Colombia. You can also read their full article at peacepolicy.nd.edu.Please note that a Spanish version of this episode is also available. A note from Angie and Naun: "This conversation was recorded prior to the recent presidential elections in Colombia. We write today from Camarón, where the election of Gustavo Petro and Francia Márquez, who ran on a platform committed to peace, has generated a sense of hope and opportunity for the people of Naún's community. We hope that what they have promised on paper will be put into practice as they take office in August."

Cinco años después de la firma del Acuerdo Final de 2016 entre el gobierno colombiano y las ex FARC-EP, la implementación no se ha detenido, a pesar de enfrentar numerosos obstáculos. Un nuevo informe de la Iniciativa Barómetro de la Matriz de Acuerdos de Paz (PAM) del Instituto Kroc para Estudios Internacionales de la Paz presenta el estado actual de la implementación del acuerdo de paz. Este episodio presenta una discusión entre los miembros del equipo de la Iniciativa del Barómetro de la Matriz de los Acuerdos de Paz que destaca los avances y desafíos clave presentados en este informe. Lea el informe completo en go.nd.edu/InformesKrocCol.

In this episode, Atalia Omer, Professor of Religion, Conflict and Peace Studies, and one of the guest editors of the most recent issue of Peace Policy focused on the particular role of women in global peacebuilding efforts, talks with authors of all the pieces in this issue. Guests include Peace Policy co-editor, Ruth Carmi, current Ph.D. student in peace studies and sociology; Linda Quiquivix, a popular educator of Mayan roots who saves seeds, loves books, and makes art; Sarah Ihmoud, assistant professor of peace and conflict studies at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts; and Katherine Marshall, a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. Read all articles in this issue at peacepolicy.nd.edu.